Tag: NFL Week 15

Fantasy football inactives, injuries and weather: Week 15

Week 15 weather, injury updates and gameday inactives for the fantasy football lineup decisions.

Sunday updates will begin when teams start releasing official pregame inactives and starter information to the league. This is typically around 60-90 minutes prior to the kickoff of their game.

Weather forecasts are courtesy of The Football Database.

Week 15 gameday inactives, weather and notes

KEY GAME-TIME DECISIONS

Early games: WR Nico Collins (inactive), TE Darren Waller (active), RB De’Von Achane (active), WR Tyreek Hill (inactive), WR Christian Watson (inactive), RB Aaron Jones (active), RB AJ Dillon (inactive)
Afternoon games: WR Marquise Brown (active), WR Brandin Cooks (active)
Sunday night:
Monday night: QB Geno Smith

Chicago Bears at Cleveland Browns (1:00 p.m. ET)

Kickoff Weather: 46 degrees, 75% chance of precipitation, SSE 14 mph

Bears

Inactives: QB Nathan Peterman, LB Noah Sewell, S Quindell Johnson, WR Equanimeous St. Brown and OT Ja’Tyre Carter

Lineup notes: WR DJ Moore (ankle) is ready to do business. S Jaquan Brisker (groin) also will play through a questionable tag.

Browns

Inactives: LB Sam Kamara, LB Anthony Walker, C Ethan Pocic, LB Jordan Kunaszyk, S Juan Thornhill and DE Ogbo Okoronkwo

Lineup notes: RB Kareem Hunt (groin), RB Jerome Ford (wrist) and RB Pierre Strong (illness) all practiced Friday and are good to go. CB Denzel Ward (shoulder) is ready for Sunday action. RT Dawand Jones (knee) and S Grant Delpit (groin) went on IR this week.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Green Bay Packers (1:00 p.m. ET)

Kickoff Weather: 42 degrees, cloudy

Buccaneers

Inactives: QB John Wolford, S Josh Hayes, OT Brandon Walton, DL William Gholston, LB Devin White, CB Carlton Davis and DB Ryan Neal

Lineup notes: WR Chris Godwin (knee) will give it a go. CB Carlton Davis (groin) and S Ryan Neal (back) are out. DT Vita Vea (toe) was upgraded from doubtful to questionable, joining CB Jamel Dean (ankle, foot), and both will be on the field. LB Devin White (foot, personal) was listed as questionable but won’t play for personal reasons.

Packers

Inactives: WR Samori Toure, RB AJ Dillon, CB Jaire Alexander, S Darnell Savage, DL Brenton Cox, OT Caleb Jones and WR Christian Watson

Lineup notes: WR Christian Watson (hamstring) will miss another contest. RB Aaron Jones (knee) is ready, though RB AJ Dillon (thumb) won’t go. WR Jayden Reed (ankle) and WR Dontayvion Wicks (ankle) carry no injury tags. CB Eric Stokes was activated from IR, and RB Kenyan Drake was elevated from the practice team. LB Quay Walker (shoulder) returns, but CB Jaire Alexander (shoulder) and S Darnell Savage (shoulder) are not right yet.

Houston Texans at Tennessee Titans (1:00 p.m. ET)

Kickoff Weather: 50 degrees, cloudy

Texans

Inactives: WR Nico Collins, LB Blake Cashman, CB Kris Boyd, QB C.J. Stroud, RB Mike Boone, OT George Fant and DL Will Anderson Jr.

Lineup notes: QB C.J. Stroud (concussion) was downgraded to out, and QB Case Keenum will start. WR Nico Collins (calf) didn’t practice all week and is inactive. WR Noah Brown (knee) had a limited practice Friday and will give it a go. TE Dalton Schultz (hamstring) worked all week and is ready to return. PK Ka’imi Fairbairn was activated from IR. No. 3 overall pick DE Will Anderson Jr. (ankle) won’t be out there.

