Mon Dec 11 1:20am ET
Field Level Media
Quarterback Joe Flacco's second straight strong showing for the Cleveland Browns is all that coach Kevin Stefanski needed to see before declaring Flacco the starter for the remainder of the season.
The 38-year-old Flacco, who has played only a handful of games per season since 2020 and hasn't played a full season since 2017, threw for 311 yards and three touchdowns on Sunday as the Browns edged the Jacksonville Jaguars 31-27.
On Dec. 3, Flacco completed 23 of 44 passes for 254 yards and two touchdowns. He has been intercepted once each week.
Flacco took over when Watson's backup, rookie Dorian Thompson-Robinson, was sidelined by concussion symptoms Nov. 26 against the Denver Broncos.
Now in his 16th season, Flacco, the MVP of the Super Bowl for the Baltimore Ravens following the 2012 season, went unsigned until the Browns came calling when Deshaun Watson was lost for the season with a shoulder injury.
"Joe's been in big games. So (I) feel comfortable with him leading the football team," Stefanski said in announcing his decision.
Including Sunday's game, Flacco is 20th on the NFL's all-time passing yards list with 42,574.
Cleveland (8-5) is in the thick of the AFC wild-card race after making the postseason just once since 2002.
After 11 seasons with the Ravens, Flacco played in eight games in 2019 for the Broncos and in 12 games over the last three years for the New York Jets. In 184 games (181 starts), Flacco has 234 touchdown passes and 148 interceptions while completing 61.5 percent of his passes.
San Francisco 49ers tight end George Kittle caught his sixth touchdown of the season in Sunday's 28-16 win against the Seattle Seahawks at Levi's Stadium on Sunday. He reeled in three of five targets for 76 yards along with the score. Kittle once again proved that he's one of the hardest players in the league to take down once he gets his hands on the ball. The 30-year-old caught a dime from Brock Purdy -- dropped right over his defender on a mid-range vertical route -- in stride and weaved his way to the end zone on the 44-yard house call. Next up, Kittle gets the Cardinals in Arizona in a Week 15 divisional matchup.
From RotoBaller
San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Deebo Samuel backed up last week's fantasy week-winning performance with another one in the team's 28-16 home win over the Seattle Seahawks on Sunday. The dual-threat dynamo posted 149 yards receiving and a touchdown on seven catches of nine targets, the latter of which tied Brandon Aiyuk for the team lead. He also scored a one-yard touchdown on his only carry of the day. Samuel is on quite the heater, having racked up seven touchdowns over his last five games. Stick with him in Week 15 when he goes to Arizona to take on a decent Cardinals pass defense coming off its bye.
From RotoBaller
Dallas Cowboys wide receiver Michael Gallup scored a touchdown in a Week 14 win over the Philadelphia Eagles. Gallup was targeted five times, making three catches for 48 yards, including a one-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Dak Prescott at the end of the first half. It was only the second touchdown of the season in what's been mostly a tough year for Gallup, but he'll have another chance to keep his arrow pointing up against the Buffalo Bills next week.
From RotoBaller
Dallas Cowboys wide receiver Brandin Cooks made just two catches in a Week 14 win over the Philadelphia Eagles. Cooks was targeted five times, but only came down with the two grabs, gaining a total of 37 yards. Most of the yards Cooks gained came on one play, as he made a 30-yard grab to go with his other catch for just seven yards. It was definitely a down game for Cooks, who had seen his fantasy arrow pointing up after the past few weeks. Michael Gallup seemed to jump ahead of Cooks in this one, but that could easily switch back in Week 15 against the Buffalo Bills.
From RotoBaller
Buffalo Bills running back James Cook recorded his fourth consecutive 100-yard showing in Week 14's key 20-17 win over the Kansas City Chiefs, rushing 10 times for 58 yards with five catches for 83 yards and a touchdown. Cook tormented the Chiefs out of the backfield, doing his damage through the air all in the first half. After dropping a would-be 30-yard TD on a wheel route in the first quarter of his last game, Cook made no mistake up the seam from 25 yards away this time around. The 24-year-old's recent surge is strangely accompanied by less than 50% of Buffalo's offensive snaps in each of his prior four outings. While Cook has certainly been highly productive since the Bills installed offensive coordinator Joe Brady in Week 11, fantasy managers may want to hold off on popping bottles until his snap rate irons out a bit. Cook is an RB2 with an arduous task looming ahead in the form of the Dallas Cowboys next Sunday.
From RotoBaller
Dallas Cowboys tight end Jake Ferguson made five catches in a Week 14 win over the Philadelphia Eagles. Ferguson led the team in receiving yards with 72, making his five catches on eight targets, including a big gain of 32 yards. Ferguson should remain a high-floor TE1 when the Cowboys take on the Bills in Week 15.
