NFL Player News

Washington promoted Heinicke to the active roster from the practice squad Saturday, Rhiannon Walker of The Athletic reports.

Heinicke is set to serve as the top backup to Dwayne Haskins during Sunday's game against the Seahawks. He signed with Washington early December as an emergency "quarantine quarterback," and has spent much of his time with the team attending meetings virtually while remaining away from facilities.

Allen (knee) will not play Monday against the Steelers, Tyler Dragon of The Cincinnati Enquirer reports.

Allen never managed to practice this week, so the end result isn't exactly shocking. As a result, Ryan Finley will enter as the starter for the first time this season. In three starts last year, the 25-year-old posted an unassuming 474 passing yards across 106 attempts (47.1 completion percentage) while throwing two touchdowns as well as two interceptions.

Stafford (ribs/thumb) is trending toward playing in Sunday's matchup against the Titans, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reports.

Stafford's availability at Friday's practice seemed to indicate this was a possibility, but it's still a reassuring notion nevertheless. Expect more information regarding the veteran quarterback's status to emerge well before the 1:00 p.m. ET Sunday kickoff.

Carr is expected to face a 10-to-14-day recovery timeline after suffering a "significant groin injury" Thursday in the Raiders' 30-27 overtime loss to the Chargers, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reports.

The Raiders will have from a longer turnaround for their Week 16 game, but given the timeline provided by Rapoport, Carr looks hard-pressed to make it back for the team's Dec. 26 matchup with the Dolphins. That said, Carr will likely do everything in his power to try and play through the painful injury, so his status will need to be monitored next week when the Raiders reconvene for practice. At this stage, Marcus Mariota is a likelier candidate than Carr for the Week 16 starting nod.

Allen (knee) didn't participate in Friday's practice, Ben Baby of ESPN.com reports.

With his right knee injury sidelining him for the second practice in a row, Allen's chances of playing Monday against the Steelers aren't looking promising. The Bengals will see what Allen can do at practice Saturday before ruling on his status for the Week 15 matchup, but Ryan Finley will pick up his first start of the season in the event Allen is unable to go.

Stafford (ribs/thumb) returned to practice Friday as a limited participant and is listed as questionable for Sunday's game in Tennessee.

A report earlier Friday suggested Stafford would miss a third straight practice, but he apparently managed some level of activity, potentially setting up a game-time decision ahead of Sunday's 1 p.m. ET kickoff. The Lions technically can still make the playoffs, but they realistically have a better shot at landing a top-five pick in the 2021 NFL Draft. In any case, Chase Daniel will get the Week 15 start if Stafford shows up on the inactive list, which will be released 90 minutes prior to kickoff.

McCoy took the first reps with the first-team offense at Friday's practice and could start Sunday's game against the Browns with Daniel Jones (ankle/hamstring) listed as questionable for the contest, Pat Leonard of the New York Daily News reports.

McCoy picked up a start Week 13 against Seattle while Jones was sidelined with a right hamstring injury, but the latter was back in action for last week's loss to the Cardinals, only to exit early with a left ankle sprain. Though Jones was able to practice on a limited basis in each of the Giants' three practices this week, he didn't look to be moving around particularly well in the first and third of those sessions, which were both open to the media. Given that Jones' compromised mobility played a major role in the Giants' listless showing on offense last week against the Cardinals, the coaching staff may prefer to err on the side of caution and hold Jones out for another game in favor of McCoy, who served as a competent game manager in the team's upset win over Seattle. The Giants and Browns won't play until 8:20 p.m. ET on Sunday, but expect clarity on New York's plans at quarterback to arrive well before kickoff.

Jones (ankle/hamstring) is listed as questionable for Sunday's game against the Browns, Art Stapleton of The Bergen Record reports.

Jones was a limited practice participant Wednesday through Friday, sharing reps with backup quarterback Colt McCoy. His status could come down to a game-time decision ahead of the 8:20 p.m. ET kickoff Sunday, with Jones hoping to fight through a sprained ankle and injured hamstring. He didn't look good in a 26-7 loss to the Cardinals last week, throwing for only 127 yards before he was pulled from the game in the fourth quarter.

Jones (hamstring/ankle) is practicing Friday, but Colt McCoy looks set to receive most of the reps with the first-team offense, Jordan Raanan of ESPN.com reports.

Raanan suggests that Jones will be listed as a limited participant for the third time this week, but it isn't yet clear if he'll be designated as questionable, doubtful or out on the Giants' final Week 15 injury report. Jones missed Week 13 with a right hamstring injury, then sprained his left ankle when he returned to action in last week's loss to the Cardinals. The Giants will release their injury report shortly after Friday's practice concludes.

Stafford (ribs/thumb) won't participate in Friday's practice, Chris Burke of The Athletic reports.

The 32-year-old hasn't practiced this week while dealing with the rib-cartilage and thumb injuries, though the Lions aren't yet ruling him out for Sunday's matchup with the Titans. According to Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press, Stafford is feeling better and will be traveling with the team to Tennessee, but the release of the injury report later Friday should provide a better idea of his availability for Sunday. Chase Daniel has taken all the first-team reps in practice this week and would draw the Week 15 start if Stafford can't go.