Titans

Inactives: TE Josh Whyle, S Mike Z. Brown, DL Caleb Murphy, LB Trevis Gipson, WR Kyle Philips, DL Jeffery Simmons and QB Malik Willis

Lineup notes: WR Nick Westbrook-Ikhine (illness) didn’t practice Friday but will be available. QB Will Levis (ankle) had full sessions Thursday and Friday and will go. DT Jeffery Simmons (knee) has been ruled out.

New York Jets at Miami Dolphins (1:00 p.m. ET)

Kickoff Weather: 77 degrees, mostly clear, SW 15 mph

Jets

Inactives: OT Carter Warren, QB Brett Rypien, CB Bryce Hall, LB Marcelino McCrary-Ball, DE Carl Lawson, WR Jason Brownlee and OT Max Mitchell

Lineup notes: QB Aaron Rodgers (Achilles) had limited practices Thursday and Friday but is out. RBs Breece Hall (ankle) was limited until Friday’s full session, but he’ll play. QB Zach Wilson (knee) practiced all week and will play.

Dolphins

Inactives: OT Robert Hunt, QB Skylar Thompson, DL Jason Pierre-Paul, WR Tyreek Hill, CB Xavien Howard, SS DeShon Elliott and S Jevon Holland

Lineup notes: WR Tyreek Hill (ankle) didn’t practice all week and has been ruled out. RB De’Von Achane (toe) graduated to limited work Friday and will give it a whirl. RB Raheem Mostert (knee) was limited Thursday and Friday, but he’s fine. RB Darrynton Evans was elevated to the 53-man roster. LT Terron Armstead (knee/ankle) will play through a questionable tag. CB Xavien Howard (hip) and S Jevon Holland (knees) couldn’t get right in time. S DeShon Elliott (concussion) won’t play.

Kansas City Chiefs at New England Patriots (1:00 p.m. ET)

Kickoff Weather: 50 degrees, cloudy

Chiefs

Inactives: DE Matt Dickerson, DE B.J. Thompson, OT Donovan Smith, CB Joshua X. Williams, RB Isiah Pacheco, DT Neil Farrell and DL Malik Herring

Lineup notes: WR Mecole Hardman (thumb) remains on IR. RB Isiah Pacheco (shoulder) and LT Donovan Smith (neck) are out again. RB Jerick McKinnon (groin) and WR Kadarius Toney (hip) practiced Friday and will play. RB Deneric Prince was elevated to the active roster.

Patriots

Inactives: DT Sam Roberts, CB Shaun Wade, OT Trent Brown, WR JuJu Smith-Schuster, WR Kayshon Boutte and RB Rhamondre Stevenson

Lineup notes: RB Rhamondre Stevenson (ankle) is out. WR DeVante Parker (knee) is available, but WR JuJu Smith-Schuster (ankle) won’t go. WR Demario Douglas (concussion) cleared the protocol and is back. LT Trent Brown (ankle, hand, illness) will miss this one, however.

New York Giants at New Orleans Saints (1:00 p.m. ET)

Kickoff Weather: Dome stadium

Giants

Inactives: S Gervarrius Owens, RB Jashaun Corbin, DE Carlos Basham Jr., WR Parris Campbell and OT Evan Neal

Lineup notes: TE Darren Waller (hamstring) is back on the field, and WR Wan’Dale Robinson (quadriceps) also will play. RT Evan Neal (ankle) is inactive, but DT Dexter Lawrence (hamstring) will dress.

Saints

Inactives: OT Ryan Ramczyk, RB Kendre Miller, DL Isaiah Foskey, LB Monty Rice, CB Cameron Dantzler, QB Jake Haener and WR Chris Olave

Lineup notes: RB Kendre Miller (ankle) is out again. WR Chris Olave (ankle) and RT Ryan Ramczyk (knee) won’t be able to go. RB Jamaal Williams (groin) is questionable. QB/TE Taysom Hill (foot, hand) and WR Rashid Shaheed (thigh) will play. Hill had a full practice Friday, and Shaheed was limited.