From RotoBaller
Dallas Cowboys wide receiver CeeDee Lamb scored another touchdown in a Week 14 game against the Philadelphia Eagles. Lamb led the team in targets with 10, making the six catches for 71 yards. His 71 yards were second on the team, just one behind Jake Ferguson's 72 for the team lead. Lamb's touchdown came on a 13-yard pass from Dak Prescott on the first Cowboys drive of the game. Lamb continues his reign as a weekly WR1 and that's unlikely to change in Week 15 when the Cowboys take on the Buffalo Bills.
From RotoBaller
Buffalo Bills wide receiver Gabe Davis continued to be a source of headaches for fantasy managers in Sunday's big 20-17 road win over the Kansas City Chiefs, failing to secure either of his two targets. It's somehow Davis' third donut in his past five games, which is astounding given his every-down role in a Josh Allen-helmed offense. Most of Davis' targets continue to be of the low-percentage variety, hence such immense inconsistency and drastic discrepancy between his fantasy floor and ceiling. The 24-year-old deep threat may pop for a big showing now and again, but his inability to consistently beat man coverage and grow as a route runner remain frustrating. With five displays short of at least two fantasy points in his last eight appearances, Davis has taken boom-or-bust WR3 treatment to another level ahead of a Week 15 clash with an aggressive Dallas Cowboys defense, who play as much man coverage as any unit.
From RotoBaller
Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott played well once again and led the Cowboys to a Week 14 win over the Philadelphia Eagles. Prescott attempted 39 passes, completing 24 of them for 271 yards and two touchdowns. He added 11 yards on three carries but lost a fumble and took three sacks. It was another great game for the Cowboys offense, who coasted to an easy 33-13 victory over the Eagles. Prescott should be a QB1 yet again in a Week 15 game against the Buffalo Bills.
From RotoBaller
Buffalo Bills wide receiver Stefon Diggs led the team with 11 targets in Sunday's huge 20-17 victory over the Kansas City Chiefs, bringing in four targets for 24 yards. Despite the massive win to keep Buffalo's playoff aspirations within reason, Diggs' recent cool-off dragged on. The 30-year-old superstar continues to set new low-water marks, closing with 34 yards or fewer in three of his past four games. This swoon arrives some time after Diggs appeared primed for his best campaign yet after totaling at least 100 yards in five of his first six games to begin the year. Suddenly not appearing matchup-proof as he did during the first half of the season, Diggs could have his hands full with Stephon Gilmore and DaRon Bland in Week 15's marquee matchup with the Dallas Cowboys.
From RotoBaller
Dallas Cowboys running back Tony Pollard had a decent game in a Week 14 win over the Philadelphia Eagles. Pollard ran the ball 16 times for 59 yards and caught the ball seven times on eight targets for 37 more yards. In PPR leagues, the seven grabs made for a solid performance. Pollard played decently, but gave up 13 touches to his backup, Rico Dowdle, who scored the only Cowboys rushing touchdown in this game. Pollard looked much better than he did earlier in the season, and should remain in the RB2 conversation next week against the Buffalo Bills.
From RotoBaller
Dallas Cowboys running back Rico Dowdle played well and scored a touchdown in a Week 14 win over the Philadelphia Eagles. Dowdle ran the ball 12 times, gaining 46 yards and scoring a touchdown on a goal-line run in the second quarter. He also caught a pass on his only target, gaining six yards on the play. Dowdle had been limited by an ankle injury lately, but he looked healthy in this one and only received four fewer carries than starter Tony Pollard.
From RotoBaller
The Denver Broncos defense looked elite in their 24-7 road win over the division-rival Los Angeles Chargers on Sunday. They put the pressure on right from the start by sacking quarterback Justin Herbert, turning the Chargers over on downs and then intercepting a pass to set up the offense with an easy touchdown for the first score of the game. All in all, they accounted for an interception, a fumble recovery (two forced fumbles), and six sacks while holding the Chargers offense to 283 total yards of offense. It helped that Herbert left with a fractured finger and never returned, forcing backup Easton Stick into action in the second half, but Denver's defense has morphed into a ball-hawking and stingy unit in the second half of the season after they were completely avoidable early in the year. They should be in all starting lineups for a Week 15 game against the Detroit Lions and turnover-happy quarterback Jared Goff.
