NFL Player News

Savage enters Sunday's game against the Rams having spent the entire week with the first-team offense, something that head coach Bill O'Brien considers "a big deal," Drew Dougherty of the Texans' official site reports.

O'Brien voiced confidence when talking about Savage, who had a partial week of preparation with the ones Week 9 when Deshaun Watson (knee) was injured last Thursday. In addition to his growing familiarity with the personnel, Savage is buoyed by his final two possessions in a loss to the Colts last week, when he completed 10 of 15 passes for 137 yards and a touchdown. We suspect the coaches want Savage to "manage" Sunday's game while leaning on his backfield against the Rams, who rank 26th (121.6 yards per game) stopping the rush.

Head coach Kyle Shanahan said Friday that C.J. Beathard will start Sunday's contest versus the Giants, ensuring Garoppolo remains a reserve, Nick Wagoner of ESPN.com reports.

At some point, the 49ers will want to learn about the investment made in Garoppolo, but that day won't come Sunday, at least at the outset of the game. Garoppolo's initial snap with the 49ers will be his first since Week 17 of last season with the Patriots.

Head coach Kyle Shanahan confirmed Friday that Beathard will start Sunday's contest against the Giants, Nick Wagoner of ESPN.com reports.

Beathard will fend off Jimmy Garoppolo for another week, but at some point the 49ers will see what they have with their new signal caller. In the meantime, though, Beathard will focus on a Giants defense that has conceded at least three touchdown passes in four of the last five games.

Wilson said he passed a concussion test during Thursday's 22-16 win over the Cardinals, Bob Condotta of The Seattle Times reports. "I got smacked in the jaw pretty good there,'' Wilson said. "I wasn't concussed or anything like that. I felt completely clear. I was just trying to move my jaw."

Wilson was ordered off the field by referee Walt Anderson after taking a big hit from Cardinals linebacker Karlos Dansby in the third quarter. The Seahawks' signal caller passed a concussion test and only missed one snap, seemingly escaping the incident with nothing more than some discomfort in his jaw. He finished the game 22-of-32 passing for 238 yards and two touchdowns, adding five carries for 19 yards. With the Seahawks still unable to muster a consistent running game, Wilson likely will need to put the offense on his back once again in a Week 11 home matchup with the Falcons on Monday Night Football.

Wilson completed 22 of 32 passes for 238 yards with two touchdowns and no interceptions in Thursday's 22-16 win over the Cardinals. He also rushed five times for 19 yards and fumbled once.

With the Seahawks' running game typically ineffective and also losing C.J. Prosise to an in-game ankle injury, the 28-year-old signal caller once again took charge of the offense. He found tight end Jimmy Graham for both of his scores, the second which was set up by a quintessential Wilson play. Facing a 2nd-and-21 from his own 44 early in the fourth quarter, Wilson eluded several defenders before uncorking an off-balance heave that somehow ended up in the hands of a leaping Doug Baldwin downfield and set Seattle up just two yards away from pay dirt. It was the sixth-year pro's fourth straight multi-touchdown effort, giving him a 19:6 TD:INT on the season. With the almost complete lack of production in the ground game, Wilson likely will continue bearing the brunt of the offensive responsibility, which should keep his fantasy owners happy. He'll look to continue racking up the numbers in a Week 11 Monday Night Football showdown with the Falcons.

Winston indicated that no new damage to his right shoulder was detected after he met with Dr. James Andrews in Pensacola, Fla. on Tuesday, Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times reports. "Part of the protocol," Winston said Wednesday, regarding the visit for the second opinion. "I mean, all the doctors are working together to come up with what they think. All I know is for the next two weeks, I'm going to be rehabbing and getting my shoulder 100 percent. That's all I can say."

Though Winston could require surgery if he doesn't respond to rehab work as well as the Buccaneers anticipate, for now, the team is hoping that two weeks off to rest his throwing shoulder will be all the quarterback needs to heal up. Ryan Fitzpatrick is slated to start for the team while Winston recuperates, but with top wideout Mike Evans (suspension) set to miss Sunday's matchup with the Jets, Fitzpatrick's fantasy upside looks fairly limited.

Savage and backup quarterback T.J. Yates both took reps with the first-team offense Wednesday, Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle reports.

Head coach Bill O'Brien stressed there was nothing abnormal about the No. 2 quarterback getting some time with the starting unit, but it does suggest Savage will not have a long leash. He didn't play very well in Week 9's loss to the Colts, and the coach has a history of yanking an ineffective starter.

San Francisco head coach Kyle Shanahan expects C.J. Beathard to start Sunday's game versus the Giants, relegating Garoppolo to backup duties for the second straight week, Eric Branch of the San Francisco Chronicle reports.

Following his trade from New England to San Francisco last week, Garoppolo is eventually expected to get a look as the team's starting quarterback, but a change under center looks like it will be delayed until after the 49ers' Week 11 bye. Shanahan seemingly hinted Wednesday that a change would be afoot, stating that he wants Garoppolo to play "hopefully sooner than later." In the meantime, though, Garoppolo will continue to brush up on the playbook in preparation for eventually unseating Beathard atop the depth chart.

San Francisco head coach Kyle Shanahan said he expects Beathard to start Sunday's game against the Giants, Eric Branch of the San Francisco Chronicle reports.

The 49ers acquired Jimmy Garappolo from the Patriots last week, setting in motion a changing of the guard at quarterback. Shanahan appears to be playing it safe until Garappolo has a better understanding of the offense, but he also would like to see the new signal caller take the field "hopefully sooner than later." Until Shanahan decides to pull the plug on Beathard, the rookie will prepare for the Giants, who have given up the fourth-most passing yards per game (265.3) this season.

Winston met with Dr. James Andrews on Tuesday for further evaluation on his injured right shoulder, Greg Auman of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

The team has yet to issue an update on Andrews' findings from his meeting with Winston, so at this time, it's still expected that the quarterback will remain on a two-week shutdown period before he's reevaluated. Winston has been nursing an AC joint sprain in the shoulder since first suffering the injury Week 6 against the Cardinals, but was also diagnosed with a rear deltoid injury after exiting early in Sunday's loss to the Saints. The Buccaneers plan to go with Ryan Fitzpatrick as their starting signal caller for at least the next two games.