NFL Player News

Mariota is in line to start Monday's game against the Chiefs, Nicki Jhabvala of The Washington Post reports.

Per Jhabvala, Jayden Daniels is dealing with a low-grade hamstring strain and is not on track to play this week, positioning Mariota for his third start of the season. Mariota thus represents a Week 8 fantasy lineup option for those who roster Daniels or who are otherwise in need of quarterback help, with six teams on bye this week. In his previous two starts against the Raiders and Falcons in Weeks 3 and 4, respectively, Mariota went 1-1 while completing 31 of 48 pass attempts for 363 yards, three touchdowns and one interception while adding 60 yards and another score on eight carries.

Daniels (hamstring) is expected to sit out Monday's game against the Chiefs, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reports.

Daniels suffered a low-grade right hamstring strain during Washington's loss to the Cowboys in Week 7, and while it's encouraging for the second-year quarterback to have avoided a long-term injury, he still appears set to miss at least one contest while working his way back to health. The signal-caller's expected absence sets up Marcus Mariota for his third start of the season Monday in Kansas City. Meanwhile, head coach Dan Quinn said Wednesday that top wide receivers Terry McLaurin (quadriceps) and Deebo Samuel (heel) are both trending in the right direction and expected to practice this week, Nicki Jhabvala of The Washington Post reports.

Taylor, who is a candidate to start Sunday's game against the Bengals, is considered day-to-day with a knee injury, Adam Schefter of ESPN reports.

Meanwhile, coach Aaron Glenn noted Wednesday that he doesn't want to reveal his Week 8 starting QB for competitive reasons, per Eric Allen of the Jets' official site. With Taylor now managing a knee issue, the QB's upcoming practice participation is slated to add context with regard to his status, but if available this weekend, Taylor could supplant Justin Fields as the 0-7 Jets' starting signal-caller.

Wentz (shoulder) was a full participant at Tuesday's walk-through practice.

Minnesota listed Wentz as a limited participant Monday on its initial Week 8 practice report due to his lingering left shoulder injury, but the quarterback never seemed to be at any risk of missing Thursday's game against the Chargers. Head coach Kevin O'Connell put to rest any concern about Wentz's status earlier Tuesday, announcing that the 32-year-old will make his fifth consecutive start Thursday while J.J. McCarthy (ankle) is set to be inactive as the team's emergency No. 3 quarterback. McCarthy is expected to reclaim starting duties once he's deemed 100 percent healthy, something that could happen as soon as Week 9 in Detroit. Over his prior four starts, Wentz has gone 2-2 while completing 66.9 percent of his passes for 7.5 yards per attempt and tossing five touchdowns against four interceptions.

The Steelers cut Woodside from the practice squad Tuesday.

Woodside's removal from the practice squad indicates that one or both of Will Howard (hand) and Skylar Thompson (hamstring) are ready to return from injured reserve. Woodside will hit the open market and should garner interest from teams looking to add a scout team quarterback.

Head coach Kevin O'Connell announced that McCarthy (ankle) will be inactive as the Vikings' emergency No. 3 quarterback for Thursday's game against the Chargers.

McCarthy was able to turn in three limited practices last week, but the Vikings chose to keep him inactive for this past Sunday's loss to the Eagles while he continues to recover from a right high-ankle sprain. Per Kevin Seifert of ESPN.com, O'Connell noted that McCarthy displayed some progress in an on-field workout Tuesday and might have had a shot at playing Week 8 if the Vikings had a Sunday game, but the coach conceded that the young signal-caller is "just not there" yet. As a result, Carson Wentz (shoulder) will pick up his fifth consecutive start while Max Brosmer serves as the No. 2 quarterback, but the top job is expected to be returned to McCarthy once he's 100 percent healthy. McCarthy looks like he'll have a chance to return to the lineup Nov. 2 at Detroit.

Vikings head coach Kevin O'Connell said that Wentz (shoulder) will start at quarterback in Thursday's game against the Chargers in Los Angeles.

Though J.J. McCarthy is expected to regain his spot as the Vikings' starting quarterback once he's 100 percent healthy, O'Connell conceded that the second-year signal-caller is "just not there" in his recovery from a high-ankle sprain, per Kevin Seifert of ESPN.com. O'Connell indicated that McCarthy was able to go through an on-field workout Tuesday and may have had a shot at returning this week if the Vikings were playing on a Sunday, so the 22-year-old appears to be on track to start in Week 9 versus Detroit. For at least one more game however, the Vikings will stick with Wentz, who has been tending to an injury to his non-throwing shoulder since Week 5 but isn't expected to face any limitations Thursday. Through his first four starts, Wentz has completed 95 of 142 pass attempts (66.9 percent) for 1,072 yards (7.5 YPA) and a 5:4 TD:INT while adding 57 yards on 11 carries.

Head coach Aaron Glenn hasn't announced his plans at quarterback for Sunday's game in Cincinnati, but the Jets are expected to name Taylor as their starter, Rich Cimini of ESPN.com reports.

Glenn may not name a Week 8 starter until he meets with the media prior to Wednesday's practice, but the tea leaves appear to be pointing toward Taylor displacing the struggling Justin Fields atop the depth chart in the wake of the Jets' 0-7 start to the season. Taylor -- who previously started Week 3 against the Buccaneers while Fields missed the game due to a concussion -- entered in relief during this past Sunday's 13-6 loss to the Panthers in the third quarter, when Fields was benched after completing six of 12 pass attempts for 46 yards and losing 21 yards on three sacks. Taylor (10-for-22 for 126 yards and two interceptions, 12 yards lost on three sacks) wasn't much more effective in his five drives directing the offense, but the Jets could nonetheless look to the 36-year-old veteran to provide a spark after Fields had been held under 100 passing yards in three of his six starts to date.

Stroud completed 23 of 49 pass attempts for 229 yards, one touchdown and one interception while taking two carries for 25 yards in Monday's 27-19 loss to Seattle.

Fresh off of a season-high four-touchdown performance against the Ravens, Stroud reverted to inconsistent pocket play in a deflating loss to the Seahawks. The 23-year-old failed to complete 50 percent of his passes while finishing as many touchdown drives as the dominant defense playing behind him. Stroud didn't get much help from his ground game, actually ending Monday's loss as the Texans' leading rusher ahead of Woody Marks (10-15-0) and Nick Chubb (5-16-0). Stroud also lost top wideout Nico Collins early in the fourth quarter to a concussion, a situation worth monitoring ahead of next Sunday's tilt against the 49ers. Stroud's stock would suffer further Week 8 if Collins is unable to clear the league's protocol for head injuries.

Darnold completed 17 of 31 pass attempts for 213 yards, one touchdown and one interception while losing a fumble and gaining one yard on three carries in Monday's 27-19 win over the Texans.

Darnold escaped Monday's primetime tilt with a win, but he couldn't escape the teeth of Houston's elite defense. In addition to his fourth interception of the season, the veteran signal-caller was strip sacked in his own end zone after making an ill-advised decision to roll out to DE Will Anderson's side. Darnold's 54.8 completion percentage also checks in as his lowest mark through seven starts with Seattle. The overall results have been positive from the 28-year-old this year, so fantasy managers can chalk this one up to a tough matchup. They will, however, need to find a replacement for Darnold in Week 8 until the Seahawks return from the upcoming bye week on Sunday, Nov. 2.