NFL Player News
-
Carson Wentz QB | MIN
Vikings' Carson Wentz: Headed for another start
Wentz is slated to start at quarterback in Sunday's game against the Browns in London, Tom Pelissero of NFL Network reports.
With J.J. McCarthy (ankle) having yet to resume practicing and set to miss his third straight game Sunday, Wentz will pick up another start, including his second in a row overseas. Through his first two games at the helm, Wentz has guided the Vikings to a 1-1 record while completing 44 of 66 pass attempts for 523 yards and four touchdowns. However, despite his generally efficient play, Wentz has been prone to some sloppiness, as he's tossed two interceptions and has taken nine sacks behind a banged-up offensive line. The Vikings will once again be without three starting offensive linemen in Week 5 against a stout Browns defense, which could render Wentz an unreliable fantasy option in leagues that start just one quarterback. Minnesota is on bye for Week 6, so the health of McCarthy in addition to Wentz's performance against the Browns will both be factors in determining which of the two quarterbacks will garner the start Week 7 versus the Eagles.
-
J.J. McCarthy QB | MIN
Vikings' J.J. McCarthy: Ruled out for Sunday
The Viking have ruled out McCarthy (ankle) for Sunday's game against the Browns in London.
With McCarthy still sidelined due to a right high-ankle sprain, Carson Wentz is slated to draw a third straight start at quarterback while working behind a shorthanded offensive line. McCarthy -- who last played Week 2 -- will thus target a potential return to action Oct. 19 against the Eagles, following the Vikings' Week 6 bye.
-
Mac Jones QB | SF
49ers' Mac Jones: Gutsy effort in Week 5 OT win
Jones completed 33 of 49 passes for 342 yards with two touchdowns and no interceptions while adding four rushes for five yards in the 49ers' 26-23 overtime win over the Rams on Thursday night.
Prior to Thursday's game, Brock Purdy was announced as week-to-week for the foreseeable future due to his troublesome toe, but on a couple of occasions in the marathon win, it appeared the 49ers could lose Jones as well. Already managing a PCL injury coming in, Jones took two particularly hard shots on sacks in the second half and overtime, including one late in the third quarter where he remained on the ground for some time clutching his leg in pain. Nevertheless, Jones didn't miss any plays and put together another highly impressive performance, one that featured his highest passing yardage total of the season and pushed him to a 6:1 TD:INT on the campaign. Jones hit Jake Tonges (six yards) and Christian McCaffrey (one yard) for his two first-half scoring tosses, and he also spearheaded an eight-play drive in overtime to set up Eddy Pineiro's tie-breaking (and eventual game-winning) field goal. The veteran signal-caller now will have a few extra days to heal up for a Week 6 road matchup against the Buccaneers on Sunday, Oct. 12.
-
Matthew Stafford QB | LAR
Rams' Matthew Stafford: Nears 400-yard mark in OT loss
Stafford completed 30 of 47 passes for 389 yards with three touchdowns and no interceptions while rushing once for no gain in the Rams' 26-23 overtime loss to the 49ers on Thursday night. He also lost a fumble.
Stafford averaged an impressive 8.3 yards per attempt and facilitated four tallies of over 65 receiving yards for his arsenal of pass catchers. The veteran signal-caller connected with Kyren Williams (14 and eight yards) and Puka Nacua (one yard) for his trio of scoring tosses, his second consecutive such tally and fourth straight of multiple TD passes. Stafford's last two games have seen him put the ball up over 40 times apiece, which is a significant departure from his first three contests of the campaign when he averaged 31.6 pass attempts per contest. Stafford will next take aim at an injury-ravaged Ravens defense in a Week 6 road matchup on Sunday, Oct. 12.
-
Baker Mayfield QB | TB
Buccaneers' Baker Mayfield: Gets back to full Thursday
Mayfield (knee/right biceps) was a full practice participant Thursday.
