NFL Player News

Minshew (coach's decision) is inactive for Sunday's matchup with the Panthers.

Minshew will be a healthy scratch for the fifth straight week to start the season. Joe Flacco will continue to operate as the backup quarterback behind Jalen Hurts.

Bridgewater (concussion) is listed as active for Sunday's game against the Steelers.

Bridgewater, who was forced out of the Week 4 loss to the Ravens, was able to clear the necessary medical hurdles in order to gain clearance to start Sunday's game against a Pittsburgh squad in the midst of a three-game losing streak. However, the veteran signal-caller -- who heads into Week 5 with a solid 72.1 percent completion percentage and a 5:0 TD:INT -- will be working with a banged-up pass-catching corps, headed by wideouts Courtland Sutton (who's managing an ankle issue) and Tim Patrick, along with tight end Noah Fant. Meanwhile, WRs Jerry Jeudy (ankle) and KJ Hamler (knee) and TE Albert Okwuegbunam (hamstring) are all on IR.

Garoppolo (calf), who has been ruled out ahead of Sunday's game against the Cardinals, is expected to remain the 49ers' starting quarterback if he's deemed fully healthy following the team's Week 6 bye, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reports.

Head coach Kyle Shanahan has been consistent about Garoppolo being viewed as the team's starter since Trey Lance was selected with the No. 3 overall pick in the spring, and the incumbent doesn't look like he'll lose his job even after sitting out Week 5 with the injury. That said, the team's investment in Lance hardly gives Garoppolo much job security, and it wouldn't be overly surprising if the team brass' stance changes if the rookie impresses in his first career NFL start Week 5. Garoppolo at least looks on track to be available coming out of the bye week, with Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports relaying that the veteran's right calf injury has a roughly "70 percent chance" of healing enough for him to be available Week 7 against the Colts.

The Seahawks and Wilson's doctors have optimism that the quarterback could be ready to play in four weeks in a best-case scenario after he underwent surgery Friday to repair a fractured right middle finger, Adam Schefter of ESPN reports.

Before Wilson checked in for surgery Friday, multiple doctors familiar with his injury believed that the signal-caller could be headed for a 6-to-8-week absence. After the surgery was completed, however, Wilson's outlook appears to have brightened a bit, with a four-week absence now seen as realistic. If that's the case, Wilson could be ready to play as soon as the Seahawks' Week 10 game at Green Bay, but his absence for at least the next three contests will snap his streak of 149 consecutive starts. Geno Smith is in line to direct the Seattle offense while Wilson is out, a context that likely amounts to a downgrade to the fantasy values of all of the Seahawks' skill-position players.

Bridgewater, who is listed as questionable for Sunday's game against Pittsburgh, has cleared the concussion protocol and will start at quarterback, Adam Schefter of ESPN reports.

Bridgewater was able to fully participate in practice Friday, but he still took the questionable tag into the weekend since he still need to pass an exam from an independent neurologist. Schefter's report would seem to imply that Bridgewater has passed the fifth and final stage of the protocol, putting him in position to maintain his usual starting role Week 5. Still, fantasy managers planning to use Bridgewater will want to confirm that he's active ahead of the 1 p.m. ET kickoff.

Driskel was elevated from the Texans' practice squad Saturday.

Driskel will assume backup duties for the Texans for a third straight contest while Tyrod Taylor (hamstring) remains sidelined. The 2016 sixth-rounder hasn't taken any snaps across the last two weeks.

Sudfeld was elevated from the 49ers' practice squad Saturday, Matt Barrows of The Athletic reports.

Sudfeld will serve as the backup quarterback behind Trey Lance against the Cardinals on Sunday since Jimmy Garoppolo (calf) has been ruled out. The 28-year-old Sudfeld made one appearance with the Eagles last year and completed five of 12 passes for 32 yards and an interception while rushing twice for 12 yards.

Wilson underwent surgery Friday to repair a ruptured tendon of his right middle finger and is expected to require roughly six weeks of recovery, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reports.

Wilson opted for surgery less than 24 hours after sustaining the injury in Thursday's loss to the Rams, and the procedure was more complicated than expected, according to Rapoport. The surgery was overseen by Dr. Steven Shin and involved the insertion of screws in Wilson's hand to stabilize the injured finger. The estimated six-week timeline could change as more information becomes available, and Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.com relays that the Seahawks may be eyeing a looser 4-to-8-week timetable for Wilson's return. Geno Smith came on in relief of Wilson on Thursday and is now in line to start at least the next few games, beginning with a Week 6 matchup with Pittsburgh. The loss of Wilson is a major blow to the Seattle offense, with star receivers DK Metcalf and Tyler Lockett both expected to see a downturn in fantasy value while the eight-time Pro Bowler is out.

Wilson underwent surgery Friday to repair the ruptured tendon in his right middle finger and is expected to be sidelined several weeks, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reports.

According to Rapoport, the procedure was performed by Dr. Steven Shin and was more complicated than expected, with several screws being inserted into Wilson's hand to stabilize the finger he injured in Thursday's loss to the Rams. Per Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.com, Wilson's recovery timeline from surgery could range from 6-to-8 weeks, though the quarterback will likely do everything in his power to beat that initial estimate. The Seahawks have yet to confirm that Wilson underwent surgery, but assuming the timeline proves reasonably accurate, he'll likely get moved to injured reserve in the coming days. In the meantime, Geno Smith is expected to step in as the team's starting quarterback beginning with its Week 6 game in Pittsburgh, and it wouldn't be surprising if the Seahawks explore the trade market in search of another veteran option to replace Wilson.

Smith is in line to step in as Seattle's starting quarterback beginning with the team's Week 6 game at Pittsburgh with Russell Wilson (finger) expected to be sidelined for at least a month, Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.com reports.

After exiting Thursday's loss to the Rams, the ultra-durable Wilson was diagnosed with a ruptured middle finger tendon on his right hand, an injury that will likely keep him out for anywhere from a month to 6-to-8 weeks. Seattle may look to the trade market or free agency for another veteran replacement, but for now, Smith looks set to quarterback a team with legitimate playoff aspirations for the first time in his nine-year career. Smith acquitted himself reasonably well while filling in for Wilson for most of the second half of the Week 5 loss, completing 10 of 17 attempts for 131 yards, one touchdown and one interception. Even so, the change from Wilson to Smith is obviously a big downgrade for the Seattle offense, and for the fantasy values of DK Metcalf and Tyler Lockett.