Atlanta Falcons at Carolina Panthers (1:00 p.m. ET)

Kickoff Weather: 51 degrees, 100% chance of rain

Falcons

Inactives: DT David Onyemata, QB Logan Woodside, WR Mack Hollins, TE John FitzPatrick, LB Bud Dupree, OT Kaleb McGary and OG Chris Lindstrom

Lineup notes: RT Kaleb McGary (knee, illness) is out. C Drew Dalman (ankle) will go, but RG Chris Lindstrom (ankle) will not. LT Jake Matthews (knee) and PK Younghoe Koo (illness) are ready despite drawing questionable tags.

Panthers

Inactives: CB D’Shawn Jamison, TE Ian Thomas, OT David Sharpe, WR Terrace Marshall Jr., WR Mike Strachan and DE Eku Leota

Lineup notes: TE Hayden Hurst (concussion) went on IR and is done for the season, and TE Ian Thomas (ankle) is out. TE Tommy Tremble (hip) had a full session Friday and will play. LB Brian Burns (ankle) is ready, too.

Washington Commanders at Los Angeles Rams (4:05 p.m. ET)

Kickoff Weather: 73 degrees, mostly cloudy (open-air dome)

Commanders

Inactives: TE Cole Turner, OG Julian Good-Jones, DL James Smith-Williams, CB Kyu Blu Kelly, RB Brian Robinson Jr. and WR Mitchell Tinsley

Lineup notes: RB Brian Robinson Jr. (hamstring) is out. RB Jonathan Williams was elevated from the practice squad. LB Jamin Davis (shoulder) was placed on IR.

Rams

Inactives: CB Shaun Jolly, DE Ochaun Mathis, DL Desjuan Johnson, WR Tutu Atwell and OT Rob Havenstein

Lineup notes: WR Tutu Atwell (concussion) couldn’t clear the protocol. TE Tyler Higbee (neck) practiced Friday and is good to go. DT Aaron Donald (groin) was added as questionable on Saturday due to tightness but is active.

San Francisco 49ers at Arizona Cardinals (4:05 p.m. ET)

Kickoff Weather: 77 degrees, clear (retractable-roof dome)

49ers

Inactives: DL Arik Armstead, TE Ross Dwelley, QB Brandon Allen, OG Spencer Burford, DL Javon Hargrave, RB Elijah Mitchell and LB Oren Burks

Lineup notes: RB Elijah Mitchell (knee) is out. DT Arik Armstead (foot/knee) and DT Javon Hargrave (hamstring) are out. LB Dre Greenlaw (hip/ankle) and CB Charvarius Ward (groin) earned questionable designations but will be out there.

Cardinals

Inactives: OT Dennis Daley, TE Blake Whiteheart, DE Tyreke Smith, OT Carter O’Donnell and S Qwuantrezz Knight

Lineup notes: WR Marquise Brown (heel) and WR Michael Wilson (neck) are active. QB Kyler Murray (thumb) practiced Friday and will play. S Budda Baker (illness) was added as questionable but will be available.

Dallas Cowboys at Buffalo Bills (4:25 p.m. ET)

Kickoff Weather: 49 degrees, 75% chance of drizzle, SSE 10 mph

Cowboys

Inactives: OT Asim Richards, DL Johnathan Hankins, QB Trey Lance, RB Deuce Vaughn, CB Eric Scott Jr., S Malik Hooker and WR Jalen Brooks

Lineup notes: WR Brandin Cooks (illness) didn’t practice Thursday or Friday but will give it a try. RB Rico Dowdle (ankle) is good to go after a full practice Friday. CB Stephon Gilmore (illness) is active.

Bills

Inactives: DE A.J. Epenesa, OG Alec Anderson, DT Poona Ford and OT Germain Ifedi

Lineup notes: TE Dawson Knox (wrist) and QB Josh Allen (shoulder) practiced all week and will play. TE Dalton Kincaid (thumb, shoulder) was limited all week but will play. S Micah Hyde (neck stinger) has been ruled out.

