NFL Week 15 Best Bets: Los Angeles Chargers vs Las Vegas Raiders Picks for Thursday Night Football

Adofo-Mensah was first hired as the Vikings’ general manager in 2022 after spending two seasons with the Browns. The 43-year-old GM has helped guide the team to a 34-17 record since his arrival, and signed Sam Darnold to a one-year deal last offseason which wound up paying big dividends for a team that went on to post a 14-3 record, which was good for the second-highest single-season win total in franchise history. Outside of a down 2023 campaign in which the Vikings lost Kirk Cousins eight games into the season, the Vikings have had the look of a perennial contender in the NFC. Securing Adofo-Mensah for the long term should go a long way in locking them in for more successful runs if quarterback J.J. McCarthy proves to be worth the No. 10 overall pick the Vikes used on him last season.

Kelce, 35, mulled retirement this offseason after turning in the worst year since his 2013 rookie campaign. Kelce posted a career-low three touchdowns last season and averaged a meager 8.5 YPR on 97 receptions. While the raw receiving totals remained intact, there’s no doubt that Kelce’s explosiveness has fallen off in recent years. He’s now had back-to-back seasons with a career-low YPR, and despite his quarterback praising him for being “motivated to go out there and have an even better year than he had this last (season),” it’s fair to wonder how much Kelce has left in the tank as far as being a high-end producer is concerned. While the future hall of famer will likely continue to produce more than the average tight end — as he did last season, his days of being a yearly 1,000-yard producer are likely behind him.

Kelly, entering his first year as Vegas’ OC, has moved Jakobi Meyers and rookie Jack Bech from the outside to the slot in early practices. This suggests both receivers — along with Brock Bowers — could see varied use in what is expected to be a run-first Kelly offense. Meyers in his two years with the Raiders has played from the slot at a 31 percent rate, way down from his days in New England, which saw Meyers operate from the slot on two-thirds of his routes. Bech during his breakout 2024 season at TCU ran 27 percent of his routes from the slot. In 2024, Meyers ranked 40th out of 66 qualifying receivers in yards per route run from the slot, a key measure of pass-catching efficiency. That’s bound to rise with Geno Smith under center for Vegas in 2025.

Barrows writes that “the rookies are very much in learning mode at this stage and didn’t have many prominent roles,” with the “exception” of Watkins, who caught three passes at practice, including two from Purdy. Per Barrows, “Watkins looked as fast and fluid,” and his first catch from Purdy resulted in a” big gain down the middle of the field.” It is very difficult for fourth-round rookie wide receivers to carve out a role on offense, and fantasy managers should not expect him to do so. Still, at this point, it is worth monitoring his development this summer, with Brandon Aiyuk recovering from a torn ACL and Ricky Pearsall sidelined by a new hamstring strain.

Kubiak served as the 49ers’ passing game coordinator during the 2023 NFL season. Although Milroe is studying the overlapping “reads and play calls,” he also remains focused on improving his footwork, which is becoming a running theme this offseason. Earlier this month, ESPN’s Brady Henderson reported that Milroe has been working on his “lower-half mechanics” with private QB coach Jordan Palmer. The Athletic’s critiqued Milroe, pre-draft, for his “disjointed mechanics” that “disrupt the rhythm” of his dropbacks. Milroe knows he must improve in this regard if he wants to compete for the starting role in 2026. Milroe notes that Purdy “understands his feet are tied into the read and pocket integrity,” and Purdy is “at his best” and “most efficient” when he plays on time. Hopefully, Milroe can effectively put these conclusions to use in preseason play later this summer.

Brown had a solid second NFL season last year, totaling 59 tackles, five pass breakups, one interception and one quarterback pressure. Returning for training camp should give Brown ample time to ramp up safely in time for Week 1. He serves as a valuable member of the 49ers’ secondary.