NFL Player News

Huntley was elevated to the Ravens' active roster Saturday, Jeff Zrebiec of the Athletic reports.

Huntley is slated to back up fellow quarterback Lamar Jackson on Sunday against the Bengals, as Robert Griffin (thigh) and Trace McSorley (knee) currently remain on injured reserve. Huntley has only played 11 snaps this season, completing two of four passes for seven yards in Week 15 versus the Jaguars.

Sinnett was signed to the Dolphins' active roster Saturday.

Sinnett is slated to provide depth at quarterback Sunday against the Bills after Ryan Fitzpatrick landed on the reserve/COVID-19 list this week. Sinnett won't be the primary backup, however, with Jake Rudock active behind Tua Tagovailoa.

The Panthers signed Stevens to the active roster Saturday, Alaina Getzenberg of The Charlotte Observer reports.

Stevens is set to make his NFL debut in Sunday's matchup against the Saints, who selected him in the seventh round of the 2020 NFL Draft. While Stevens is officially listed as a tight end, he played some quarterback in college, and the Saints drafted him for Taysom Hill-like purposes. It's unclear exactly how he'll be utilized in Week 17, but it wouldn't be surprising to see Stevens utilized in a gadget role.

Heinicke is expected to serve as the backup quarterback in Sunday's game against the Eagles with Alex Smith (calf) on track to start, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reports.

After Dwayne Haskins was benched in last week's loss to the Panthers, Heinicke entered the game and was solid in his first action of the year, completing 63 percent of his passes for 137 yards (7.2 YPA) and a touchdown. However, Smith is set to return to the lineup after clearing the necessary hurdles during the practice week. Smith will be examined once again Sunday before Washington hands down the final verdict, but barring a setback, Heinicke will return to the backup role.

Stafford (ankle/rib/thumb), who is listed as questionable for Sunday's game against the Vikings, appears likely to play, Chris Burke of The Athletic reports.

Stafford was already playing through a pair of injuries when an ankle sprain knocked him out of his team's Week 16 loss to Tampa Bay. He seems content to continue playing if he's physically capable, hoping to start all 16 games for the ninth time in the past 10 seasons. Questionable for Week 17 after back-to-back limited practices, Stafford will have an excellent matchup if he plays, taking on a slumping Minnesota defense that has four starters ruled out for Week 17. The Lions will turn to Chase Daniel or David Blough at quarterback if Stafford is held out or doesn't finish the game.

Interim head coach Romeo Crennel reiterated Friday that he plans to have Watson start the Texans' Week 17 game against the Titans, Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle reports. "Yes, I expect him to play. I expect him to play and help us win," Crennel said of Watson. "If we're up by 50 at halftime, then maybe I'll take him out."

Though Watson appeared to hurt his arm late in last week's loss to the Bengals, he wasn't listed on the Texans' Week 17 injury report, implying that the team is comfortable with where he stands on the health front. Aside from potentially playing spoiler to a playoff-hopeful divisional rival in the season finale, the 4-11 Texans wouldn't seem to have much on the line, but that apparently won't result in Watson being rested at any point if the game remains reasonably competitive. With that in mind, Watson should rank as one of the stronger fantasy plays of the Week 17 slate, especially with the likes of Patrick Mahomes, Ben Roethlisberger and Jared Goff (thumb) already confirmed to be sitting out their team's respective finales.

Allen may be a candidate to receive rest in Sunday's game against the Dolphins, if the Bills don't make him a healthy inactive for the contest, Joe Buscaglia of The Athletic reports.

The Bills head into the regular-season finale in the driver's seat for the AFC's No. 2 seed, but they would drop to third in the conference standings with a loss and a Steelers win over the Browns, which may then result in Buffalo losing out on a potential home game in the divisional round. While that gives the Bills at least some incentive to put out their best squad Week 17, head coach Sean McDermott could look to manage the workloads of key players like Allen carefully, with an eye on ensuring the team heads into the postseason in optimal health. According to Chris Brown of the Bills' official site, McDermott said earlier in the week that he has a plan in place for how key players will be used against Miami, but he's choosing to keep it internal. With that in mind, Allen could be a risky fantasy option even if he avoids the inactive list and draws the start, as there's a real possibility he may only play a series or two before turning the offense over to backup Matt Barkley.

Stafford (ankle/rib/thumb) is listed as questionable for Sunday's game against the Vikings.

Stafford was a limited practice participant Thursday and Friday, hoping to make a 16th start despite the recent addition of an ankle sprain to his list of injuries. Interim head coach Darrell Bevell said Thursday that he has "no doubt" Stafford will play, but for fantasy purposes it's probably best to treat the veteran quarterback as a game-time call ahead of Sunday's 1 p.m. ET kickoff. Chase Daniel and David Blough both received playing time after Stafford was knocked out of last week's 47-7 loss to the Buccaneers.

Mayfield and the Browns should benefit from a Week 17 matchup with a Pittsburgh defense that is expected to be without its top two pass rushers in T.J. Watt or Cameron Heyward, who are both expected to sit out for rest puposes, Nate Ulrich of the Akron Beacon Journal reports.

Mayfield and a beat-up offensive line will get a break in the expected absences of Watt, a three-time Pro Bowl outside linebacker, and Heyward, a four-time Pro Bowl defensive lineman. With Pittsburgh locked in as the AFC's No. 2 or 3 seed, head coach Mike Tomlin could choose to rest or limit other starters on defense, making what would have been a tough matchup on paper much softer for the Browns. Additionally, Cleveland activated Mayfield's top four wideouts from the reserve/COVID-19 list Thursday, so the quarterback will have Jarvis Landry, Rashard Higgins, Donovan Peoples-Jones and KhaDarel Hodge at his disposal after the quartet sat out last week's loss to the Jets.

The Lions listed Stafford (ankle/rib/thumb) as a limited participant at Thursday's practice.

Despite interim head coach Darrell Bevell stating prior to the session that Stafford wouldn't practice for the second day in a row, the veteran quarterback was evidently able to do more Thursday than the Lions anticipated. While Stafford is likely managing considerable pain while tending to an assortment of injuries, the 32-year-old looks like he'll attempt to do everything in his power to play Sunday against the Vikings, even with little at stake for the 5-10 Lions. For what it's worth, Bevell isn't counting out Stafford, telling Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press "there's not a doubt in mind" the signal-caller will be ready to go by the weekend.