NFL Player News

Beathard will remain in a reserve role this Sunday against the Texans after head coach Kyle Shanahan named Jimmy Garoppolo the starting quarterback on Monday, ESPN's Nick Wagoner reports.

Beathard's recent hip and knee ailments made it easier for the 49ers to give Garoppolo his highly anticipated first start Sunday, which resulted in San Francisco earning its second victory of the season. Although Beathard was available as a backup, Garoppolo's strong showing cemented his starting status for this weekend. Considering Garoppolo's pedigree, it'd be surprising if he didn't start each of San Francisco's four remaining games, likely leaving the rookie Beathard's fantasy value reliant on an injury to his teammate.

San Francisco head coach Kyle Shanahan has named Garoppolo the starting quarterback for this Sunday's game against the Texans, ESPN's Nick Wagoner reports.

Garoppolo threw for nearly 300 yards while completing over 70 percent of his passes in Sunday's first start for the 49ers. That production coupled with the fact he led San Francisco to just its second victory of the season makes Shanahan's decision a no-brainer, despite any admiration rookie C.J. Beathard's effort has garnered thus far. Now with the keys to his new team's offense, Garoppolo will look to build on his promising full debut, and this weekend's matchup versus the Texans appears favorable. Houston's passing defense is currently tied for third-worst in touchdowns (23) and yards per attempt (7.8) allowed.

Smith will likely return to a backup role Week 14 against the Cowboys with the team expected to reinstall Eli Manning as its starting quarterback, a source informed Jordan Raanan of ESPN.com reports.

Even amid a lost season, the Giants' decision to strip Manning of his long-held starting duties and hand the keys of the offense over to Smith for Sunday's eventual 24-17 loss to the Oakland drew criticism in many circles. While not a complete disaster Sunday (21-for-34, one touchdown, no interception and two lost fumbles), the 27-year-old apparently didn't do quite enough to strengthen his hold on the gig before the man who had named Smith starter, head coach Ben McAdoo, was fired Monday. It's not clear if interim coach Steve Spagnuolo intends to stick with Manning beyond Week 14, but if another change is made, rookie third-round pick Davis Webb seems like a better than Smith, an impending free agent, to get a look.

Lynch (ankle) will remain out for Week 14 against the Jets, Jeff Legwold of ESPN.com reports.

Lynch will miss a second straight game while recovering from a high-ankle sprain that came with an estimated timetable of 2-to-4 weeks. He could get another look in the starting role if he's healthy before the end of the season, as Trevor Siemian was disastrously bad in Sunday's 35-9 loss to the Dolphins. Siemian nonetheless will get the nod over Brock Osweiler on Sunday against the Jets.

Siemian will get another start Sunday against the Jets, Mike Klis of 9 News Denver reports.

Siemian led a late rally while filling in for an injured Paxton Lynch (ankle) during a Week 12 loss in Oakland, but Sunday's performance in Miami was downright ugly, with Siemian tossing three picks and completing only 19 of 41 passes for 200 yards in a 35-9 loss. He seemingly did everything he could to lose the starting job, but the Broncos apparently have no desire to turn back to Brock Osweiler. The team could still give Lynch another look if he recovers from his high-ankle sprain before the end of the season.

Bills head coach Sean McDermott said Monday that Taylor will remain the team's starting quarterback if he's healthy enough to play, adding that Taylor is day-to-day with a patella tendon contusion in his left knee, Jay Skurski of The Buffalo News reports.

Taylor avoided major ligament damage but nonetheless may be dealing with significant pain. The decision to label him day-to-day doesn't mean much, as McDermott has used that terminology liberally all season, including with players that don't have any shot to make it back for the next game. Taylor completed nine of 18 passes for 65 yards, no touchdowns and an interception in Sunday's 23-3 loss to the Patriots, but he was much better the previous two weeks, and Nathan Peterman's five-interception calamity is still fresh in everyone's minds. With the Bills still right in the thick of the wild-card hunt, Taylor will start against the Colts on Sunday if he's healthy enough to do so.

Rodgers (collarbone) is slated to serve as the Packers' scout team quarterback in practice this week, Chris Mortensen of ESPN reports.

The team is terming it as a "trial practice week" for Rodgers, who was designated to return from injured reserve Saturday, thereby opening a 21-day window through which the Packers can evaluate him in practice. Even if Rodgers' right shoulder responds well to the added stress the next two weeks, he'll still need to receive medical clearance in order to play Week 15 against the Panthers, when he's first eligible to return from injured reserve. Brett Hundley will continue to start Sunday in Cleveland as the 6-6 Packers look to stick in the thick of the NFC wild-card race.

Stafford's right hand isn't broken, but it is very sore and badly bruised, Michael Rothstein of ESPN.com reports.

Given that X-rays came back negative, this wouldn't be much of a concern if it were an issue with Stafford's left hand. Unfortunately for the Lions, the injury is in the worst place possible for a quarterback, leaving Stafford's availability in question for Week 14 in Tampa Bay. Head coach Jim Caldwell said he isn't yet sure how the bruising will impact Stafford's ability to throw. Reports from practice will need to be watched closely this week, though it's possible the Lions try to hide Stafford from the media in an effort to limit their opponent's information. The team's 2016 sixth-round pick, Jake Rudock, is the team's backup quarterback, and his presence under center would necessitate a major downgrade for all of Detroit's pass catchers. Rudock got his first NFL regular-season action at the end of Sunday's 44-20 loss to the Ravens, completing three of five passes for 24 yards and throwing an ugly pick-six.

Carr completed 22 of 36 pass attempts for 287 yards and a touchdown in Sunday's 24-17 victory over the Giants. He lost one yard on his lone rush.

Missing his top two receiving weapons, Carr started out slowly, completing just one pass in the first quarter and finishing the half with just 80 passing yards. He mixed in two near-interceptions along the way but rebounded to lead two scoring drives in the fourth quarter en route to victory. Despite not being at the top of his game, the 26-year-old threw for his highest yardage total since the Raiders' Week 10 bye. Carr has promising matchups on deck, facing Kansas City in Week 14 followed by Dallas in Week 15.

Wilson completed 20 of 31 passes for 227 yards and three touchdowns during Sunday's 24-10 victory over the Eagles. He added 31 rushing yards on six carries.

Wilson continues to bolster his bid for MVP consideration by putting the Seahawks offense on his back time and again. His mobility is the name of the game and was a particularly important aspect of his performance Sunday since Seattle entered the game as one of Pro Football Focus' lowest-graded teams in terms of pass blocking, while the Eagles came in as the top-graded defense in terms of pass-rush effectiveness. As matchup-proof as they come, Wilson will proceed into Week 14 to face the Jaguars' league-best pass defense.