play1:26Vince Wilfork pretty excited for Pats, Texans this seasonVince Wilfork joins Pat McAfee and assesses the performances of his former teams, the Patriots and Texans, this season.
play2:20Why Stefon Diggs is key to Stephen A. not favoring Bills over PatsStephen A. Smith looks at Stefon Diggs’ role in his decision to not take the Bills over the Patriots this weekend.
Rich Eisen: Colts signing Philip Rivers is a ‘desperate move’ (2:05)Rich Eisen and his crew react to the Colts signing 44-year-old quarterback Philip Rivers to their practice squad. (2:05)
Vince Wilfork pretty excited for Pats, Texans this seasonVince Wilfork joins Pat McAfee and assesses the performances of his former teams, the Patriots and Texans, this season.
Vince Wilfork joins Pat McAfee and assesses the performances of his former teams, the Patriots and Texans, this season.
Why Stefon Diggs is key to Stephen A. not favoring Bills over PatsStephen A. Smith looks at Stefon Diggs’ role in his decision to not take the Bills over the Patriots this weekend.
Stephen A. Smith looks at Stefon Diggs’ role in his decision to not take the Bills over the Patriots this weekend.
Walder: Three key stat trends that could determine Week 15 winners
Moody: Five fantasy sleepers you need to pick up — and can start this week
Week 15 of the 2025 NFL season is underway after the Falcons defeated the Buccaneers in a come-from-behind win Thursday night. Now, let’s look at what you need to know for the remaining games on the slate. We have last-minute nuggets to know for games on Sunday and Monday, and our NFL analysts have you covered at the eleventh hour.
Can the Ravens’ tight ends deliver against the Bengals? Which two Commanders players have fantasy upside? Could the Bears get upset by the Browns? How can Drake Maye pick apart the Bills? Which bet stands out in Colts-Seahawks? And how is this slump for Jalen Hurts different from his previous ones? We dig into all of it.
Jump to: Stat trends | Fantasy sleepers Potential surprises | Key matchup Bet of the week | QB questions
Kansas City’s pass defense has been solid in 2025, ranking 14th in success rate allowed (44%) and EPA allowed per play (0.15) on dropbacks. But crossing routes against them cause those numbers to skyrocket to 63% (fourth worst) and 0.51 (second worst), respectively. Chiefs opponents are averaging 2.9 receiving yards per play on crossing routes, second most.
So, who is most likely to benefit from this? Wide receiver Ladd McConkey, who leads the Chargers by running crossing routes 16% of the time. McConkey also caught six passes for 74 yards against the Chiefs in Week 1.
Early in the season, the Colts had a ton of success by generating an effective rushing game and then using play-action off it. But that plan likely will not work Sunday, which would have been true even if quarterback Daniel Jones were not injured.
Lawrence is trending up at the perfect time for fantasy managers and looks more comfortable in first-year coach Liam Coen’s offense. In three consecutive games, Lawrence has scored at least 17 fantasy points. The Jets’ defense has allowed the 10th-most fantasy points per game to quarterbacks, and it has also given up 20 passing touchdowns without recording an interception this season.
Higgins finished with just 6.4 fantasy points in Week 14 against the Chiefs, his lowest total since Week 9 against the Broncos (1.4 points). However, he still finished second on the team in targets, receptions and receiving yards. Higgins has seen at least five targets in five consecutive games and now faces a Cardinals defense that has allowed 35.4 fantasy points per game to wide receivers over its past five contests.
Vince Wilfork pretty excited for Pats, Texans this season
Rodriguez continues to lead a crowded Commanders backfield. He has logged at least 10 rushing attempts and averaged 57.3 rushing yards in the past three games. He should find success against a Giants defense that ranks 29th in run stop win rate and allows the second-most fantasy points per game to running backs.
Quarterback Jayden Daniels reinjured his previously dislocated left elbow against the Vikings in Week 14 and won’t play against the Giants. Mariota has averaged 18.3 fantasy points per game in six starts this season. With Terry McLaurin and Deebo Samuel as his top receivers and some solid rushing ability, Mariota has the tools to deliver solid production. The Giants’ defense has allowed the fourth-most fantasy points per game to quarterbacks.
The Bengals’ defense has allowed the most receptions, receiving yards, receiving touchdowns and fantasy points per game to tight ends. Even though Likely is splitting snaps and targets with Mark Andrews, he has seen at least six targets and 12.5 fantasy points in consecutive games — and one of those performances came against Cincinnati in Week 13. Likely is firmly on the streaming radar Sunday.
