NFL Player News

Mariota (neck/foot) is listed as questionable for Sunday night's game against the Colts after practicing in a limited fashion both Thursday and Friday, Jim Wyatt of the Titans' official site reports.

With Mariota still limited after suffering a stinger Week 16, coach Mike Vrabel indicated the team will have further discussions regarding who will start at quarterback in Sunday's win-and-in showdown against Indianapolis. "About the same as it was yesterday," Vrabel said of Mariota's practice performance Friday. "(He was) limited, and we gave him some stuff to do, and he did some stuff. So we'll kind of just keep seeing where it goes, and figure out who gives us the best chance, and how he feels. We want to make sure he can go out there and do his job at a high level." With all that in mind, Mariota is a dicey fantasy option Week 17, given that the Titans kick off at 8:20 PM ET on Sunday. Considering the significance of the game, he'll no doubt do everything in his power to play, but if Mariota doesn't progress to the point needed to do so, Blaine Gabbert would start in his place.

The Jaguars signed Lee from their practice squad on Friday, Phillip Heilman of The Florida Times-Union reports.

Lee was drafted by the Jaguars in the sixth round of the 2018 NFL Draft, and finally finds his spot on the team's active roster. With Cody Kessler (shoulder) nursing an injury and Blake Bortles only having a precarious hold on the starting job, it wouldn't be out of the question for Lee to see offensive snaps versus the Texans on Sunday.

Bridgewater will start Sunday's game against the Panthers, Josh Katzenstein of The New Orleans Times-Picayune reports.

Coach Sean Payton made the announcement Friday afternoon, confirming Drew Brees won't play again until the divisional round of the playoffs. Making his first start since the end of the 2015 season, Bridgewater has an excellent opportunity to improve his value before his one-year contract expires. Of course, he'll probably spend much of the game playing with other backups, with Michael Thomas, Alvin Kamara and Mark Ingram unlikely to handle their usual workloads if they even play at all.

Coach Mike Vrabel called Mariota (neck/foot) a "limited" participant at Friday's practice, Travis Haney of The Athletic reports. "We'll just keep seeing where it goes and who gives us the best chance [Sunday against the Colts]," Vrabel said regarding the quarterback situation.

Mariota more or less looked the same Friday as he did at Thursday's session. After that one, Vrabel mentioned to Jim Wyatt of the Titans' official site that Mariota "didn't take the reps that he would normally take." On Friday, Vrabel told Turron Davenport of ESPN.com that Mariota will participate in a workout Saturday to determine where he stands with his stinger. According to Wyatt, Vrabel hasn't ruled out keeping Mariota, Blaine Gabbert and Austin Davis active Sunday. However, with the AFC South on the line, Mariota at less than 100 percent likely gives the Titans the best chance to reach the postseason for a second consecutive campaign.

Winston may not play all of the Buccaneers' offensive snaps in Week 17 against the Falcons after coach Dirk Koetter said Monday that the team would like to get backup quarterback Ryan Griffin his first NFL regular-season reps in the contest, Eduardo A. Encina of the Tampa Bay Times reports. "The guy's been here for three years," Koetter said of Griffin. "He's worked his tail off."

Koetter didn't expound on what Griffin's workload might look like if he enters the game, but based on the coach's comments, it's likely the 29-year-old would only take the field for a brief cameo. It would amount to a token gesture of gratitude for a player who has spent the bulk of six professional seasons on either the New Orleans or Tampa Bay rosters without officially making his NFL debut. With that in mind, Griffin's potential usage might only be a minor hindrance on Winston's fantasy outlook, as the Buccaneers are still incentivized to roll with the latter behind center in the season finale with his place in the team's plans for 2019 not yet formally decided. Assuming he indeed handles the overwhelming majority of the snaps, Winston projects as a respectable option in both season-long and DFS lineups while taking on an Atlanta defense that has yielded a 68.4 percent completion rate (28th in NFL) and 29 touchdown throws (tied for 24th) to opposing passers.

Mariota (neck/foot) was officially limited at practice Thursday, Turron Davenport of ESPN.com reports.

Mariota missed practice Wednesday due to a stinger that he suffered in Week 16, but he returned to the field Thursday and "did some stuff," per coach Mike Vrabel, who added that the QB "didn't take the reps that he would normally take, but he took enough to feel like we can move on to (Friday) and see where we're at there." With a playoff spot at stake, Mariota has indicated that he'll do everything he can to play this weekend, but there's a decent chance he'll end up officially listed as questionable for Sunday's contest and that he'll be classified as a game-time decision for the Titans' 8:20 ET kickoff. Blaine Gabbert waits in the wings in the event that Mariota is unable to play or suffers any in-game setbacks if he does.

Mariota (stinger) was able to get some throwing in at Thursday's practice, Turron Davenport of ESPN.com reports.

We'll have to see how the Titans officially list Mariota's participation level, but his presence on the field Thursday and ability to throw in the process, would appear to bode well for the QB's chances of giving it a go Sunday against the Colts. Per John Glennon of The Athletic, Mariota, who appeared to split reps with fellow signal-caller Blaine Gabbert, was able to make both "short and long throws, probably less velocity than normal."

Heinicke was diagnosed Thursday with a hyperextended left elbow and won't require surgery to address the matter, Joe Person of The Athletic reports.

Though the Panthers shut down Heinicke for the season after placing him on injured reserve Wednesday, the fourth-year signal-caller should be ready to go for OTAs with surgery off the table. He'll likely step back into his familiar role as the top backup to Cam Newton (shoulder) in 2019, assuming Carolina elects to tender Heinicke a contract. With Newton also ruled out for the season finale Sunday in New Orleans, third-string quarterback Kyle Allen is in line for his first NFL start.

The Redskins placed McCoy (lower leg) on injured reserve Thursday.

The transaction is merely a formality, as coach Jay Gruden had already ruled McCoy out for the season finale against the Eagles days earlier. McCoy, who completed 34 of 54 passes for 372 yards, three touchdowns and three interceptions across three games (two starts), is set to become a free agent in March, but Washington may have some interest in bringing him back as a No. 2 quarterback.

Coach Mike Vrabel said Mariota (elbow) could play in Sunday's game against the Colts without practicing at all this week, Jim Wyatt of the Titans' official site reports.

The Titans haven't ruled out a Thursday return to practice, but there also isn't a ton of cause for optimism on that front. Held out of Wednesday's session, Mariota revealed in a radio interview that the right side of his body was numb and tingling after he hurt his throwing elbow during Sunday's 25-16 win over the Redskins. The Titans have already added fellow quarterback Austin Davis to the 53-man roster, essentially admitting there is serious concern about Mariota's availability for a win-or-go-home matchup with Indianapolis. While he may not require practice in order to play, Mariota will be facing long odds if he doesn't make it back on the field by Friday. Blaine Gabbert is next in line for the start.