Sunday Night Football

Baltimore Ravens at Jacksonville Jaguars (8:20 p.m. ET)

Kickoff Weather: 59 degrees, 50% chance of drizzle, WNW 14 mph

Ravens

Inactives: C Sam Mustipher, OT Malaesala Aumavae-Laulu, QB Malik Cunningham, QB Josh Johnson, CB Rock Ya-Sin and CB Damarion Williams

Lineup notes: TE Mark Andrews (ankle) remains on IR. S Kyle Hamilton (knee) is active.

Jaguars

Inactives: S Andre Cisco, OT Chandler Brewer, DT Angelo Blackson, CB Tyson Campbell, TE Brenton Strange and LB Yasir Abdullah

Lineup notes: WR Christian Kirk (abdomen) is out for the season after core surgery. QB Trevor Lawrence (ankle) practiced all week and will play. RB Travis Etienne (ribs), RB D’Ernest Johnson (knee) and WR Zay Jones (knee) were limited Friday but will play. WR Jamal Agnew was activated from the Reserve/Injured list. Starting LG Ezra Cleveland (knee) and LT Walker Little (hamstring) are active.

Monday Night Football

Philadelphia Eagles at Seattle Seahawks (8:15 p.m. ET)

Kickoff Weather: 44 degrees, 40% chance of light rain

Eagles

Lineup notes: QB Jalen Hurts (illness) didn’t practice Saturday. He was added as questionable on Sunday but still hopes to start on Monday night. LB Zach Cunningham (knee) was ruled out, and CB Darius Slay (knee) underwent an arthroscopic procedure and also is out.

Seahawks

Lineup notes: QB Geno Smith (groin) is questionable and should be considered a game-time decision. QB Drew Lock will start again if Smith isn’t available. S Jamal Adams (knee) and CB Devon Witherspoon (hip) are both listed as questionable.

Studs and duds in Patriots’ Week 15 loss to Chiefs

Who were the studs and duds for the Patriots in Sunday’s loss to the Chiefs.

The New England Patriots put up a valiant fight against the Kansas City Chiefs, but in the end, it wasn’t enough to upset the defending Super Bowl champions on Sunday.

There were some clear similarities to this week and the Patriots’ stunning win over the Pittsburgh Steelers last week.

The offense came out firing on all cylinders in the first half and then crashed into a wall for the last two quarters of the game. It wasn’t a perfect effort defensively, but the unit did do enough to give the Patriots a fighting chance in this game.

Perhaps the only difference was Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs offense consistently putting up points on the scoreboard. Even after stalled drives, they still found a way to march down the field and score points when they really needed it. That wasn’t the case for Bailey Zappe and the Patriots, unfortunately.

Here are the studs and duds from the game:

Studs and Duds from Tampa Bay’s big win over Green Bay

The Bucs won the Battle of the Bays and there were plenty of commendations to go around.

The Battle of the Bays goes back to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

The team lost it last year in Tampa Bay, but it won it this year at Lambeau Field in December in dominant fashion. The Bucs beat the Green Bay Packers 34-20 on Sunday, moving to 7-7 on the season and continuing to lead the NFC South in what was a big game for the team’s playoff race. The offense excelled with four touchdowns, and while the defense somewhat struggled, they did a decent job of keeping the Packers out of the end zone.

There was far more praise to spread than negativity this week, but we still have our Studs and Duds of the game as always. Here’s who we thought was hot and who we thought was not in the team’s Week 15 matchup:

Twitter reacts to Patriots’ 27-17 loss to Chiefs

Here’s what fans were saying on Twitter after the Patriots’ 27-17 loss to the Chiefs.

The New England Patriots played the Kansas City Chiefs closer than expected, which most fans are considering a moral victory after Sunday’s 27-17 defeat.

It’s clear at this point that the vast majority of fans are wanting to see the Patriots end up with as high of a draft pick as possible. However, the only way to ensure that happens is for the team to keep losing football games.

For that reason alone, it shouldn’t come as any surprise to see Patriots’ fans applauding the team’s efforts, while also celebrating their defeat. The defense came to play as usual, but the offense couldn’t stay in the fight beyond the first half.

