NFL Player News

Book (coach's decision) is inactive Sunday against the Panthers, John DeShazier of the Saints' official site reports.

Book goes from starting last Sunday against Miami to inactive in Week 17 against the Panthers. With the returns of Taysom Hill and Trevor Siemian from COVID protocols, Book falls back to third on the quarterback positional depth chart, and the Saints will use that roster space elsewhere Sunday.

Boyle will start in place of Jared Goff (knee) on Sunday at Seattle, Chris Burke of The Athletic reports.

As expected, the Lions included Goff on their Week 17 inactive list, thus giving Boyle another chance to direct the offense. In his first opportunity last Sunday in Atlanta, Boyle completed 24 of 34 passes for 187 yards, one touchdown and one interception.

Goff (knee) is inactive for Sunday's game in Seattle.

Goff wasn't eligible to play Week 16 due to residing on the reserve/COVID-19 list, and once he was activated last Monday he wasn't able to practice due to a knee injury. The Lions tabbed him as doubtful to play Sunday, and that assessment proved to be true, keeping him sidelined for a second contest in a row. Tim Boyle thus will earn another start in place of Goff, but the first one didn't go swimmingly last Sunday in Atlanta, as he completed 24 of 34 passes for 187 yards, one touchdown and one interception.

McCoy was added to the injury report ahead of Sunday's contest against the Cowboys with a migraine and is listed as questionable, Darren Urban of the Cardinals' official site reports.

McCoy is the primary backup to Kyler Murray, so if he is unable to suit up, Trace McSorley would likely take over in Week 17. However, barring an injury to Murray, neither backup is expected to see the field. More information about McCoy's status will likely be given closer to the 4:25 PM ET kickoff.

Lance will start for an inactive Jimmy Garoppolo (thumb) in Sunday's contest against the Texans, Keiana Martin of the 49ers' official site reports.

Garoppolo entered the weekend as doubtful to play through the sprained and fractured thumb that he sustained Week 16 at Tennessee. His absence paves the way for Lance to earn his second career start and make his sixth appearance overall. In the previous five, he was spotty as a passer, completing 25 of 48 passes for 354 yards, three touchdowns and one interception. But he made up for it with his legs, turning 30 carries into 137 yards and one more score. Lance will have a chance to produce versus Houston's 19th-ranked pass defense (239.7 yards per game).

Garoppolo (thumb) is listed as inactive Sunday against the Texans, Keiana Martin of the 49ers' official site reports.

Since emerging from a Week 16 loss at Tennessee with a Grade 3 UCL sprain and fracture in his right thumb, Garoppolo hasn't thrown, let alone practiced in any capacity. Having said that, the 49ers are hopeful he'll recover enough to be available for a key Week 18 road matchup with the Rams. While he takes a seat for the second time this season, Garoppolo will hand over the offense to rookie first-round pick Trey Lance, who has racked up 354 yards through the air, 137 more yards on the ground and four total touchdowns (three passing, one rushing) in five games, including a spot start Week 5.

Huntley will start Sunday's game against the Rams with Lamar Jackson (ankle) inactive for the contest, Jeff Zrebiec of The Athletic reports.

Jackson will sit out a third straight game due to a bone bruise in his right ankle, allowing Huntley to pick up his second start over that stretch and his third overall of the season. Both Jackson and Huntley were sidelined for last week's loss to the Bengals, with Huntley's placement on the reserve/COVID-19 list paving the way for journeyman Josh Johnson to pick up his first start since 2018. After Huntley was reinstated from the list Thursday, he was able to get in a pair of practices to clear up any concerns about his ability for the weekend. The 23-year-old was one of the top fantasy performers in his last start Week 15 against the Packers, completing 28 of 40 attempts for 215 yards and two touchdowns while adding 73 yards and two more scores on the ground.

Browning (coach's decision) is inactive Sunday against the Chiefs, Charlie Goldsmith of The Cincinnati Enquirer reports.

Browning was elevated from the Bengals' practice squad to the active roster Saturday. However, that was likely insurance for Brandon Allen (illness), who was also activated from the reserve/COVID-19 list Saturday. Browning has not been active for a game this season.

Fields (ankle) is listed as inactive Sunday versus the Giants.

The writing was on the wall for Fields when coach Matt Nagy named Andy Dalton (hand) the Bears' Week 17 starter at quarterback and Nick Foles the No. 2 on Friday. Fields has yet to put in anything more than a limited practice since injuring his ankle in a Week 15 loss to the Vikings, meaning he may need to get back to all activity before Nagy feels comfortable enough for the rookie signal-caller to return to action. While Fields will sit for the fourth time in six games, his next opportunity to play will come next Sunday at Minnesota.

Jackson (ankle) is inactive for Sunday's game against the Rams, Jeff Zrebiec of The Athletic reports.

Jackson initially appeared to be trending toward a return from a two-game absence after he opened this week as a limited participant in Wednesday's practice. Unfortunately, Jackson was limping badly during that session while battling the bone bruise in his right ankle, prompting the Ravens to hold him out of practices Thursday and Friday before listing him as questionable for the Week 17 game. Jackson didn't demonstrate enough progress heading into Sunday to get the green light to play, paving the way for Tyler Huntley to make his second start in three games and third overall of the season.