NFL Week 15 inactives and fantasy tips: Desmond Ridder starts for Raiders

On By Littum

Welcome to Week 15 NFL inactive and fantasy cheat sheets, a one-stop shop for Athletics‘s game previews, injury and weather updates and expert analysis. Bookmark this page and check back often as we offer regular updates to help with fantasy lineups and betting decisions.
Player rankings referred to in this article are current as of December 16. For updated rankings, see the “Fantasy Football Player Rankings” section.

The latest NFL news and headlines

Last updated: 7:05 p.m. ET, Dec. 16

News about injuries | Forecast
Selected games | Insight into week 15
Week 15 takeaways | Fantasy football player rankings

News about injuries

Updated to 7:05 PM ET on December 16th

Monday night football

Zamir White, RB, LV (quadriceps) — Injury reserve
Alexander Mattison RB, LV (ankle) — Active
White was placed on injured reserve Tuesday, and Mattison is active in Week 15. Head coach Antonio Pierce said Mattison will fill a backup role, according to ESPN’s Paul Gutierrez. Upright McCormick has been far more effective than Mattison, White and Ameer Abdullah and looks to be the new starter going forward.

Aidan O’Connell, QB, LV (knee) — Out
O’Connell did not practice Friday and is inactive for Week 15. Desmond Ridder will start at quarterback, while O’Connell will be the third-string emergency QB. Brock Bowers plays every week regardless of who is under center, but Jakobi Meyers and Tre Tucker’s numbers could be affected by a QB change. Jake Ciely has Meyers at WR25 this week.

Roschon Johnson, RB, CHI (knee) — Out
D’Andre Swift, RB, CHI (groin) — Active
Johnson is out while Swift is active in Week 15. Swift could see high usage, despite averaging just 3.8 yards per carry. carry. He is averaging 13.21 PPR points per game. fight and can be bent if necessary. Travis Homer will likely see some work in the backfield as well.

Week 15 Injury report

Player POS. Team Inj. Status

TEA

BUF

Knee

Active

RB

CHI

Knee

Out

RB

CHI

Groin

Active

TEA

CLE

Hoarding

Out

WR

CLE

Concussion

Out

WR

GB

Concussion

Active

WR

IN

Shoulder

Active

TEA

JAX

Shoulder

Damaged reserve

K

KC

Knee

Active

WR

KC

Knee

Out

RB

LV

Quadriceps

Damaged reserve

RB

LV

Ankle

Active

QB

LV

Knee

Out

WR

LAC

Knee

Active

TEA

LAC

Shoulder

Out

QB

LAC

Ankle/thigh

Active

QB

NO

Hand

Out

QB

NEW

Heel

Out

RB

NEW

Knee

Active

TEA

NEW

Personal

Out

WR

PIT

Hoarding

Out

RB

SEA

Calf

Out

RB

TB

Back/hip

Active

WR

TB

Hoarding

Active

WR

TB

Hoarding

Active

RB

TEN

Ankle

Active

WR

WAS

Rib

Damaged reserve

K

WAS

Foot

Out

Forecast

Outdoor games only

Monday night’s games will be played in domed stadiums, meaning the weather is a non-factor. For a complete guide to how weather affects gameplay, see “Jake Ciely’s Fantasy Football Strategy Guide to Weather.”

Selected games

Game-specific previews and live updates are available on game day.

Monday evening

Chicago Bears (4-9) vs. Minnesota Vikings (11-2)

  • Meeting place: US Bank Stadium — Minneapolis, Minn.
  • Time: 8 p.m. ET
  • TV: ABC
  • Streaming: ESPN+

The Minnesota Vikings are touchdown favorites at home against the struggling Chicago Bears as Sam Darnold, the third overall draft pick in 2018, faces 2024 top pick Caleb Williams. Darnold knows Williams’ struggles intimately, but is having a career year under head coach Kevin O’Connell as fantasy’s QB7 with a 108.1 passer rating (T-3rd), throws for 3,299 yards (6th) and 28 TDs (T-3rd). ). His performance is bolstered by star WR Justin Jefferson (fantasy’s WR2) and Jordan Addison (WR20). Addison takes advantage when the defense focuses heavily on Jefferson. RB Aaron Jones adds stability averaging 14.35 PPR points per game game, giving O’Connell the flexibility to game plan against a vulnerable Bears defense.

Williams has been under scrutiny but is showing some promise with 16 touchdowns, just five interceptions and nearly 3,000 yards passing, which he could accomplish with 254 yards in this game. Although his completion percentage and passer rating are low, he has scored over 26 fantasy points in two of his last four games. His inconsistency affects receivers DJ Moore, Keenan Allen and Rome Odunze; However, Moore and Allen have had two 20-plus PPR point outings in the past three weeks, while Odunze put up 20.2 points in Week 14. Williams’ challenges are RB D’Andre Swift, whose 3.8 yards per carry. carry and rush EPA of -31.95 pertains. By comparison, league-leading Saquon Barkley’s rush EPA is 49.3. Additionally, Minnesota’s defense leads the league in defensive total rush EPA and is second in yards per carry. carry allowed, making Swift a bench candidate this week.