Injuries to the offensive line caused protection issues up front, and quarterback Bailey Zappe quickly unraveled down the stretch. There was a mix of reactions after the game with the Patriots now sitting at 3-11 on the season.

Here’s what fans were saying on Twitter:

Instant analysis: Patriots fall in hard-fought 27-17 loss to Chiefs

The Patriots went down swinging against the defending Super Bowl champions.

It wasn’t the blowout most were expecting, but there were many of the same frustrations for the New England Patriots in their 27-17 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs.

Quarterback Bailey Zappe and the Patriots offense got off to another hot start in the first half. After two quarters of action, Zappe was 17-of-19 throwing for 141 yards and one touchdown.

And then the offense went off a cliff in the second half.

Zappe couldn’t get anything going on the field, and multiple injuries along the offensive front caused serious protection issues down the stretch. Third downs were the Achilles heel for the Patriots with the team going 2-for-12 on the must-have downs.

The defense kept them in the fight with key takeaways and creating all sorts of havoc in the offensive backfield for Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes. By the end of the game, Mahomes was sacked three times and threw two interceptions.

Of course, it wasn’t all perfect for the Patriots defensively. They gave up too many YAC-driven chunk plays. Mahomes was Houdini in the pocket, scrambling around and buying extra time for his receivers. But then again, there’s only so much any defense can do to stop an otherworldly talent like Mahomes.

The Patriots can walk away from this game with their heads held high. They’ve certainly played better in recent weeks, and they managed to put up a fight against a desperate Chiefs team coming off back-to-back losses.

A road trip to Denver is next on the schedule for the now 3-11 Patriots, who are still clinging to the hope of closing out a disappointing 2023 season with some dignity.

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Bucs inactives list for Week 15 at Packers

Devin White is a healthy scratch, but one big defensive player for the Bucs is active and will play today.

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers inactives list is out, and it’s much different than many could have expected heading into the week.

The biggest news comes with linebacker Devin White — he’s a healthy scratch and his inactive status is “not injury related”, so linebacker K.J. Britt will get the nod once again. Bucs cornerback Josh Hayes got sick and will not play as a last-minute addition to the inactives list. Safety Ryan Neal was declared out on Saturday, and defensive tackle Vita Vea is active and will play against the Green Bay Packers.

Here is Tampa Bay’s inactives list:

  • QB John Wolford (3QB)
  • S Ryan Neal
  • CB Carlton Davis III
  • CB Josh Hayes
  • LB Devin White
  • T Brandon Walton
  • DL William Gholston

And here are the inactives for the Green Bay Packers:

  • WR Christian Watson
  • CB Jaire Alexander
  • S Darnell Savage
  • RB AJ Dillon
  • LB Brenton Cox Jr.
  • T Caleb Jones
  • WR Samori Toure

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Patriots Week 15 inactives: DeVante Parker IN, JuJu Smith-Schuster OUT vs Chiefs

DeVante Parker is back for the Patriots, but the team ruled out their leading receiver from a week ago.

The New England Patriots are getting a boost at wide receiver and taking a hit at the same time.

On Sunday, the team activated wideout DeVante Parker, while also ruling out JuJu Smith-Schuster. Not having Smith-Schuster is a huge letdown considering how well he played against the Pittsburgh Steelers last week.

He emerged as a reliable receiving target for quarterback Bailey Zappe, who lit up the Steelers defense in a surprising 21-18 victory. The veteran receiver finished the game with four receptions and a team-high 90 receiving yards. There was hope that effort would carry over against the Chiefs, but the Patriots won’t have the luxury of finding out.

However, they will have more offensive weapons at their disposal with Parker and rookie Demario Douglas returning for this game. Here are the full injury reports for both teams:

The Patriots could make some serious noise late in the season with an upset win over the Chiefs. Bill Belichick, on the other hand, could be playing for his job in this matchup.

