NFL Player News

Walker isn't expected to start Sunday's contest against the Patriots with Sam Darnold (shoulder) available, Darin Gantt of the Panthers' official site reports.

Walker was in line to start if Darnold remained in the concussion protocol, but the latter gained clearance from an independent neurologist Saturday. Darnold still was questionable due to a right shoulder injury, but following pregame warmups he's been given the thumbs up for game action. Walker thus will be on hand in the event Darnold is unable to stay on the field, and David Newton of ESPN.com suggests that Walker could be the Panthers' preferred option in the event the team needs to attempt a Hail Mary at the end of a half.

Darnold (shoulder) is active for Sunday's game versus the Patriots, Darin Gantt of the Panthers' official site reports.

After clearing the concussion protocol Saturday, Darnold remained questionable to play Week 9 due to a right shoulder injury suffered on the same play in which he was knocked out of the game last Sunday in Atlanta. He proceeded to take part in pregame warmups this Sunday, and it was enough for him to gain clearance from the Panthers' medical and training staffs. Darnold thus will take on New England's 14th-ranked pass defense (240.1 yards per game), and he'll have Christian McCaffrey (hamstring) available for the first time since Week 3.

Tagovailoa (finger/rib) is active for Sunday's game against the Jaguars, but he's not expected to start and will instead likely be available as an emergency backup, David Furones of the South Florida Sun Sentinel reports.

Tagovailoa was listed as questionable heading into the weekend with left middle finger and rib injuries, but the former issue was always viewed as the greater concern with regard to his status. Evidently, the small fracture of his finger didn't heal enough to allow Tagovailoa to start Week 9, so the Dolphins will turn the offense over to Jacoby Brissett. Since Miami didn't add another quarterback to its roster ahead of Saturday's deadline for Week 9 roster moves, Tagovailoa will dress for the contest as Brissett's understudy, but the Dolphins likely won't use Tagovailoa unless Brissett succumbs to a more serious injury. Miami faces a quick turnaround for Week 10 with a Thursday game against the Ravens, so Tagovailoa isn't a surefire bet to reclaim starting duties for that contest.

Brissett is expected to start Sunday's game against the Texans with No. 1 quarterback Tua Tagovailoa (finger/ribs) likely to be available only in a backup capacity, Adam Schefter of ESPN reports.

Schefter notes that Tagovailoa hasn't healed as quickly as anticipated from a small fracture in the middle finger of his throwing hand, so Brissett will be in line to pick up his fourth start of the season. Because the Dolphins didn't add another quarterback to the roster prior to Saturday's deadline for Week 9 transactions, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network relays that Tagovailoa is in line to back up Brissett. Over his previous three starts earlier this season while Tagovailoa dealt with fractured ribs, Brissett went 0-3 while completing 66.9 percent of his passes for 5.8 yards per attempt and a 4:1 TD:INT. Brissett also added 45 yards and a touchdown on 10 carries over that stretch.

Tagovailoa (finger), who is questionable for Sunday's game against the Texans, isn't expected to start, Adam Schefter of ESPN reports.

According to Schefter, Tagovailoa is tending to a small fracture in the middle finger of his throwing hand, which is expected to lead to Jacoby Brissett starting Sunday's contest. Per Ian Rapoport of NFL Network, Tagovailoa is now in line to work as Brissett's backup, but the Dolphins would presumably prefer to stay away from the second-year signal-caller outside of an emergency.

Darnold (shoulder), who is listed as questionable for Sunday's game against the Patriots, is expected to start, barring any setbacks in pregame warmups, Adam Schefter of ESPN reports.

Darnold cleared the NFL's five-step concussion protocol Saturday, but the Panthers still want to ensure the right shoulder injury he picked up in the Week 8 win over the Falcons isn't hindering him in warmups before clearing him to start. Per David Newton of ESPN.com, the Panthers still have some concern about Darnold's ability to throw the deep ball, so even if he draws the start, it's possible that the coaching staff could scale back some of his pass catchers' downfield routes. P.J. Walker took most of the reps with the first-team offense this week and would be ready to start if Darnold experiences any setbacks, but for now, the Panthers seem prepared for the latter to play the whole game. A final word on Darnold's status should come when the Panthers release their inactive list 90 minutes prior to Sunday's 1 p.m. ET kickoff.

McCoy looks to be on track to start under center Sunday against the 49ers with Kyler Murray (ankle) facing an "uphill battle" to gain clearance for the contest, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reports.

Arizona lists Murray and top wideout DeAndre Hopkins (hamstring) as questionable for the contest, but according to Rapoport, the Arizona staff doesn't have a "ton of optimism" either player will be available after neither took part in practice this week. Murray will go through a pregame warmup Sunday before the Cardinals decide on his status, but he appears to be trending toward a spot on the inactive list, which will be unveiled 90 minutes prior to the 4:25 p.m. ET kickoff. If that's the case, McCoy -- who took all the reps with the first-team offense this week -- would be in line for his 31st career NFL start. The 35-year-old has mostly served as a game manager throughout his career, so expectations for McCoy should be tempered from a fantasy standpoint, as well as those for the Cardinals' other skill players.

Murray (ankle), who is listed as questionable for Sunday's game against the 49ers, is hopeful to suit up, but the Cardinals don't have "a ton of optimism" that the quarterback will play, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reports.

Murray plans to go through a pregame workout before the Cardinals decide on his status, but the third-year signal-caller looks bound to miss the first regular-season game of his career unless his sprained left ankle checks out better than expected coming off a week without any practice. Because the Cardinals and 49ers won't kick off until 4:25 p.m. ET, official word on Murray's status won't arrive until after the first wave of games begin at 1 p.m., so fantasy managers are probably best off replacing him with another option at this stage. Colt McCoy took all the first-team reps in practice this week and will be in line to get the start if Murray is inactive, while Chris Streveler would serve as the No. 2 quarterback in such a scenario.

Rypien will serve as the backup quarterback behind starter Teddy Bridgewater in Sunday's game against the Cowboys, Nick Kosmider of The Athletic reports.

Aside from exiting early in Week 4 with a concussion, Bridgewater has been healthy and has started every game this season, resulting in Rypien being a fixture on the inactive list as the team's No. 3 quarterback. However, with top backup Drew Lock moving to the reserve/COVID-19 list Sunday, Rypien will get the chance to dress Week 9. The Broncos haven't revealed whether Lock tested positive for the virus or if he was ruled out for contact tracing, making it unclear if Rypien will remain the No. 2 signal-caller beyond this week.

The Broncos placed Lock on the reserve/COVID-19 list ahead of Sunday's game against the Cowboys.

Lock becomes the third Broncos player to be ruled out for Week 9 due to COVID-19 protocols, joining tight end Noah Fant and guard Netane Muti. Both Fant and Muti were placed on the reserve/COVID-19 list as a result of positive tests of the virus, but it's unclear if Lock also tested positive or if he was merely ruled out as a close contact of an infected person or persons. In any case, Brett Rypien will step in as the backup to starting quarterback Teddy Bridgewater with Lock out Sunday.