NFL Player News

DiNucci completed two of three pass attempts for 39 yards during Sunday's 25-3 loss to Washington.

DiNucci entered the game after Andy Dalton (concussion) took a shot to the head in the second half and struggled against a ferocious defensive front. He managed a 32-yard completion to Amari Cooper and another short gain, but he also took three sacks and was fortunate to not fumble the ball away on two occasions. The rookie hardly seems ready to lead an NFL offense at this point, so it's likely the team looks outside the organization for a starter if Dalton is unable to play next Sunday night against the Eagles.

Burrow completed 35 of 47 passes for 406 yards, three touchdowns and an interception in Sunday's 37-34 loss to Cleveland. He also rushed six times for 34 yards and a touchdown and fumbled three times, losing one.

Burrow got the offense down to Cleveland's two-yard line on the opening drive before throwing an interception on 1st-and-goal. The rookie first overall pick bounced back by capping the following drive with his third rushing touchdown, using his 6-foot-3, 221-pound frame to push the pile on the second of back-to-back quarterback sneak calls from the one-yard line. He added an 11-yard passing score to Tyler Boyd in the final minute of the first half, and touchdowns of 16 yards to Tee Higgins and three yards to Giovani Bernard in the fourth quarter, but Burrow was ultimately outdueled by Baker Mayfield, whose fifth touchdown put Cleveland ahead for good with 11 seconds to go. Between Burrow's five 300-yard passing performances in his first seven games and his willingness to get it done himself by the goal line, he has quickly established himself as an enticing fantasy quarterback option heading into a Week 8 date with the Titans.

Mayfield completed 22 of 28 passes for 297 yards, five touchdowns and an interception in Sunday's 37-34 win over the Bengals. He also rushed once for minus-1 yard.

Mayfield's first throw was intercepted, and top wideout Odell Beckham injured his knee while trying to make the tackle on the play, per Mary Kay Cabot of The Cleveland Plain Dealer. The quarterback didn't get his first completion until almost four minutes into the second quarter, when Mayfield found Jarvis Landry for a 28-yard gain on his sixth pass of the game, but that play started a career-high streak of 21 consecutive completions, which included four touchdowns. Two of those scores came to tight end Harrison Bryant, while David Njoku and Kareem Hunt were responsible for Mayfield's other two touchdowns. Mayfield's completion streak finally came to an end when he spiked the ball to stop the clock in the game's final minute, and he found Donovan Peoples-Jones for the game-winning 24-yard touchdown on the ensuing play. Considering Mayfield had a 10:6 TD:INT coming into this game and no more than two touchdown passes in any of Cleveland's first six games, it will be interesting to see whether he's able to carry over the momentum from this performance into a Week 8 home tilt against the Raiders.

Bridgewater completed 23 of 28 passes for 254 yards with two touchdowns and no interceptions in the Panthers' 27-24 loss to the Saints on Sunday. He also rushed two times for 10 yards.

Bridgewater was back in the stadium that hosted several of the 2019 performances that helped score him a lucrative free-agent contract, and he bounced back from a rocky Week 6 outing against the Bears in Sunday's loss. The veteran averaged an impressive 9.1 yards per attempt while connecting with D.J. Moore for both of his touchdown tosses and hitting six different pass catchers overall. Bridgewater was nearly able to lead Carolina on what would have been a game-winning drive, but the march stalled at the Saints' 47-yard line with a sack and Joey Slye subsequently fell just short of drilling a 65-yard field-goal attempt. Despite the disappointing team outcome Sunday, Bridgewater once again delivered for fantasy managers and will look to help the Panthers get back in the win column against the Falcons in a Week 8 Thursday night battle.

Darnold (shoulder) completed 12 of 24 passes for 120 yards and two interceptions in Sunday's 18-10 loss to the Bills.

In his first action since Week 4, Darnold led New York to an opening-drive field goal, then threaded one of his best passes of the season to Braxton Berrios to convert 3rd-and-20 on the next drive, which ultimately ended on a turnover on downs in the red zone. Unfortunately, Darnold was completely shut down after New York took a 10-0 lead in the second quarter, and his second interception sealed the win for Buffalo. The third overall pick in the 2018 draft continues to show occasional flashes of brilliance, but a combination of Darnold's own inconsistency and the lack of weapons around him have led to plenty of ugly stat lines like this one en route to Darnold's 3:6 TD:INT in five games played this season. Hopefully that lack of weapons can be alleviated a bit against the Chiefs in Week 8 with the potential return of leading receiver Jamison Crowder (groin).

Mariota (coach's decision) is inactive for Sunday's matchup against the Buccaneers, Case Keefer of The Las Vegas Sun reports.

Mariota was designated to return from injured reserve Sept. 30 and subsequently activated from IR on Tuesday. Despite the progression he has made from a strained pectoral suffered in training camp, Mariota will remain sidelined for at least one more week. Behind starting quarterback Derek Carr, fourth-year man Nathan Peterman stands as the backup option against coach Jon Gruden's former team.

Dalton won't return to Sunday's contest in Washington due to a concussion, Michael Gehlken of The Dallas Morning News reports.

As he slid to the ground at the end of a run in the third quarter, Dalton received a nasty hit from Washington linebacker Jon Bostic, getting his helmet knocked off on the play. Prior to entering the concussion protocol, Dalton completed nine of 19 passes for 75 yards and one interception, while turning three rushes into 16 yards. Ben DiNucci replaced Dalton at quarterback.

Dalton (undisclosed) left the field in the third quarter of Sunday's contest at Washington after a late hit from linebacker Jon Bostic, The Dallas Morning News reports.

Dalton's helmet was knocked off at the end of his slide, resulting in his departure and Bostic's ejection. If Dalton is unable to return, he'll finish the game 9-for-19 for 75 yards and one interception. Ben DiNucci, the only other QB active for the Cowboys, took over for Dalton under center.

Taylor (ribs/chest) is inactive for Sunday's matchup against Jacksonville.

The 31-year-old signal-caller has been inactive since a team doctor accidentally punctured his lung with a pain-killing injection prior to Week 2's matchup against the Chiefs. Though Taylor was capable of logging a full practice session Wednesday, the outlook of his injury has not progressed to the point where he is ready for game action. North Dakota State standout Easton Stick will serve as the backup quarterback Sunday should an injury arise to starter Justin Herbert.

Grier (coach's decision) is inactive for Sunday's game versus the Saints, Myles Simmons of the Panthers' official site reports.

Former XFL star P.J. Walker has jumped Grier on the depth chart and will back up Teddy Bridgewater during Sunday's divisional clash. Grier -- a third-round pick in 2019 -- will watch from the press box, and he'll need to battle hard in practice to reclaim the No. 2 job.