The outcome in Los Angeles was terrible, but Philly tried a lot of good things — things Eagles fans have been asking for all season. Wide receiver A.J. Brown saw more targets over the middle of the field, while running back Saquon Barkley had a couple of explosive runs. With a much softer defensive opponent in the Raiders, I could see a huge, mouthwash day for the Eagles’ beleaguered unit.
It took a few weeks for Watson to get back up to speed from injury, but he put up 169 yards and three touchdowns in his past two outings combined. He has been dramatically more effective against man coverage (3.7 yards per route run) than zone (1.7) this season. Though that might not help on his snaps opposite Broncos cornerback Pat Surtain II this Sunday, Green Bay also hides him in the slot. With two big catches, Watson could easily clear 100 receiving yards.
The Browns’ run defense leads the league in success rate, and it has the capacity to force the Bears into a game script they haven’t seen in months: one with a lot of third-and-longs. With bitter cold weather in Chicago and wide receiver Rome Odunze limited in practice this week, the Bears’ passing attack won’t be able to sustain a big day if the running game disappears. This could be a 10-6 type of win for the Browns.
In New England’s Week 5 win over the Bills, Maye was dialed in against zone coverage, completing 15 of 18 passes for 174 yards. The Patriots created open voids for tight end Hunter Henry in the middle of the field against Cover 2, and Maye worked the underneath levels in the quick game with receivers finding open turf.
The Bills are a foundational zone defense, so expect Patriots offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels to set up Maye with leveled reads that put defenders in conflict. This could be another big performance for the second-year quarterback.
Why Stefon Diggs is key to Stephen A. not favoring Bills over Pats
The Colts’ offense is walking into Seattle with an injured rookie (Riley Leonard) or a 44-year-old who hasn’t taken a NFL snap since 2020 (Philip Rivers). Plus, the Colts are facing the best EPA pass defense over the past two months, per NFL Next Gen Stats. Seattle has been hot, giving up a total of only nine points in the past two games, including zero touchdowns against the Falcons in Week 14.
Seeing Rivers would bring back a lot of nostalgia, but reaching 15 points would mean the script needs to break. And if you want more value, under 13.5 points (-105) is also justified.
The sheer number of turnovers stands out. He had a career-high five giveaways Monday against the Chargers and now has seven turnovers over his past two games. The winning formula for the Eagles this season has been for the offense to protect the ball and support a defense capable of taking over games. It’s no surprise they’ve dropped three straight considering they have nine giveaways over that span.
The other difference relates to perception. Hurts is a reigning Super Bowl champ and that comes with heightened expectations. But in reality, he hasn’t shown the ability to carry a team with his arm for extended stretches over most of his career. –Tim McManus, Eagles reporter
With practice reps as QB1, Sanders has shown consistent growth each week. He has brought big plays to Cleveland’s offense, too. But it’s strides in his footwork and pocket presence that have really drawn praise from coaches. Sanders still has a propensity to hold on to the ball too long — his 3.39-second time to throw would rank the highest of all quarterbacks — but he has been avoiding sacks and throwing the ball away more. — Daniel Oyefusi, Browns reporter
From coach Dave Canales to multiple sources around the league, Young needs to show consistency over these final four games that he hasn’t shown all season for the Panthers to be a playoff factor. For every game like he had before the bye — career-best 147.1 Total QBR in an upset win against the Rams — he has had duds like losses to the Saints (14.5 QBR) and the 49ers (13.9). — David Newton, Panthers reporter
The Ravens rely on their tight ends in the passing game more than most teams, with 31% of targets going to that group. So that makes the Bengals a perfect matchup, as no defense allows a higher percentage of targets to opposing tight ends (28%). And the last time these two teams faced off, the tight ends — Mark Andrews, Isaiah Likely and Charlie Kolar — combined for 159 receiving yards. The Ravens lost that initial matchup, but their situation is much more desperate as they’re fighting for a postseason berth. A big game from Andrews and Likely would go a long way toward victory.
Rich Eisen: Colts signing Philip Rivers is a ‘desperate move’ (2:05)Rich Eisen and his crew react to the Colts signing 44-year-old quarterback Philip Rivers to their practice squad. (2:05)
Rich Eisen and his crew react to the Colts signing 44-year-old quarterback Philip Rivers to their practice squad. (2:05)
Could crossing routes be the key for the Chargers to find success against the Chiefs?
Will the Colts have to pivot their approach against the Seahawks?
Could the Ravens’ tight ends deliver huge games against the Bengals?