NFL Player News

Beathard suffered a foot sprain in Saturday's preseason tilt against the Texans and will be evaluated further Monday, ESPN's Nick Wagoner reports.

There were no reports of an injury after Beathard completed 10 of 17 passes for 82 yards in relief of Jimmy Garoppolo, so the foot injury must have flared up after he left the contest. The 49ers will run tests on the backup quarterback's foot Monday, and Nick Mullens figures to move up the depth chart if Beathard is unable to go next week against the Colts.

Jones completed three of his four passes for 27 yards and also carried the ball four times for 41 yards in Saturday's 24-14 preseason win against the Seahawks.

That's now two straight weeks Jones followed behind Geno Smith, leading to the prevailing theory that the former Jets quarterback appears to have the edge on the backup job.

Smith completed six of his eight passes for 85 yards and a touchdown, and also ran two times for 14 yards in Saturday's preseason win over the Seahawks.

Smith was the first quarterback to relieve starter Philip Rivers, playing into the first drive of the second half. Given the competition with Cardale Jones has been neck-and-neck up until this point, it's telling that Smith was allowed to play almost a full two quarters, and looked well doing so. Week 4 will likely be the deciding factor as to who will earn the starting gig, but at least for now, Smith appears to have the upper hand.

Darnold got the bulk of the Jets' QB reps Sunday, likely setting the stage for him to start Friday's preseason game against the Giants, Rich Cimini of ESPN.com reports.

Though the Jets have yet to tip their hand with regard to their Week 1 starter at QB, Cimini noted Sunday that the sense he gets "is that, barring regression against the Giants, (Darnold is) trending toward" earning the assignment. While veteran signal-callers Josh McCown and Teddy Bridgewater are still on hand, from the moment Darnold was taken third overall in April's draft it was only a matter of time before he gained the Jets' starting role.

Winston (suspension) completed 13 of 18 passes for 226 yards with two touchdowns and no interceptions in the Buccaneers' 30-14 preseason win over the Titans on Saturday.

Seeing extended work for the second time in as many preseason games, Winston produced 12.6 yards per attempt while making impressive scoring connections with Chris Godwin and Justin Watson. Each play stood out for a different reason -- the score to Godwin came after Winston eluded multiple rushers, while the pocket pass to Watson was a perfect back-shoulder strike down the right sideline. The nifty juggling act coach Dirk Koetter has put on with respect to splitting reps between Ryan Fitzpatrick and Winston seems to be working, as Winston also displayed excellent chemistry with starters Mike Evans and DeSean Jackson, hitting both for long completions Saturday. Looking ahead to Friday's preseason game against the Lions, it's likely Winston's playing time takes a hit due to Fitzpatrick seeing additional reps with the first unit he'll lead to open the season.

Wilson completed 13 of 21 passes for 193 yards and no touchdowns or interceptions in Saturday's 24-14 preseason loss to the Chargers.

Wilson played the entire first half against a Chargers defense that ranked third in passing yards allowed last season. Although the four-time Pro Bowler's stat line wasn't anything special, fantasy owners shouldn't worry. Wilson didn't have his top two wideouts available, as Doug Baldwin (knee) and Tyler Lockett (foot) both sat out. Wilson has now converted 17 of 26 throws for 236 yards, one touchdown and zero interceptions through two preseason games.

McGough completed nine of 12 passes for 97 yards and one touchdown in Saturday's 24-14 preseason loss to the Chargers.

Selected in the seventh round of April's draft, McGough is battling Austin Davis to serve as Russell Wilson's backup. Davis converted on just one of three tries for six yards Saturday. The difference in attempts and all-around performance gives McGough a slight edge in the battle so far, but expect the competition to continue through the final preseason outing.

Taylor completed four of seven pass attempts for 22 yards and ran once for five times in Friday's 19-17 preseason loss to the Bills.

Meanwhile, No. 1 overall pick Baker Mayfield completed seven of 13 attempts for 75 yards. As intriguing as the notion of Mayfield overtaking Taylor in short order might be, coach Hue Jackson maintains that the Browns are committed to Taylor as their starter out of the gate this season. With that in mind, Taylor is in line to work with an interesting collection of pass-catchers, featuring wideouts Jarvis Landry and Josh Gordon (now that he's back with the team), as well as promising tight end David Njoku and pass-catching back Duke Johnson. Assuming Taylor clicks with the above-mentioned players, he brings a degree of fantasy utility to the table, factoring in the points he can rack up with his wheels, as well as his strong tendency for avoiding turnovers.

Garoppolo completed 10 of 12 passes for 136 yards with a touchdown and an interception during Saturday's preseason game in Houston.

Garoppolo's two drives covered 21 snaps and 119 yards, with penalties and a poor running game forcing the quarterback to make some tough conversions on third and fourth downs. His interception bounced off the hands of Dante Pettis, who appeared to operate as the No. 4 receiver behind Marquise Goodwin, Pierre Garcon and Trent Taylor. That trio accounted for six catches, 85 yards and a touchdown on Garoppolo's two drives, making up for the absence of George Kittle (shoulder), Jerick McKinnon (calf) and Matt Breida (shoulder), all of whom will be held out for the rest of the preseason. The Niners do expect Kittle, McKinnon and Breida to be ready for Week 1 in Minnesota.

Dalton completed five of seven pass attempts for 41 yards during Saturday's 21-13 preseason win over the Cowboys. He also gained 13 yards on his lone carry.

Dalton played the first three series of the night, and while he only recorded two incompletions, he hardly generated anything downfield. He flashed his scrambling ability while picking up a first down at one point, but that was actually the team's second-longest gain during his time on the field. Dalton could benefit from his second season guiding offensive coordinator Bill Lazor's scheme, but the club will need to improve on a poor second-half showing from last year. Dalton should play a larger role next week against the Bills.