NFL Player News

Winston (shoulder) is active for Sunday's Week 9 tilt against the Saints, Scott Smith of the team's official site reports.

As expected, Winston will play through the AC joint sprain in his throwing shoulder for the third straight game. He's produced markedly different results over the first two contests in which he's been affected by the injury, and the Buccaneers and fantasy owners will certainly hope his Week 9 effort doesn't resemble last Sunday's 210-yard, two-interception afternoon against the Panthers in any way.

Lynch could be named the Broncos' starting quarterback as early as Week 10 against the Patriots, Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports reports.

Due to struggles on offense, the Broncos swapped Trevor Siemian for a familiar face in Brock Osweiler, but the QB experiment may be short-lived if Lynch makes the requisite progress in the upcoming week of prep. Granted, a sprained right shoulder prevented Lynch from practicing until Oct. 25, a reality that's expected to ensure inactive status Sunday at Philadelphia. Working in his favor is management's desire to see returns on the investment made in the first round of the 2016 NFL Draft. His workload in the coming days will ultimately determine if the Broncos will roll with a third starting quarterback in as many games.

Watson's recovery from a torn ACL in his right knee is expected to last 8-to-9 months, Adam Schefter of ESPN reports.

Watson's exciting rookie campaign came to an unexpected end at Thursday's practice, when he suffered the second ACL tear of his football career. During the previous occurrence, he managed to achieve full health in an unheard-of five months, so the Texans are holding out hope he'll be available at some point during the 2018 offseason program. Even if he requires the full nine months, Watson will return in the midst of training camp, giving him plenty of time to regain his bearings in advance of next season. In the meantime, though, the Texans will turn to Tom Savage as the starting quarterback.

Winston (shoulder) will start at quarterback Sunday against New Orleans, a source informed Adam Schefter of ESPN.

Winston is listed as questionable on the Buccaneers' official injury report. He was a limited participant in practice Wednesday and Thursday before being upgraded to a full participant Friday. He may still have a bit of soreness due to the AC joint sprain he suffered in Week 6, but there's never been much question regarding Winston's availability for Sunday, considering he had played through the injury the last two weeks. He'll take aim at an improved Saints defense that has surrendered just one 200-yard passing game since Week 2.

The Texans placed Watson (knee) on injured reserve Friday.

With Watson out for the season with a torn right ACL suffered at practice Thursday, the Texans shuttled him on IR to open a roster spot for one of the two quarterbacks the team signed Friday, Matt McGloin and T.J. Yates. It's expected that Watson wil make a full recovery from injury and be ready to go for the start of the 2018 campaign, but for the current season, the Texans' playoff hopes will rest on the arm of Tom Savage, who is set to take over as the team's starter in the Week 9 matchup with the Colts.

Winston (shoulder) was a full practice participant Friday and is listed as questionable for Sunday's game in New Orleans, Greg Auman of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

Winston was a limited participant Wednesday and Thursday, coming off of an ugly performance in last week's 17-3 loss to the Panthers. He may still have a bit of soreness due to the AC joint sprain he suffered in Week 6, but there's never been much question Winston will start Sunday in New Orleans. He'll take aim at an improved Saints defense that's surrendered just one 200-yard passing game since Week 2. Matchups have played a role in the defense's solid production, but the Saints did a nice job against Matt Stafford (Week 6) and Cam Newton (Week 3), in addition to shutting down the likes of Jay Cutler, Brett Hundley and Mitchell Trubisky.

Cousins likely will be directing an injury-marred Washington offense Sunday in Seattle, Field Yates of ESPN.com reports.

The Seattle defense has injury issues of its own, but those don't quite compare to Washington's. The Redskins have three starters on the offensive line listed as doubtful or out, with another listed as questionable. Top tight end Jordan Reed (hamstring) has also been ruled out, while Jamison Crowder (hamstring) seems to fall on the wrong side of the questionable tag. Cousins may throw early and often, but he may struggle with his efficiency. He'll need big games from Chris Thompson and Vernon Davis, not to mention some form of production from a struggling group of wideouts.

McGloin, who signed with the Texans on Friday, will initially slot in as the No. 3 quarterback for Houston, Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle reports.

The Texans signed both McGloin and T.J. Yates to address their depth at quarterback in the aftermath of Deshaun Watson's (knee) season-ending ACL tear. Tom Savage will get the first crack at starting duties, with Yates stepping in as the top backup. As a result, McGloin is expected to be inactive for Sunday's game against the Colts.

Broncos head coach Vance Joseph said Thursday that Lynch would be inactive for Sunday's game against the Eagles, Jeff Legwold of ESPN.com reports.

For at least the time being, Lynch looks to be behind newly appointed starter Brock Osweiler and Trevor Siemian on the depth chart at quarterback, but that could change once the Broncos become more comfortable with where the second-year signal caller is at on the health front. Lynch only resumed practicing in full last week after the right shoulder sprain he suffered in training camp limited his activity for nearly two months. Once he gets more reps in at practice, the 2016 first-round pick could get a look as the starting quarterback in the event Osweiler falters in that role.

Watson is slated to undergo season-ending surgery after tearing his right ACL during Thursday's practice, Chris Mortensen of ESPN reports.

Watson, who tore the ACL in his left knee as a freshman at Clemson in 2014, is expected to make a full recovery in time for the 2018 season, though he does face a rehab period estimated in the 7-to-9 month range, per Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle. With Watson's spectacular rookie season derailed by the injury, Tom Savage is slated to start at quarterback for the Texans on Sunday against the Colts. Meanwhile, the team plans to add fellow signal callers Matt McGloin and T.J. Yates to bolster its depth behind Savage. The jarring loss of Watson represents a major hit to the Texans offense down the stretch, with wideouts DeAndre Hopkins and Will Fuller especially impacted by the team's looming quarterback transition.