NFL Player News

The Lions are expected to activate Boyle (thumb) from injured reserve and have him start at quarterback in place of Jared Goff (oblique) in Sunday's game against the Browns, Adam Schefter of ESPN reports.

Detroit has yet to officially rule Goff out for the game, but he looks to be trending toward his first absence of the season after he was listed as a non-participant in each of the team's three practices this week. Boyle, meanwhile, is working his way back from Aug. 30 thumb surgery, but he's been practicing for the past week and a half and took all the first-team reps Wednesday through Friday. Though he's in his fourth year in the professional ranks, Boyle has yet to make a regular-season start and has attempted only four passes for his career, all of which came with the Packers in 2019. Expectations should be extremely low for Boyle, who will be working with one of the league's worst group of pass catchers and could be without left tackle Taylor Decker (elbow) protecting his blind side against NFL sack leader Myles Garrett and the Cleveland defense. In more extensive action during the Lions' preseason slate, Boyle struggled mightily with 22 completions on 39 attempts (56.4 percent) for 135 yards (3.5 YPA), one touchdown and no interceptions.

Goff (oblique) didn't take reps during Friday's practice and appears unlikely to play in Sunday's game against the Browns, Adam Schefter of ESPN reports.

Tim Boyle (thumb) has been leading the first-team offense all week and likely will be activated from injured reserve to make the start Sunday in Cleveland. Goff played through the oblique injury last week and said he would be fine following the Lions' 16-16 tie with Pittsburgh, but it ended up being more serious than he anticipated. Though he was able to throw Friday, his inability to participate in practice hints at the possibility of him missing time even beyond Week 11.

Rodgers (toe) returned to practice Friday and remains on track to play in Sunday's game in Minnesota, Ryan Wood of the Green Bay Press-Gazette reports.

Between a COVID-19 absence and a toe injury, Rodgers hasn't practiced since Nov. 1. He already said he'll "definitely" play in Sunday's game, and the return to practice Friday backs it up. The question now is if the Packers give him a game designation on their Friday injury report.

Coach Kliff Kingsbury said Murray (ankle) will be a game-time decision for Sunday's contest in Seattle, Josh Weinfuss of ESPN.com reports.

This is the third straight week Kingsbury has labeled his starting QB as a game-time call, with the two previous instances preceding inactive status for Murray and starts for Colt McCoy, who now has a pectoral injury to contend with. Recent comments from both Kingsbury and Murray suggest it's closer to a true 50/50 call this time around, though the upcoming bye in Week 12 could also be a factor, allowing Murray to get two more weeks of rest with only one missed game. That said, while the Cardinals obviously feel good about their playoff chances, any one loss (especially in the division) could ultimately be the difference between the NFC's No. 1 seed or Nos. 5/6. Murray sets up as a true game-day decision ahead of the 4:25 ET kickoff Sunday, while star WR DeAndre Hopkins (hamstring) has already been ruled out for Arizona.

Mayfield (knee/foot/shoulder) doesn't have an injury designation for Sunday's game against the Lions and has been confirmed as the Browns' starting quarterback for the contest, Zac Jackson of The Athletic report.

While it's clear that Mayfield is banged up at this stage of the season and thus at risk of an in-game setback, he'll continue to tough things out this weekend against an 0-8-1 Detroit squad. Though wideout Anthony Schwartz (concussion) has been ruled out and another pass catcher in Donovan Peoples-Jones (groin) is listed as questionable, the Cleveland offense as a whole will be bolstered by the return of top back Nick Chubb, who was sidelined last week while on the reserve/COVID-19 list.

Lions head coach Dan Campbell said Goff (oblique) will throw at Friday's practice, Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press reports.

Goff was unable to practice Wednesday and Thursday, but he'll at least be able to get some throwing in at Friday's session. Whether that will be enough for the 27-year-old to have a chance of suiting up Sunday at Cleveland has yet to be determined. Tim Boyle (thumb) is set to be activated from injured reserve no later than Saturday and will start at quarterback if Goff is sidelined.

Jackson (illness) is participating at Friday's practice, Jonas Shaffer of The Baltimore Sun reports.

The 24-year-old didn't participate at Wednesday's or Thursday's sessions due to a non-COVID-related illness, but he's returned to the field Friday. Barring a setback, Jackson should be under center for the Ravens against the Bears on Sunday.

Jones completed 22 of 26 passes for 207 yards with one touchdown and one interception in the Patriots' 25-0 win over the Falcons on Thursday night. He also netted one yard on six rushes.

The rookie was near perfect in the convincing win, and he impressively connected with nine different pass catchers along the way. Jones ignited the Patriots offense in the first half by capping off a seven-play, 76-yard drive with a 19-yard touchdown throw to Nelson Agholor early in the second quarter, extending his touchdown streak to three games in the process. Jones' command of the offense this early in his career continues to pay off for fantasy managers in all formats, and his next chance to build on what is now a tally of 2,540 passing yards and a 14:8 TD:INT will come in a Week 12 showdown against the Titans a week from Sunday.

McCoy (pectoral) practiced in a limited fashion Thursday.

Both of the Cardinals' top two quarterbacks are dealing with injuries, with regular starter Kyler Murray also limited due to an ankle sprain. Murray has missed two games in a row due to the injury, and McCoy, who has earned starts on both occasions, was knocked out of this past Sunday's loss to the Panthers with a strained pectoral. If healthy enough to play Sunday in Seattle, Murray will direct the offense, but McCoy and Chris Streveler are the options to cover for him if he needs more time to heal.

Murray (ankle) was limited at practice Thursday, Josh Weinfuss of ESPN.com reports.

Murray has maintained his activity level for three practices in a row dating back to last Friday, but it remains to be seen if his left ankle sprain will recover enough in time to play Sunday at Seattle. The Cardinals' quarterback room is banged up at the moment, with top reserve Colt McCoy also limited this week due to a pectoral injury. Clearly, coach Kliff Kingsbury will go with Murray if he's healthy enough to suit up, but McCoy and even Chris Streveler are in consideration for the start.