NFL Player News

Jones (neck) was a limited participant at Wednesday's walk-through practice, Dan Salomone of the Giants' official site reports.

Jones is in the midst of what's expected to be a multi-week absence due to a strained neck, having already sat out the Giants' Week 13 loss in Miami. Per Zack Rosenblatt of The Newark Star-Ledger, Jones visited a specialist in Los Angeles on Monday and is still awaiting clearance for contact. Even so, Jones was able to get on the field for a fourth consecutive practice dating back to last week, while the Giants' No. 2 quarterback Mike Glennon, was a spectator Wednesday while he works his way through the concussion protocol. The Giants expect Glennon receive to clearance to play ahead of Sunday's road game against the Chargers, but they are preparing Jake Fromm for a spot start if needed.

Goff didn't participate in Wednesday's walk-through practice due to an illness, Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press reports.

The Lions are dealing with a small flu outbreak at the moment, with Goff seemingly the biggest name to be told to stay home Wednesday. He's coming off NFC Offensive Player of the Week honors for his performance in the team's first win of the season this past Sunday, when he completed 25 of 41 passes for 296 yards, three touchdowns and one interception in a 29-27 win over the Vikings. Goff will have two more chances to get back on the practice field this week in advance of Sunday's game in Denver.

Head coach Matt Rhule reiterated Wednesday that Cam Newton is the team's starting quarterback, but Walker will play if he can help the Panthers win, David Newton of ESPN.com reports.

Walker replaced the ineffective Newton with just over 10 minutes remaining in the fourth quarter of the Panthers' Week 12 loss to the Dolphins, with Carolina training by 20 points when he checked into the contest. While operating in hurry-up mode, Walker had difficulties of his own, throwing a pick and conceding four sacks. Coming out of the bye, Newton remains the starter, but Walker will be available if the offense is stagnant once again.

Rodgers (toe) isn't practicing Wednesday, Matt Schneidman of The Athletic reports.

Rodgers said the Packers' Week 13 bye helped his fractured toe heal a bit, but the injury is still something he'll need to manage until he has a chance for extended rest, which likely won't happen unless the Packers are able to lock up the NFC's No. 1 seed prior to their regular-season finale in Detroit in Week 18. He made it clear he expects to play in Sunday's game against the Bears, and he hopes to play out the rest of the regular season and playoffs without missing any action.

Dalton (hand) won't take part in Wednesday's practice, Adam Hoge of NBC Sports Chicago reports.

Meanwhile, head coach Matt Nagy relayed Wednesday that Justin Fields (ribs) has been medically cleared and will start Sunday at Green Bay. Nagy also noted that it's unclear if Dalton or Nick Foles will serve as Fields' backup Week 14, according to Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune. Such a determination likely will come down to Dalton mixing into drills in some capacity Thursday and/or Friday as he tends to an injury to his non-throwing hand, but in any case, he's back in a reserve role with Fields healthy.

Bears head coach Matt Nagy said Fields (ribs) has been medically cleared and will start Sunday's game at Green Bay, Kevin Fishbain of The Athletic reports.

Fields missed the last two games after he suffered multiple small rib fractures in a Week 11 loss to the Ravens. Andy Dalton (hand) started for him in the interim, but now that Fields is healthy again, the rookie first-round pick will direct the Bears offense. When he faced off with the Packers back in Week 6, Fields completed 16 of 27 passes for 174 yards, one touchdown and one interception while carrying six times for 43 yards.

Burrow said Wednesday that his dislocated right pinkie finger is feeling better, despite a degree of swelling, Ben Baby of ESPN.com reports.

Burrow -- who hasn't thrown since Sunday's loss to the Chargers -- added that he plans to practice a little bit Wednesday. Whether that translates into him officially being listed as a limited participant won't be known until the Bengals release their first official Week 14 injury report, but in any case, the signal-caller said he doesn't expect to sit out this weekend's game against the 49ers, according to Baby.

Rodgers said Tuesday during an appearance on "The Pat McAfee Show" that his fractured left pinkie toe showed improvement during the Packers' Week 13 bye, Rob Demovsky of ESPN.com reports. "The biggest key is rest. I wish there was another one of these [bye] weeks so I could get 14-to-21 great days without doing anything, but the toe is improving," Rodgers said.

Rodgers' comments about his improving health offers some reassurance that he'll be in less pain during the Packers' Week 14 game against the Bears, but as he acknowledges, the toe injury likely won't be resolved completely until he receives some extended rest. Even so, Rodgers opted to forgo surgery during the bye week to address the injury, hoping that he'll be able to play through the issue for the rest of the regular season and playoffs before likely going under the knife at some point over the offseason. Even while playing at less than 100 percent health following his return from a Week 9 absence due to a positive COVID-19 test, Rodgers performed at a high level over the Packers' final three games prior to the bye week. Between wins over the Seahawks and Rams and a road loss to the Vikings, Rodgers completed 64.3 percent of his throws for 984 yards and a 6:1 TD:INT while contributing 29 yards and another score on the ground.

Hurts (ankle) will be the team's starting quarterback if healthy following a Week 14 bye, Tim McManus of ESPN.com reports.

Hurts was sidelined for the Eagles' Week 13 win over the Jets due to a left high-ankle sprain, which he sustained in Philadelphia's 13-7 loss to the Giants in Week 12. Though fill-in starter Gardner Minshew was highly efficient (20-for-25 for 242 yards and two touchdowns) in his stead, Hurts' overall body of work looks like it'll be enough for him to maintain the top spot on the depth chart if he's deemed ready to go for the Eagles' Week 15 game against Washington. While Minshew likely amounts to an upgrade in terms of accuracy, Hurts' proficiency as a runner -- he's totaled 695 rushing yards and eight scores on the ground through 12 games -- makes him the higher-ceiling fantasy option of the two.

Jones completed two of three passes for 19 yards in Monday night's 14-10 win over the Bills.

Jones entered Monday coming off a career-high 310 passing yards last week, but extremely windy conditions in Buffalo resulted in New England running the ball almost every play. In fact, Jones began the fourth quarter with just one attempt, then threw passes on back-to-back plays on the Pats' second-last drive. Despite being on handoff duty basically all night, Jones did enough to help clinch a seventh straight victory, sending him into the bye week on a positive note. He'll surely assume a more conventional role playing indoors versus the Colts in Week 15.