Read the full preview.

Atlanta Falcons (6-7) vs. Las Vegas Raiders (2-11)

  • Meeting place: Allegiant Stadium – Las Vegas, Nev.
  • Time: 8:30 PM ET
  • TV: ESPN

In a potential “Monday Night Football” matchup with low ratings, the Atlanta Falcons are favored over the struggling Las Vegas Raiders, who are eyeing the first pick in the 2025 NFL Draft. The fantasy implications are murky, especially with Kirk Cousins’ recent struggles, averaging just 6.8 fantasy points per game. game (FPPG) since Week 10 with a 62.0 passer rating. However, a game against the Raiders could mean redemption, especially if Maxx Crosby can’t get to Cousins, who struggles under pressure. (Meanwhile, could a poor performance lead to a Michael Penix Jr. appearance?) Darnell Mooney remains a boom-or-bust flex option with 20.2 PPR points in Week 14 but just 5.0 in Week 13 .Drake London offers a good floor with 15.18 PPR points per game. game this season, with a rare ceiling of around 30 points. Bijan Robinson is fantasy’s RB4, limiting Tyler Allgeier’s appeal.

On the Raiders side, Aidan O’Connell’s MRI (after a Week 14 exit) revealed a minor bone bruise and he’s out for Week 15. Desmond Ridder gets the start, creating uncertainty for the Raiders receivers. Jakobi Meyers has a solid floor averaging 15.1 PPR points per game. game, while Tre Tucker is a bench candidate with just 7.9 PPR points per game. match. Upright McCormick is the most exciting fantasy prospect for Las Vegas, averaging 5.5 yards per carry. carry, more efficiently than any other Las Vegas back. Zamir White was placed on injured reserve, and even with Alexander Mattison’s return, McCormick should lead this backfield against a weak Atlanta rush defense.

Can anyone believe this is a MNF matchup?

Read the full preview.

Fantasy football insight

Theo Gremminger outlines 13 insights fantasy football managers should know in Week 15.

Jordan Addison Rising

Addison has been on an absolute tear lately. He exploded for 39.8 fantasy points in a Week 14 win over Atlanta, finishing with eight catches for 133 yards and three touchdowns. Addison led Minnesota in scoring for the second time in three games, outscoring Justin Jefferson 12-7.

Despite Jefferson’s limited scoring, he still topped the 30-point mark, finishing with seven catches for 132 yards and two touchdowns. The combined 71.5 fantasy points by Jefferson and Addison were the most by a wide receiver duo in one game this season.

Scoring touchdowns has been a recurring theme for Addison during his time in Minnesota. The second-year pro now has 17 touchdowns in just 28 career regular-season games. If he can reach double-digit touchdowns again this season, he would become just the fourth Vikings receiver to record multiple double-digit touchdown seasons. The other three? Randy Moss, Cris Carter and Adam Thielen. Not bad company to keep.

– Gremminger

Read all of Gremminger’s insights.

Week 15 takeaways

Michael Salfino summarizes week 15.

Josh Allen cemented his MVP candidacy with another four-TD game, two on the ground. I have to take a huge loss Amari Cooperwho didn’t have a catch or a target after having 14 targets and 254 yards last week. (throws hands up)

The Eagles finally played the right way, beating the opposition with the passing game early. Saquon Barkley falling out of all-time rushing season contention is the best thing that could happen to Philly. Now they can build on this and make sure the aerial game works at maximum efficiency, whatever that is Regret hurts. It was wonderful to see AJ Brown and DeVonta Smith both have 100-yard days. You need a knockout punch in the playoffs, not just a bunch of body punches like Rocky Balboa in the meat freezer.

Jerry Jewdy seems really exciting for 2025, until you remember that Deshaun Watson will almost certainly be his starting QB, given the nearly impossible to imagine salary cap implications of Watson’s contract. (If the Browns cut Watson before June 1, the entire city of Cleveland will go bankrupt.)

– Salfino

See all of Salfino’s week 15 takeaways.

Jake Ciely’s Week 15 fantasy football player rankings

Find out Jake’s top QB, RB, WR and TE of the week!

  • There is no perfect widget out there, unfortunately still. I know many are viewing this on your phone, but 1) use the ranking widget on a PC/laptop/etc. if possible or 2) open in your phone’s browser, especially for Android users, to get the scroll to work (or Android people can try a two-finger scroll).
  • ECR = “Expert” consensus rating (which is not updated consistently by everyone, so take with a grain of salt).
  • Updated regularly, so check back for lineup lock.

Get Ciely’s full Week 15 analysis. Plus sleepers and protrusions.

(Photo by Desmond Ridder: Ian Maule/Getty Images)