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Snap count notes from the Lions win over the Broncos

Lions snap count notes from the win over Denver, including DB and RB splits and an intact offensive line

One of the first things that jumps out from the Detroit Lions’ snap count notes in the Week 15 win over the Denver Broncos is the continuity of the starters. It’s especially true on offense.

The entire starting offensive line played each and every one of the 66 offensive snaps. It was the first time since the Week 10 win over the Chargers that the team’s top five — Taylor Decker, Jonah Jackson, Frank Ragnow, Graham Glasgow, Penei Sewell — started and finished a game together. And it showed on the field, with the Lions rolling to almost 200 rushing yards.

Those rushes came from David Montgomery and Jahmyr Gibbs in an almost even split of snaps. Montgomery played 34, while Gibbs got 32. No other RBs played. The Lions also did not use a fullback, though Dan Skipper played eight snaps as an extra tackle and blocking tight end James Mitchell was on the field for six. Mitchell still doesn’t have a single passing game target in his second season.

The wide receiver splits:

Amon-Ra St. Brown – 61

Jameson Williams – 45

Josh Reynolds – 38

Kalif Raymond – 20

Donovan Peoples-Jones – 11

On defense, LB Alex Anzalone was the only Lions player on the field for all 64 defensive reps.

The starting lineup changes in the secondary were definitive. Safety Ifeatu Melifonwu got the nod over Tracy Walker for the second straight game, and Melifonwu played 62 of the 64 snaps. Walker didn’t play on defense. The same was true at cornerback, where Khalil Dorsey replaced Jerry Jacobs. Dorsey (44 snaps) and Kindle Vildor (18) split the outside CB duties, while Jacobs only appeared on special teams.

Aidan Hutchinson’s heavy workload continues. The standout DE played 59 of the 64 snaps, another week over 90 percent participation. Some of that could be a function of the Lions deploying John Cominsky (46) and Josh Paschal (43) with more reps inside as part of a lighter front. Hefty DTs Benito Jones (30), Isaiah Buggs (23), Levi Onwuzurike (14) and rookie Brodric Martin (11) split more reps than usual with the lighter linemen.

Romeo Okwara (18) and Bruce Irvin (11) saw limited action. The Lions used rookie LB Jack Campbell in the SAM role a little amongst his 33 snaps. Derrick Barnes briefly left the game with a shoulder injury, and that held down his snap count to 35. Jalen Reeves-Maybin played 10, while Malcolm Rodriguez returned to the defensive lineup with five. Anthony Pittman played on defense for the first time in 2023, seeing action on four snaps.

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Patriots-Chiefs game day poll: Who wins on Sunday?

Who wins on Sunday? Patriots or Chiefs?

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A clash between the New England Patriots and the defending Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs takes center stage at Foxborough on Sunday.

This game felt like a surefire blowout on the schedule a few weeks ago, but so much has changed for both teams.

Granted, the Patriots haven’t been good, but the offense played well enough to beat the Pittsburgh Steelers, and the defense has been lights out. Bailey Zappe has replaced Mac Jones as the starting quarterback.

Meanwhile, the Chiefs went from world-beaters to back-to-back losses and a complete meltdown by quarterback Patrick Mahomes. They’re looking as vulnerable as they’ve ever looked these days heading into a matchup against a legendary coach that can scheme up ways to give them headaches.

But there isn’t much trust to be had for a Patriots team that’s still sitting at 3-10 with no hopes of making the playoffs. It would be quite the miracle to see them pull this one off, but then again, this has been an odd season with wacky outcomes seemingly on a weekly basis.

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NFL Week 15 best bets: Winner, spread, total picks for Sunday, Monday games

Take a look at the picks for the winner, the spread and the total for each of the remaining Week 15 games left on the schedule.

Week 15 of the NFL has already had four games completed. There was a Thursday night game and there were three played on Saturday.

On Sunday, there are 11 games on the schedule and then one on Monday.

That leaves a total of 12 games left to be played for you to make some basic wagers  — bets on the moneyline or outright winner, bets on the spread or bets on the total points scored.

Below are my picks for the games left to be played this weekend.

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