play0:58Schefter: Herbert treating injury as if he’s playing vs. EaglesAdam Schefter tells Pat McAfee that it’s uncertain if the Chargers’ Justin Herbert will play next week after hand surgery.
play0:43Where does Bryce Young fit into fantasy lineups?Matt Bowen shares how to get the most fantasy value for Bryce Young.
Jeremy FowlerCloseJeremy Fowlersenior NFL national reporterJeremy Fowler is a senior national NFL writer for ESPN, covering the entire league including breaking news. Jeremy also contributes to SportsCenter both as a studio analyst and a sideline reporter covering for NFL games. He is an Orlando, Florida native who joined ESPN in 2014 after covering college football for CBSSports.com.Follow on XDan GrazianoCloseDan Grazianosenior NFL national reporterDan Graziano is a senior NFL national reporter for ESPN, covering the entire league and breaking news. Dan also contributes to Get Up, NFL Live, SportsCenter, ESPN Radio, Sunday NFL Countdown and Fantasy Football Now. He is a New Jersey native who joined ESPN in 2011, and he is also the author of two published novels.Follow on XDec 3, 2025, 06:30 AM ET
Stephen A.: Shedeur Sanders should start the rest of the season (1:45)Stephen A. Smith breaks down why the Browns should start Shedeur Sanders at quarterback for the rest of the season. (1:45)
Schefter: Herbert treating injury as if he’s playing vs. EaglesAdam Schefter tells Pat McAfee that it’s uncertain if the Chargers’ Justin Herbert will play next week after hand surgery.
Adam Schefter tells Pat McAfee that it’s uncertain if the Chargers’ Justin Herbert will play next week after hand surgery.
Where does Bryce Young fit into fantasy lineups?Matt Bowen shares how to get the most fantasy value for Bryce Young.
Which division race is getting the most buzz around the league?
Which injury has the most playoff race implications, and what are you hearing on the fallout?
Could the Panthers extend Bryce Young this offseason?
What’s the buzz around the league on Shedeur Sanders after two starts?
We’re on to Week 14 of the 2025 NFL season. Insiders Jeremy Fowler and Dan Graziano have been calling sources around the league for the latest news and buzz on key situations — including some nuggets that might matter for fantasy football.
But first, we have the latest buzz around the NFL on tight division races and key injuries. Which divisions could come down to the wire? And which injuries might affect those races? It’s all here, as our national reporters answer big questions and empty their notebooks heading into Week 14.
Graziano: Does anybody want to win the AFC North? The Steelers started hot but have lost five of their past seven to drop to 6-6. The Ravens won five in a row to recover from a tough start and get to 6-5, but lost to the Bengals last week and are now tied with the Steelers for first place. The Bengals, with Joe Burrow back from his injury, are 4-8 and only two games out of first place with a game against the Ravens still to come.
That’s true, but in an AFC North, where no one currently has a winning record, people are still wondering whether it’s possible to win the division with nine or even eight wins.
Fowler: The tension is also palpable in the AFC South, one of two divisions featuring three teams with at least seven wins (the NFC West is the other). It’s particularly thick in Indianapolis, which is coming off back-to-back losses and faces a unrelenting finishing stretch. The teams left on the Colts’ schedule — including two matchups with Jacksonville, which is tied with the Colts at 8-4 but holds the tiebreaker due to record against common opponents — have a combined record of 33-15.
Graziano: Since you mentioned the NFC West, I’ll dive in there. It’s possible the two best NFC teams play in the West, and when the Rams and Seahawks met earlier this season, it came down to a last-second field goal attempt. The rematch will occur Week 16 in Seattle and could decide the division champ, as both the Rams and Seahawks are 9-3. But the injury-riddled 49ers miraculously sit a half-game behind them at 9-4 heading into their bye week.
Fowler: All three of those NFC West teams are a problem if they make the playoffs, Dan. I’m also watching the NFC South, which Tampa Bay has dominated the past four seasons. But the Panthers are a half-game back and keep finding ways to pull off upsets. Panthers coach Dave Canales will get two chances — in Weeks 16 and 18 — to knock off his former boss, Bucs head coach Todd Bowles. Meanwhile, Bowles’ roster is finally getting healthy, and he has a 7-2 December record over the past two seasons.
Lions wide receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown still has a chance to play Thursday against the Cowboys but hasn’t practiced this week. It’s possible the sprained ankle he sustained on Thanksgiving could keep him out of what amounts to a must-win game. Detroit is already without tight end Sam LaPorta and probably can’t afford to be without St. Brown in a game in which they’ll need to score to keep up with the Cowboys.
