24. Tyler Shough, New Orleans Saints
New Orleans Saints rookie Tyler Shough is going to be one of our biggest “risers” of the week after his fantastic performance against the Carolina Panthers on the road in divisional play. It’s still very early in Shough’s career, but he’s getting an audition here in the second half of the 2025 season to prove he can be the team’s starter for 2026 and perhaps beyond that.
One game would not be a big enough sample to declare anything definitive one way or the other there, but Shough was impressive against the Panthers on Sunday. He was calm, collected, poised, and did a good job of finding the open man, throwing for 282 yards and a pair of touchdowns with no interceptions (and only two sacks taken).
Shough and the Saints’ offense also did a nice job in this game situationally, converting 8-of-17 third down chances. If he can be better in the red zone, it’ll be a great step forward for him next week.
23. Davis Mills, Houston Texans
It was a tale of two halves for Davis Mills and the Houston Texans in Week 10, and the second half was much better for both of them this week than it was last week against the Denver Broncos.
There’s only so much you can do against the vaunted Denver defense, even without Pat Surtain II in the lineup. Mills looked lost out there coming as a reliever for the injured CJ Stroud, but he was much better this past weekend, including orchestrating a game-winning drive against the Jaguars.
Mills completed 27-of-45 passes for 292 yards and a pair of touchdowns. He did a great job of putting the ball on the Texans’ best receiver, Nico Collins, and the running game behind him was rather supportive as well. Ultimately, you have to tip your cap to Mills, who stepped up in a big spot for Houston.