NFL Player News

Mond will be active as the Vikings' No. 2 quarterback Sunday against the Rams after Minnesota placed Sean Mannion (illness) on the reserve/COVID-19 list, Courtney Cronin of ESPN.com reports.

Mond has been inactive all season as the Vikings' No. 3 quarterback, but he'll be needed to back up Kirk Cousins on Sunday with Mannion out. Unless Cousins suffers an in-game injury or the contest turns into a blowout for either side, Mond is unlikely to see the field.

Darnold (shoulder) is expected to enter Sunday's game against the Buccaneers within a few series in relief of Cam Newton, and he could supplant Newton as the team's starting quarterback for the final two contests of the season, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reports.

After heading to injured reserve in early November with an incomplete fracture of his right shoulder, Darnold returned to practice this week and was officially activated Saturday. Though he started in each of Carolina's first nine games, Darnold will be eased back into the mix with a light role behind Newton, who has gone 0-4 through his first four turns as the Panthers' starter. Given that the 32-year-old Newton is on an expiring deal and hasn't made a strong case to be part of Carolina's plans entering 2022, the organization could be incentivized to hand the starting job back to Darnold, who is a virtual lock to be on the roster next season after having his fully guaranteed $18.86 million fifth-year team option picked up last spring. How much Darnold plays Sunday will likely be determined based on how he fares in initial series in place of Newton, who will also have a chance to retain the starting job heading into Week 17 with a strong showing against Tampa Bay.

Goff (illness) won't be available for Sunday's game against the Falcons after he wasn't activated from the reserve/COVID-19 list, Adam Schefter of ESPN reports.

With Goff still in quarantine while he continues to test positive for the virus, Tim Boyle will pick up his second career start in Atlanta. The change from Goff to Boyle likely amounts to a significant downgrade for the Lions' skill-position players, as the latter signal-caller struggled mightily in his first start Week 10 against the Browns. He completed 15 of 23 attempts for 77 yards, no touchdowns and two interceptions for a low-tempo Lions offense that ran only 46 plays in that game.

The Giants will have Fromm make his first NFL start Sunday against the Eagles, sources tell Adam Schefter of ESPN.

Head coach Joe Judge wasn't willing to confirm the Giants' plans at quarterback following the team's final practice of the week Friday, but multiple reports heading into the weekend suggested the team would make the change from Mike Glennon -- who started the previous three games -- to Fromm. Schefter also reported Sunday that the Giants intend to bring back Daniel Jones as their starting quarterback for 2022, but if he plays well over the final three games of the regular season, Fromm should get the chance to prove he's worthy of keeping around as a backup option. The former Georgia standout made his NFL debut in relief of a struggling Glennon in last week's loss to Dallas, completing six of 12 attempts for 82 yards.

Murray completed 27 of 43 passes for 245 yards and one touchdown while compiling 74 yards on his four carries during Saturday's 22-16 loss to the Colts. Murray also was credited with seven receiving yards on a lateral.

Most of Murray's output on the ground came on a 57-yard run on the Cardinals' second possession of the game. On top of that, game script forced the team into pass-happy mode once the Colts went up, 22-13, midway through the fourth quarter. In the end, the overall results were relatively fantasy friendly, but he does appear to miss DeAndre Hopkins (knee), as Murray has posted his two lowest completion percentages of the season since the premier wide receiver landed on IR after Week 14. Murray will attempt to right the ship Sunday, Jan. 2 in Dallas, whose pass defense ranks 22nd against the pass (245.6 yards per game) this season.

Rodgers completed 24 of 34 passes for 202 yards with three touchdowns and no interceptions in the Packers' 24-22 win over the Browns on Saturday. He also lost a yard on one carry.

Rodgers connected with Allen Lazard and Davante Adams for his trio of scoring tosses in the first half to help Green Bay jump out to a 21-12 halftime lead. The future Hall of Famer wasn't anywhere near as successful moving the ball in the second half, but he stayed away from turnovers altogether and did helm an 11-play, 76-yard march early in the third quarter to set up a Mason Crosby 32-yard field goal that would prove to be the Packers' final points of the afternoon. The Browns largely controlled the ball over the final 30 minutes, but Rodgers still delivered for fantasy managers with his fourth straight multi-touchdown effort. The ageless signal-caller hasn't thrown an interception since Week 10, either, giving him plenty of momentum heading into a Week 17 home divisional matchup against the Vikings.

Mayfield completed 21 of 36 pass attempts for 222 yards, two touchdowns and four interceptions against Green Bay on Saturday.

Mayfield made a handful of nice throws and had an on-target deep ball dropped by Donovan Peoples-Jones at one point, but the four interceptions were a brutal sight and arguably the primary reason the Browns fell in the 24-22 loss. There just isn't much reason to think Mayfield can provide the Browns with high-volume passing production unless the matchup is a favorable one, because in this game and others he seems out of his comfort zone when playing catch-up or when otherwise forced to throw without the aid of playaction setups. The Browns should have the luxury of limiting Mayfield's exposure by setting up more favorable looks against the Steelers in Week 17, assuming they can manage the pass rush threat posed by T.J. Watt and Cameron Heyward. A healthier offensive line would be reassuring on that front after playing without left tackle Jedrick Wills against Green Bay.

Johnson will start Sunday's game against the Bengals, Ryan Mink of the Ravens' official site reports.

With Tyler Huntley officially on the reserve/COVID-19 list and Lamar Jackson (ankle) not traveling with the team to Cincinnati, Johnson is now set to start Sunday's game, with Kenji Bahar slated to back him up. While Johnson is not a high-percentage fantasy lineup option in Week 16, he does offer an alternative for those in two-QB formats or who are otherwise scrambling at this stage for a QB for any reason.

Baltimore placed Huntley (illness) on the reserve/COVID-19 list Saturday.

With Huntley on the COVID list and Lamar Jackson (ankle) not traveling with the Ravens to Cincinnati for Sunday's game against the Bengals, Josh Johnson is now slated to start to pick up his first start since 2018, when he was a member of Washington. Kenji Bahar has been elevated from the practice squad and will back Johnson up Sunday.

The Panthers activated Darnold (shoulder) from injured reserve Saturday, Darin Gantt of the team's official site reports.

As expected, Darnold is back on the active roster after participating in practice the past two weeks. In his first game action since Week 9, he's slated to back up Cam Newton, but Darnold will be a candidate to get snaps at some point, whether it's Sunday against the Buccaneers and/or in the Panthers' final two games of the campaign after that.