Also, Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert had surgery Monday to repair a fracture in his left (non-throwing) hand. He has said he plans to play Monday night against the Eagles, but we will see how much he can practice in advance of that game (if at all) and whether that will affect his performance if he does play. The Chargers are in the middle of an extremely tough, cluttered AFC wild-card race and are two games behind the Broncos in the AFC West.
Schefter: Herbert treating injury as if he’s playing vs. Eagles
Fowler: The Patriots’ have injuries to two key players — defensive tackle Milton Williams (high ankle sprain) and rookie left tackle Will Campbell (knee sprain) — that loom large. Williams has validated his massive free agent contract with impressive play, and Campbell has protected Drake Maye’s blind side with ferocity. Both should be back before the playoffs, but how New England holds up in the meantime bears watching.
This provides a big opportunity for Vederian Lowe, Campbell’s replacement and a 2026 free agent. Capable swing tackles get paid, so money is literally on the line for Lowe. Things went well Monday night, as Maye completed 24 of 31 passes for 282 yards and two touchdowns.
Graziano: I really thought those Patriots injuries might show up more Monday night than they did. Good on them for playing well despite them, and I guess shame on the Giants for not being good enough to exploit them. The Patriots go on bye this week and maybe they come out of that healthy (though Campbell is on IR and must sit out at least three more games).
It’s hard to really know what the long-term outlook is when the swings are this wild week to week. The Panthers will have to decide by the first week of May whether to pick up his fifth-year option for 2027. I expect them to do that because the cost will be reasonable (around $26.5 million), but then the question becomes what to do after that.
Fowler: This feels like the classic wait-and-see situation. Despite showing flashes, Young hasn’t progressed beyond midtier starter status. The Panthers have overachieved a bit this season and low-key have viewed 2026 as their true jump year. Whether they want to allocate heavy resources to a Young extension during a crucial offseason remains to be seen. Picking up his fifth-year option and having him play at least a portion of his fourth season on his rookie deal is a sensible play.
Matt Bowen shares how to get the most fantasy value for Bryce Young.
My point is that there’s no rush, barring both sides making concessions that work for them. I think Houston could be more inclined to pay Young’s draft mate, C.J. Stroud, early. He has higher-end traits as a passer.
Fowler: People I’ve talked to see a quarterback who’s willing to stay in the pocket and wait for plays to develop and one who has decent arm strength. But they also see one who needs more seasoning.
“There were a lot of screens and boots [on Sunday vs. San Francisco],” noted one NFL personnel evaluator who watched the game. “You can tell they are trying to protect him, which you want to do with almost all rookie quarterbacks. But overall I thought he looked pretty comfortable in the pocket. He just needs time.”
The Browns entered Sanders’ Week 12 starting debut believing he could avoid turnovers, which he has done with one interception in two games. He struggled mightily with sacks in college, which the Browns knew would be a concern. So taking only four sacks in two starts is a modest victory. What’s your take on Sanders, Dan?
The Steelers and Ravens have two games left to play against each other, starting with Sunday’s meeting in Baltimore, so those head-to-head matchups could settle things, but it’s possible they won’t. Baltimore and Pittsburgh haven’t looked very good lately, and there are those who wonder if the Bengals can steal the division with a hot finish. The sentiment I get is that the Bengals’ chances would look a lot better if they had simply held one of the fourth-quarter leads they had against the Jets and the Bears.
The Colts were looking forward to this difficult stretch, which started with a Week 12 loss to the Chiefs, believing it would test their January football mettle. How they play over the next month will be closely watched by many in the league. The Colts have lost three of their past four games, quarterback Daniel Jones is noticeably hobbled, and cornerback Sauce Gardner is probably out multiple weeks because of a calf injury. Meanwhile, Jacksonville keeps finding a way to win without a dominant passing attack, while Houston’s defense can hang with anybody. All of this deepens the intrigue of a normally overlooked division.
Fowler: We mentioned Jones earlier, and he’s trying to play through a fibula injury. But he’s clearly not 100 percent, and coaches I’ve talked to who have either prepared for the Colts or watched them closely say that his mobility appears compromised. It’s also, based on my understanding after asking around, an injury that he can play through. In other words, I’m not so sure a few weeks of rest will make the issue better. And Jones is very tough and willing to push through. But the Colts are on the ropes and will need him at his best. Their scoring output has dipped 12 points per game since Week 9. Another signature huge game from Jonathan Taylor would alleviate pressure on Jones … and his leg.