NFL Player News

Coach Matt LaFleur confirmed Rodgers will start Sunday's game against the Lions, Rob Demovsky of ESPN.com reports.

Playing a full game is another matter, with the Packers locked in for the NFC's No. 1 seed. LaFleur didn't provide much in terms of hints, simply saying he'll see how the game goes before making any decisions on pulling starters. That leaves Rodgers as a risky Week 18 fantasy option, albeit with huge upside in a dome game against a bad defense.

Jackson (ankle) has been ruled out for Sunday's regular-season finale against the Steelers.

With Jackson still unavailable due to his ankle injury, Tyler Huntley has been confirmed as the Ravens' Week 18 starting QB, while Josh Johnson is set to serve as the team's No. 2 signal-caller Sunday.

Dalton will start Sunday's game in Minnesota, Kevin Fishbain of The Athletic reports.

Coach Matt Nagy suggested as much earlier in the week and confirmed it Friday afternoon. Justin Fields was on track to return from an ankle injury for the season finale, only to land on the reserve/COVID-19 list and give Dalton another start in what could be his final appearance for the Bears. The Chicago offense is in good health apart from Fields, with no other starters on the final injury report, COVID list or injured reserve.

Coach John Harbaugh announced Friday that Tyler Huntley will start Sunday's regular-season finale against the Steelers. Jackson (ankle) hasn't played since Week 14.

Per Jonas Shaffer of The Baltimore Sun, Harbaugh didn't update Jackson's injury status, but given that the QB won't start Sunday's contest, it looks like the Ravens are likely to officially rule Jackson out once the team's final Week 18 injury report is posted.

Coach John Harbaugh announced Friday that Huntley will start Sunday's regular-season finale against the Steelers.

With Lamar Jackson (ankle) not starting the contest, Huntley will get the nod in a game in which the Ravens need to win in order to have any chance of making the playoffs. Huntley thus represents a Week 18 fantasy lineup option, with his ability to gain points via his rushing attempts adding to his viability on that front.

The Jaguars placed Beathard (undisclosed) on the reserve/COVID-19 list Friday.

Beathard will need to fully clear league protocols before returning to team facilities, which puts his status in doubt for Sunday's season finale against Indianapolis. If Beathard is unavailable Week 18, practice squad signal-caller Danny Etling will stand to bump to the active roster and operate as the top backup to Trevor Lawrence.

Coach Dan Campbell said Goff (knee) is "probable" to play Sunday against the Packers and is expected to start, Kyle Meinke of MLive.com reports.

Goff was limited at practice Wednesday and Thursday but has apparently shown enough to put him on track to play in the season finale. The 27-year-old has missed the past two games with the bruised knee, which led to Tim Boyle receiving a pair of spot starts. Goff's status will receive another update Friday when the Lions release their official injury report.

Garoppolo (thumb) was limited at practice Thursday, Nick Wagoner of ESPN.com reports.

Garoppolo has opened Week 18 prep with back-to-back capped sessions as he attempts to see if he's able to play through a Grade 3 UCL sprain and fracture in his right thumb. According to both David Lombardi of The Athletic and Matt Barrows of The Athletic, Garoppolo seemed to be his normal self, throwing more passes than he did Wednesday, with some of them going 35-to-40 yards downfield. Garoppolo may enter the weekend as questionable to play at the Rams, but even if coach Kyle Shanahan knows Garoppolo will reclaim the starting role from rookie Trey Lance, he won't let the decision be known until Sunday, per Jennifer Lee Chan of NBC Sports Bay Area.

The Falcons signed Barkley to their practice squad Thursday, Doug Kyed of Pro Football Focus reports.

Barkley was waived by Atlanta on Tuesday, but he'll now rejoin the organization as part of the practice squad. It's unlikely that he'll be added to the active roster in Week 18.

The Texans placed Driskel (undisclosed/collarbone) on the reserve/COVID-19 list Thursday, per the NFL's official transaction log.

Driskel was already ruled out for the remainder of the season when he was placed on injured reserve with a fractured collarbone in late December. However, he'll now be forced to isolate from the team prior to resuming his recovery.