NFL Player News

Tagovailoa (left thumb) is expected to be active Sunday against the Bengals, Cameron Wolfe of ESPN.com reports.

The Dolphins opted not to call up practice squad quarterback Reid Sinnett on Saturday which seems to suggest Tagovailoa will be available to play in some capacity against the Bengals. Reinforcing that notion is a cryptic social media post by an agent of Tagovailoa's, who in a since deleted tweet, mentioned he'd be traveling to the game to watch his client play. Fantasy managers should still confirm Tagovailoa's status ahead of Sunday's 1:00 p.m. ET kickoff, but it appears the rookie could be set for one of the easiest matchups in his young career against a depleted Bengals unit.

According to Tom Pelissero of NFL Network, Jackson (illness) is eligible to be activated from the reserve/COVID-19 list Sunday.

The timing is key for Jackson, who tested positive for COVID-19 on Nov. 26. Sunday will mark 11 days since then, and he'll have two more days to ready himself for Tuesday's game against the Cowboys. On Thursday, coach John Harbaugh told Jamison Hensley of ESPN.com that any decision to activate Jackson is dependent on the medical staff and not his office, so the quarterback still needs to pass the necessary protocols in order to return Week 13. The Ravens placed backup QB Robert Griffin (thigh) on injured reserve Friday, leaving Trace McSorley as the only signal-caller on the active roster. If Jackson doesn't pass the necessary hurdles, McSorley would be in line for his first career start.

McSorley will be the Ravens' presumptive starter at quarterback Tuesday against the Cowboys if Lamar Jackson (illness) isn't activated from the reserve/COVID-19 list prior to the contest, Jamison Hensley of ESPN.com reports.

McSorley currently is the only quarterback on the Ravens' 53-man roster, as Robert Griffin, the team's Week 12 starter, was placed on injured reserve Friday after injuring his hamstring in Wednesday's 19-14 loss to the Steelers. The 2019 sixth-round pick came on in relief of the injured Griffin in the contest, completing two of six attempts for 77 yards and a touchdown while carrying three times for 16 yards. If Jackson continues to test negative for the coronavirus, he'll be eligible to rejoin the roster as soon as Sunday, but McSorley will stay prepared to start in the event Baltimore's top signal-caller can't clear the protocol. The Ravens would presumably promote Tyler Huntley from the practice squad to back up McSorley if Jackson remains out for Week 13.

Stafford (right thumb) is listed as questionable for Sunday's contest in Chicago, Tim Twentyman of the Lions' official site reports.

The Lions capped Stafford's practice reps all week, the result of a slight ligament tear in his right thumb that he picked up during a Week 11 defeat in Carolina. Assuming he's able to gain clearance to play Sunday, he'll be facing the Bears' 11th-ranked pass defense (223.7 yards per game).

Tagovailoa (left thumb) is officially listed as questionable for Sunday's game against the Bengals, Adam Caplan of SiriusXM NFL Radio reports.

Coach Brian Flores already has hinted that Tagovialoa's status could come down to a game-time call, per Cameron Wolfe of ESPN, noting that a final decision on the signal-caller's availability won't come until the coaching staff has had time to review practice film. The rookie has put together a trio of limited practices since missing last weekend's win over the Jets, but it remains to be seen whether the thumb injury on his throwing hand is still hindering his accuracy and/or velocity. If the Dolphins ultimately deem that Tagovailoa isn't yet healthy enough to provide the best chance to win, Ryan Fitzpatrick will draw another start.

McCoy is on track to start at quarterback Sunday against the Seahawks with Daniel Jones (hamstring) listed as doubtful for the contest, Ralph Vacchiano of SportsNet New York reports.

Though Jones was able to make it back on the practice field Friday as a limited participant, McCoy still handled the first-team offense reps for the third straight day, according to Pat Leonard of the New York Daily News. The Giants thus appear poised to proceed with McCoy as No. 1 signal-caller Week 13, marking the 34-year-old's first NFL start since Week 5 of the 2019 season, when he was with Washington. As Vacchiano points out, offensive coordinator Jason Garrett said that a Giants offense without Jones would likely be ran more conservatively, so expect a number of short-yardage throws from McCoy and runs from Wayne Gallman to be dialed up as long as the game flow allows for it.

The Giants list Jones (hamstring) as doubtful for Sunday's game against the Seahawks.

As anticipated, New York doesn't plan on having Jones available Sunday while he works back from the right hamstring strain he sustained in last week's win over the Bengals, but he at least avoided being ruled out for the contest after practicing Friday in a limited capacity, per Dan Duggan of The Athletic. While that bodes well for Jones' chances of playing next week versus the Cardinals, he'll likely cede Week 13 starting duties to Colt McCoy, who replaced Jones in the win over Cincinnati and handled first-team reps at Friday's practice, according to Pat Leonard of the New York Daily News. The Giants are expected to add either Clayton Thorson or Alex Tanney to the 53-man roster Saturday to serve as McCoy's backup this weekend.

Mayfield has thrown 123 consecutive passes without an interception, Nate Ulrich of the Akron Beacon Journal reports.

Mayfield has taken heat for missed throws this season, including in last week's win over the Jaguars, but the third-year quarterback has avoided turnovers in the last four games. Cleveland's success this season is largely attributable to its ground game, which means Mayfield isn't required to take chances down the field. That approach has not only limited picks, but it also led to Mayfield averaging fewer than 200 passing yards per game (191.6).

Huntley reverted to the Ravens' practice squad Thursday, according to the league's official transactions report.

Huntley served as Baltimore's third quarterback for Wednesday's loss to the Steelers, with Lamar Jackson on the COVID-19 list. He came dangerously close to seeing action after Robert Griffin (thigh) was forced out of the contest, but Trace McSorley ultimately finished the divisional game.

Murray (right shoulder) practiced fully Thursday, Josh Weinfuss of ESPN.com reports.

Murray is tending to an injury to his right throwing shoulder, which capped his practice reps Wednesday. That said, he handled all of them one day later, allowing him to gear up for Sunday's matchup against a Rams pass defense that has mostly contained opposing quarterbacks this season (203.5 yards given up per game, third in the NFL).