NFL Player News

Minshew was limited at practice Wednesday due to a right shoulder injury.

So far there's nothing to suggest that Minshew -- who helped the Jaguars snap a five-game losing streak in the Week 15 win over the Raiders -- is in any danger of missing Sunday's game against the Falcons. With that in mind, unless it's revealed that Minshew tweaked his shoulder during Wednesday's practice, his limitations to begin Week 16 are more than likely maintenance-related.

Interim coach Perry Fewell said Grier received all the quarterback reps during Wednesday's practice, David Newton of ESPN.com reports.

Grier is expected to get his first NFL start Sunday at Indianapolis, which also will mark his initial in-game reps as a professional. Having said that, Fewell won't make a final decision on the swap of Grier for Kyle Allen until the Panthers complete practice Thursday, according to Steve Reed of the Associated Press.

Jones (ankle) is a full participant in Wednesday's practice, Ralph Vacchiano of SportsNet New York reports.

Jones has missed the last two weeks while recovering from a high-ankle sprain, but his full practice Wednesday marks his first of the sort since he sustained the injury. Per Jordan Raanan of ESPN.com, coach Pat Shurmur said the rookie quarterback handled "most" of the first-team reps, an indication the Giants are expecting Jones to return to the starting lineup Sunday against Washington. A final decision on Jones' availability will likely come down to whether he's able to continue handling a full workload during the final two practices this week without any setbacks.

Prescott (finger) will be limited in Wednesday's practice due to a right shoulder injury he picked up during the first half of Sunday's 44-21 win over the Rams, Michael Gehlken of The Dallas Morning News reports.

Prescott also hurt his right index finger in the Week 14 loss to the Bears, but neither that injury nor the shoulder issue seems to pose much threat to his availability for a crucial Week 16 matchup with the Eagles. Coach Jason Garrett said Prescott won't do much throwing at Wednesday's practice but is "fully expected to play" this weekend in Philadelphia. The quarterback seemed fine in the blowout victory over Los Angeles, completing 15 of 23 passes for 212 yards and a pair of touchdowns.

Jones (ankle) is working with the starters at Wednesday's practice, Jordan Raanan of ESPN.com reports.

Jones practiced with the second unit at the same point last week; a clear indication that the Giants expected Eli Manning to garner the Week 15 start. The rookie's presence with the first-team offense offers another hint that Jones could return to the lineup for Sunday's game at Washington, after coach Pat Shurmur said earlier this week that the Giants tentatively expect their rookie quarterback to play. It remains to be seen if Jones is a limited or full participant in Wednesday's practice.

Winston (thumb/knee) was a limited participant in Tuesday's practice, Carmen Vitali of the Buccaneers' official site reports.

Winston may be "limited" to open Week 16, but he appeared anything but in the Buccaneers' 38-17 victory over the Lions this past weekend. While playing without any significant protection on his fractured right thumb, Winston completed 28 of 42 attempts for a season-high 458 yards and four touchdowns, with his 221 first-quarter yards representing the most by any quarterback since 2004. Per Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times, Winston didn't throw in the portion of Tuesday's practice open to the media, but the signal caller will likely resume doing so in the Buccaneers' final session of the week Thursday. Winston appears in little danger of missing Saturday's game against the Texans.

Stafford (back/hip) was placed on injured reserve Tuesday, Tim Twentyman of the Lions' official site reports.

Stafford had been sidelined for each of the past six games with multiple fractures in his back in addition to a minor hip issue, but he maintained hope he would be able to make it back into action before the season ended. The typically durable veteran ultimately wasn't able to heal as quickly as he anticipated, prompting the Lions to shut him down for their final two games. With top understudy Jeff Driskel (hamstring) having previously moved to IR, the Lions will turn to David Blough and Kyle Sloter as their quarterbacks for the remainder of the season.

Brissett completed 18 of 34 passes for 165 yards in Monday night's 34-7 loss to the Saints.

Brissett endured a lackluster showing, not leading the Colts to any points until their final offensive drive of the game. The signal-caller's 4.9 yards per attempt marked a season low, and Brissett has now thrown for under 175 yards in three of his last five outings. He's also managed just four passing touchdowns versus three interceptions over that span, and although top wideout T.Y. Hilton was missing most of that time, Brissett's stock has taken a hit ahead of Week 16's matchup against the Panthers.

Coach Jason Garrett said Monday that Prescott is playing through "a little injury to his (right) index finger," Todd Archer of ESPN.com reports.

During the Fox broadcast of Sunday's 44-21 smackdown of the Rams, analyst Troy Aikman said Prescott had a "hairline fracture on the top of" the finger in question. Aikman was referencing one of the injuries (also a sprained left hand) he sustained in a Week 14 loss at Chicago. According to Archer and Calvin Watkins of The Dallas Morning News, Prescott does not have a fracture. Instead, Prescott's right index finger was smashed against the Bears, and there's a lot of residual bleeding under the skin on the top of that finger. He had the tip of it taped this past Sunday, completing 15 of 23 passes for 212 yards, two touchdowns and no interceptions while incurring no sacks. The 23 attempts marked a season low as the backfield duo of Ezekiel Elliott and Tony Pollard compiled 36 combined carries, with Prescott adding seven himself.

Allen will likely be replaced by rookie Will Grier at quarterback for Sunday's game at Indianapolis, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reports.

Allen kicked off his starting tenure this season with a 5-1 record but has since lost six consecutive contests. During that latter stretch, he's averaged 289.3 yards per game and completed 63 percent of his passes but racked up an 8:11 TD:INT. With the Panthers out of the playoff picture, interim coach Perry Fewell will look to see what Grier, a 2019 third-round pick, can offer, relegating Allen to a reserve role.