From RotoBaller
Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver Rashee Rice was tied with tight end Travis Kelce for the team lead with 10 targets in Week 14's 20-17 loss to the Buffalo Bills, catching seven passes for 72 yards and a touchdown. After Rice brought in a four-yard Patrick Mahomes pass for a third-quarter score, the second-round rookie lost a fumble during the following drive. The Chiefs continue to refuse to send Rice down the field for some deep targets here and there to help raise his fantasy ceiling, but the 23-year-old wideout has at least locked himself into a featured role that includes prominent red-zone duties in a Mahomes-steered offense. Rice has also established a sturdy floor since Week 5, with a scoreless four-catch, 42-yard stat line producing his lowest scoring output in this nine-game stretch. He's a relatively safe WR2/3 next Sunday on the road against the New England Patriots.
From RotoBaller
Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen did just enough to guide his team to an important 20-17 win over the Kansas City Chiefs in Week 14, completing 23-of-42 passes for 233 yards, one touchdown and one interception. He carried the ball 10 times for 32 yards and another score. After slinging a 25-yard TD pass to running back James Cook in the first period, Allen carried a host of Chiefs defenders on his way past the end zone during his six-yard rushing score in the second quarter. Allen's pick later in the period gave the Chiefs a short field to work with, which later led to their first scoring drive of the evening. Buffalo's offense was strong in the first half but had to settle for field goals as K.C.'s stingy defense stiffened during the final two quarters. Allen will need to sharpen things up and be at his best next Sunday versus the Dallas Cowboys if he wants to simultaneously propel the Bills toward the playoffs and make inroads in the MVP race.
From RotoBaller
San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk caught six of nine targets for 126 yards in the team's 28-16 home win against the Seattle Seahawks. Sunday's performance was Aiyuk's fifth 100-yard game this year but ended a streak of four consecutive games with a touchdown. It was also the first time that both Aiyuk and Deebo Samuel exceeded 100 yards receiving in the same game, which breaks a season-long tendency for one receiver's success to come at the expense of the other. Aiyuk and Samuel also tied for the team-high in targets at a healthy nine each. In Week 15, Aiyuk gets a slightly above-average Arizona Cardinals pass defense coming off of their bye.
From RotoBaller
Denver Broncos tight end Adam Trautman was left completely uncovered for a 10-yard touchdown reception in the fourth quarter of Sunday's 24-7 Week 14 win over the division-rival Los Angeles Chargers on a well-executed play-action pass in the red zone. Trautman's touchdown catch was his third on the year and the second in the last three games. However, he had only two receptions on the day for 19 receiving yards on his three targets. Fantasy managers shouldn't go chasing him on the waiver wire because he's scored twice in the last three games because of the fact that it has come on only four receptions. In fact, the 26-year-old hasn't had more than two grabs in a game since Week 5. Trautman's floor and ceiling are much too low for fantasy managers to get involved.
From RotoBaller
Los Angeles Chargers wide receiver Keenan Allen made six catches in a Week 14 loss to the Denver Broncos. Allen led the team in targets with 12, making a catch on six of those for a total of 68 yards. He also attempted to make a pass on a trick play, but it fell incomplete. Allen was once again the focus of the Chargers passing game, but it was a game-long struggle that certainly didn't get any better when Easton Stick was forced to quarterback the team for all of the second half. Stick will almost certainly get the start on Thursday against the Raiders in the place of Justin Herbert (finger), which will immediately lower the fantasy value of Allen and all Chargers offensive players.
From RotoBaller
Kansas City Chiefs running back Jerick McKinnon tallied his first game of the season with double-digit rushing yards in Sunday's 20-17 defeat to the Buffalo Bills, taking a season-high four carries for 19 yards and a touchdown while collecting all three of his targets for an additional 18 yards. The savvy 31-year-old veteran showed keen ball-carrier vision on his seven-yard scoring plunge, navigating scarce running room among his blockers en route to the end zone. McKinnon handled a season-high seven touches on Sunday, but his workload did not significantly increase in the absence of featured runner Isiah Pacheco (shoulder), and lead back Clyde Edwards-Helaire out-targeted him 4-3 in the passing game. McKinnon would be a PPR-specific RB3 in fantasy if Pacheco misses next Sunday's tilt against the New England Patriots and would likely need negative game script for any kind of ceiling performance.
From RotoBaller
Los Angeles Chargers tight end Gerald Everett had a solid game in a Week 14 loss to the Denver Broncos. Everett was targeted eight times, catching five passes for 39 yards. The Chargers offense could barely move the ball all game, but Everett was able to make some nice plays and came about an inch or two away from holding onto a first quarter touchdown. With Justin Herbert (finger) likely to miss time, Everett and all Chargers pass catchers will see their fantasy value dip a bit in the coming weeks.
From RotoBaller