NFL Player News

Coach Kevin Stefanski said Monday that Mayfield (ribs) is expected to start against the Bengals in Week 7, Mary Kay Cabot of The Cleveland Plain Dealer reports.

Mayfield was medically cleared to suit up against the Steelers in Week 6, but Stefanski opted to have him removed from action as a preemptive measure to avoid further injury, with the Browns down 31-7 at the time. Stefanski also said that he expects Mayfield to do more in practice this week than he did last week, when he logged an LP/LP/FP practice slate. Another official update on Mayfield's health may not come until the Browns officially resume practicing Wednesday, but barring any setbacks it looks as though he'll get an opportunity to bounce back against the Bengals' exploitable secondary.

Coach Doug Pederson said Monday that getting Hurts involved on designed plays is "something we'll continue to explore" each week, Martin Frank of The Delaware News Journal reports.

Pederson also suggested that Hurts could handle packages out of the backfield if Miles Sanders (knee) is forced to miss any time. The rookie signal-caller provided Philadelphia's offense with a few much-needed sparks during Sunday's 30-28 loss to the Ravens, though his insertion into the lineup was only occasional. On three touches Sunday (two carries, one reception), Hurts totaled 26 yards, and he also served as an effective decoy during a 74-yard run by Sanders which, after a fumble, resulted in a touchdown by J.J. Arcega-Whiteside.

Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski removed Mayfield (ribs) from Sunday's loss to the Steelers because the coach didn't want to see the quarterback take another hit, Mary Kay Cabot of the Cleveland Plain Dealer reports. "I just didn't want to see him get hit one more time, and I put that on myself,'' Stefanski said. "He's a very, very tough player and I know he wants to fight, but it's a long season.''

Stefanski's remarks suggest Mayfield could have stayed in the game if it were competitive, but the coach removed him as a preventative measure with an eye toward the rest of the season. At the time, Cleveland was losing 31-7, and the offensive strategy was to throw, which exposed the quarterback to greater risk of being hit. Stefanski vows to start Mayfield against Cincinnati in Week 7 if he's healthy, "and I think he will be," said the coach.

Garoppolo (ankle) completed 23 of 33 pass attempts for 268 yards and three touchdowns in Sunday's 24-16 win over the Rams.

If there was any doubt that Garoppolo's dismal performance (and subsequent benching) against the Dolphins last week wasn't related to him coming back too quickly from a high-ankle sprain, let Sunday's bounce-back performance quash any concerns regarding his abilities under center. The 28-year-old looked like a completely different player against the Rams, as he was moving well in the pocket and was far more accurate on medium and long pass attempts that required him to plant on the balky ankle. Ankle sprains can be tricky and require extra time to heal, so don't be surprised if Garoppolo remains on the injury report during practice this week. That said, it appears that fantasy managers can resume using Jimmy G as either a starter in medium-to-large-sized leagues and in DFS formats against the right opponent. Next Sunday's matchup against the Patriots may not be one of those favorable matchups, as New England boasts a talented secondary.

Goff completed 19 of 38 pass attempts for 198 yards, two touchdowns and an interception in Sunday's 24-16 loss to San Francisco.

The 49ers were without its top two edge rushers and two starting corners, but Goff was unable to take advantage of the opportunity and turned in a dud on national television. The usually-accurate quarterback -- he entered Sunday's contest with a 72 percent completion rate -- was not sacked and didn't face too many pressures from blitzes, so it appeared that he simply did not bring his A-game in what looked to be a soft matchup. Goff had been reliable up until this point, so this may end up being one of his worst performances of the year. His fantasy managers are hoping this is just an isolated incident as a far-more ferocious Bears defense comes to Los Angeles for Monday Night Football in Week 7.

Keenum completed five of 10 pass attempts for 46 yards with no touchdowns or interceptions in Week 6 against the Steelers.

Keenum entered the game late in the third quarter after Baker Mayfield was pulled due to the aggravation of his rib injury. The game was already well out of reach, so Keenum wasn't asked to do much in the closing quarter. However, Keenum could be counted on to start in Week 7 against the Bengals if Mayfield is too injured to suit up. Keenum last saw major playing time as the quarterback for Washington in 2019, when he managed a 65 percent completion rate and an 11:5 TD:INT ratio.

Rodgers completed 16 of 35 pass attempts for 160 yards and a pair of interceptions while adding 14 yards on two carries during Sunday's 38-10 loss to the Buccaneers.

Rodgers completed eight of his first 12 passes while leading a pair of scoring drives to start the game, but he fell on hard times soon after. He threw a pick-six on the third drive of the game and followed that up with another interception. The veteran never looked right the rest of the way, as he finished with a dismal 46 percent completion rate. Rodgers, who was also sacked four times, came into this one with a stellar 13:0 TD:INT and will have a chance to bounce back next Sunday against the Texans.

Tagovailoa completed both of his pass attempts for nine yards during Sunday's 24-0 win over the Jets.

The rookie No. 5 overall pick entered the game with 2:27 left on the clock in the fourth quarter, driving from Miami's own seven yard line. Tagovailoa wasn't tasked with doing anything more than running the clock out, so it's difficult to extrapolate much from his first professional action, but the rookie did manage to seamlessly pick up the necessary first down by virtue of completions to Patrick Laird and Jakeem Grant. It remains to be seen when Tagovailoa will officially transition into Miami's starting role, but it's at least encouraging to see tangible confirmation that the team considers him healthy enough for game action.

Bridgewater completed 16 of 29 pass attempts for 216 yards, committing two interceptions during Sunday's 23-16 loss to Chicago. He also ran for 48 yards on eight rush attempts.

The 27-year-old signal-caller entered Sunday with an uber-efficient 73.4 percent completion rate and 6:3 TD:INT, but the Bears registered six QB hits and four sacks on Bridgewater, holding him to a lowly 34.0 QBR on the afternoon. It may have been a completely different outcome had Bridgewater been able to redo his first and final series of the day, as he threw an interception on the third play from scrimmage and tossed a game-sealing INT on Carolina's last offensive drive. In between came plenty of solid play from Bridgewater, as he ultimately had his team within one possession, ball in-hand late in the fourth quarter. The Panthers drop to 3-3 with the loss and now head into a Week 7 matchup against Bridgewater's former team, New Orleans.

Burrow completed 25 of 39 passes for 313 yards and one interception while adding two yards on three carries during Sunday's 31-27 loss to the Colts.

Burrow unexpectedly enjoyed a large early lead and deferred to the run game for much of the first half. Unfortunately, the Colts clawed their way back in the game, eventually taking the lead, and Burrow's interception on his last drive was the nail in the coffin. The rookie has now gone back-to-back weeks without a touchdown pass and owns a 6:4 TD:INT for the season despite reaching the 300-yard mark in four of the last five games. Burrow will look to take advantage of a rare favorable matchup next Sunday against the Browns.