Mayfield sat out Wednesday's walkthrough due to knee and right biceps injuries, but his return to all activity one day later indicates the DNP was merely for maintenance purposes. He's been slinging it around this season, completing 83 of 139 passes (60 percent) for 904 yards, eight touchdowns and one interception through four games. The potential exists for both WR Mike Evans (hamstring) and RB Bucky Irving (foot/shoulder) to be sidelined Sunday at Seattle, so Mayfield's primary pass catchers Week 5 may be WRs Chris Godwin, Emeka Egbuka and Sterling Shepard, TE Cade Otton and RBs Rachaad White and Sean Tucker.
-
Adrian Martinez QB | NYJ
49ers' Adrian Martinez: Signed to Niners' active roster
The 49ers signed Martinez from the practice squad to the active roster ahead of Thursday's game against the Rams.
Martinez was elevated from the 49ers' practice squad to the active roster for Week 2 and 3 to serve as Mac Jones' backup in the absence of Brock Purdy (toe). Purdy returned for Week 4 against the Jaguars but has been ruled out for Thursday's game in Los Angeles, so Martinez will once again be the QB2 while Jones makes his third start of the regular season.
-
Jayden Daniels QB | WAS
Commanders' Jayden Daniels: Continues to practice fully
Daniels (knee) practiced fully Thursday.
Coach Dan Quinn announced Wednesday that Daniels was medically cleared from the knee sprain that sidelined him Weeks 3 and 4 and was slated to be a full practice participant this week, per Tashan Reed of The Washington Post. Daniels has done just that Wednesday and Thursday, but he also told Nicki Jhabvala of The Washington Post after the former session of the knee brace he'll be wearing for the foreseeable future, "I'm not the biggest fan of it, but if that's what I have to wear, I'll do anything." Daniels also will be working without at least two of his top pass catchers Sunday against the Chargers, as Terry McLaurin (quadriceps) and Noah Brown (knee/groin) didn't travel with the team to Los Angeles and Deebo Samuel (heel) has yet to practice this week.
-
Lamar Jackson QB | BAL
Ravens' Lamar Jackson: Misses another practice
Jackson (hamstring) didn't participate in Thursday's practice, Jamison Hensley of ESPN.com reports.
Hensley noted Wednesday that the Ravens have been tight-lipped about Jackson's chances of playing Sunday against the Texans, but back-to-back DNPs don't bode well for the star QB's Week 5 availability. In any case, Friday's final injury will provide context in that regard, but if Jackson is unable to play this weekend, Cooper Rush would be in line to start in his place, with Tyler Huntley a candidate to be elevated from the practice squad.
-
Baker Mayfield QB | TB
Buccaneers' Baker Mayfield: Back on practice field
Mayfield (knee/biceps) was spotted practicing during the portion of Thursday's session that was open to the media, Greg Auman of Fox Sports reports.
Mayfield sat out Wednesday's walk-through session due to knee and right biceps injuries, though his absence may have been more of a maintenance day than anything. His presence on the field Thursday is a good sign that Mayfield will be available to play this weekend in Seattle, though it won't be known until after practice concludes whether the quarterback was a limited or full participant. Assuming he's ultimately cleared in advance of Sunday's contest, Mayfield will be working behind a beat-up offensive line and could be without two key players in running back Bucky Irving (foot/shoulder) and wideout Mike Evans (hamstring), neither of whom has been able to practice so far this week.
-
J.J. McCarthy QB | MIN
Vikings' J.J. McCarthy: Remains sidelined for practice
McCarthy (ankle) didn't participate in Thursday's practice, Dane Mizutani of the St. Paul Pioneer Press reports.
Though he wasn't donning a jersey like his healthy teammates, McCarthy was spotted on the practice field during warmups Thursday and was doing some throwing. However, until McCarthy is taking reps under center and mixing into drills, his return to game action shouldn't be viewed as imminent. McCarthy appears on track to be ruled out for a third straight game ahead of Sunday's matchup with the Browns in London, but the second-year signal-caller could have a more realistic chance at being available coming out of the Vikings' Week 6 bye. Whether McCarthy will reclaim the starting quarterback role upon getting back to full health is still undetermined, and it could hinge on how Carson Wentz fares this weekend in his third consecutive start.