NFL Player News

Interim coach Joe Philbin relayed that he's "hopeful" Rodgers (groin) will practice Wednesday and added that the Packers would take the full week to decide if the quarterback will play Sunday against the Jets, Ryan Wood of the Green Bay Press-Gazette reports.

Rodgers tweaked his groin late in the first half of the Week 15 loss to the Bears, but ultimately stayed in the contest and finished with 25 completions on 42 attempts for 274 yards, no touchdowns and an interception -- his first since Week 4. With the loss officially ending the Packers' long-shot bid for the playoffs, there's reason to think the team could exercise some caution with its star signal-caller for the final two games of the regular season. Philbin noted earlier in the week that Rodgers won't be automatically shut down, however, so if the 35-year-old is able to log some practice reps by Friday, there's a good chance he'll be under center this weekend.

Mariota was listed as a limited participant on the Titans' injury report Tuesday due to a foot injury, Jim Wyatt of the team's official site reports.

Mariota has played through elbow, neck, hand and abdominal issues already this season, so it's fairly safe to say he's not in danger of an absence Saturday against the Redskins due to his listing on Tuesday's practice report. That said, his status still should be watched closely as the week goes on.

Lynch worked out for the Packers on Tuesday, Rob Demovsky of ESPN.com reports.

It's not clear if the Packers took a look at Lynch for any other reason than they wanted to evaluate him as a prospect, but it does at least lead to more speculation that the Packers are considering shutting down starter Aaron Rodgers for the rest of the season. Lynch remains a free agent for now, but if the Packers do decide to call it a season for Rodgers, Lynch is presumably the favorite to take his place on the roster.

Head coach Joe Philbin relayed Monday that he has no plans to shut down Rodgers (groin) for the final two weeks of the season, Rob Demovsky of ESPN reports. "I think when you sign up for the 2018 NFL season, you sign up for a 16-game season and hopefully you earn the opportunity to extend that and to compete for a championship," said Philbin. "Obviously, the extension part is over. That being said, you're a football player, you're part of a team and your one role is to the contribute to the overall success of the team."

The Packers' elimination from playoff contention following the team's Week 15 loss to the Bears won't prevent Rodgers from taking the field in Week 16, but a groin issue that surfaced during the contest still casts some doubt on whether he will dress. Even if Rodgers does play, he could be without a pair of weapons in Randall Cobb (concussion) and Aaron Jones (knee), who both exited Sunday's game against the Bears due to injury. If Rodgers is ultimately unable to suit up, DeShone Kizer would presumably take over under center for the Packers' Week 16 matchup against the Jets.

Coach Kyle Shanahan said Garoppolo (knee) has a "real good chance" to get some work during OTAs in May and June, Nick Wagoner of ESPN.com reports.

Garoppolo tore the ACL in his left knee on Sept. 23, underwent surgery on Oct. 3 and had ditched crutches entirely by Nov. 21. After Deshaun Watson suffered a similar injury in practice on Nov. 2, 2017, he progressed to all drills but 11-on-11 team work by mid-June en route to suiting up Week 1 of this season. If Garoppolo does something similar, he'll be on pace for a return in the 2019 regular-season opener, with the pecking order behind him likely Nick Mullens and C.J. Beathard.

Coach Joe Philbin didn't provide detail on Rodgers' groin injury Monday, the Packers' official site reports.

After Sunday's 24-17 defeat in Chicago, Rodgers told Michael Cohen of The Athletic that he tweaked his groin on a last-second Hail Mary heave at the end of the first half. Rodgers intends to play out the string of a season that won't include a playoff appearance for a second consecutive year, but the injury could cause the Packers to exercise caution with their $134-million dollar man. DeShone Kizer would be the next quarterback up if Rodgers misses any time, whether it's in practice or a game.

Goff completed 35 of 54 pass attempts for 339 yards, no touchdowns and a pair of interceptions in Sunday's 30-23 loss to Philadelphia.

Goff got back on track from a yardage standpoint, taking advantage of a porous Eagles secondary and nearly matching his combined total from the past two weeks. The signal caller's interception troubles continued, however, marking six over the past two games with no touchdowns to offset the mistakes. Opposing defenses have been taking away the deep ball from the Rams' gameplan by playing both safeties deep and backing corners off the line. This has forced Goff to take a lot of underneath and dump-off passes, resulting in a poor 5.5 yards per attempt over his three-week cold streak. The 24-year-old will look to get back in the touchdown column against the Cardinals -- who give up 25.2 points per game -- in Week 16.

Mullens completed 20 of 29 pass attempts for 275 yards and one touchdown during Sunday's 26-23 win against Seattle.

Mullens was unspectacular, but displayed workmanlike efficiency in leading San Francisco to three scoring drives during the second half and overtime, completing 9 of 14 attempts for 99 yards yards while helping the team chalk up nine points over that span -- good enough for a win in a game that resembled Harbaugh Era slug fests of 2011-2014. Coming out of Southern Mississippi having surpassed Brett Favre's school record in touchdown passes and passing yards, Mullens has jumped out to a 3-3 record over his first six starts (team was 1-7 to start the year). Week 16 is a nightmarish matchup for those who have been streaming Nick Mullens, as the 49ers host a Bears defense that's forced an NFL-high 34 takeaways this season.

Wilson completed 23 of 31 passes for 237 yards and two touchdowns in Sunday's overtime loss to the 49ers.

A win here and the Seahawks would've locked up a playoff spot despite an 0-2 start to the season. Wilson tossed a touchdown to Doug Baldwin during the team's opening drive and another to him at the end of the first half. The passing game slowed down in the second half as Wilson completed 11 of 15 for just 87 yards (5.8 YPA) while losing 20 yards on three sacks. Despite the struggles, the Seahawks had a chance for redemption in overtime but couldn't manage a first down, and the 49ers won with a field goal on the following drive. Wilson and the Seahawks will host Kansas City in Week 16 on Sunday Night Football.

Driskel completed 14 of 33 pass attempts for 130 yards, one touchdown and one interception during Sunday's 30-14 win over the Raiders. He also carried seven times for 32 yards.

Driskel struggled to connect with his pass catchers, completing an uninspiring 42 percent of his pass attempts while averaging 3.9 yards per attempt. He didn't generate any plays longer than 30 yards, though he did manage to connect with Tyler Boyd for a seven-yard touchdown in the first quarter. Driskel has failed to top 175 passing yards in three of his four starts, posting five total touchdowns with three turnovers in that stretch. He shouldn't be relied on for fantasy production even in a favorable matchup with the Browns next Sunday.