NFL Player News

Bridgewater (knee) is expected to practice soon after Week 6, provided his rehabilitation continues without setbacks, the Minneapolis Star Tribune reports.

Bridgewater has not returned to practice since suffering a torn ACL during training camp in 2016. His progress is reported to be going well. Once he returns to practice, the Vikings will have a three-week window to decide whether to activate him from the PUP list. With Sam Bradford's left knee issues, it's possible Bridgewater could be an option at quarterback in the second half of the season. However, his activation could also become a contract issue as the Vikings may be motivated to keep him on the PUP list all season, as it would extend his rookie contract another year and delay his free agency until at least 2019.

With Vikings head coach Mike Zimmer indicating that he "anticipates" Sam Bradford (knee) to play Monday against the Bears, Keenum will likely settle back into his normal backup role, Courtney Cronin of ESPN.com reports.

Keenum has had the keys to the Vikings' offense the last three weeks after Bradford came out of the team's season-opening win over the Saints with a bone bruise in his surgically repaired left knee. Though the Vikings have won just one of the three games Keenum has started, the 29-year-old has proven capable under center, completing 61 percent of his passes for 755 yards, three touchdowns and no turnovers. Despite his solid performance, Keenum won't present a serious threat to Bradford if the latter is reasonably healthy, which now seems to be the case. So long as Bradford, who is officially listed as a game-time decision, makes it through pregame warmups without issue, Keenum will be holding a clipboard in Week 5.

Watson completed 16 of 31 passes for 261 yards and five touchdowns during Sunday's 42-34 loss to the Chiefs. He added 31 rushing yards on three carries.

Watson's final stat line isn't quite as impressive as it seems, considering he racked up 112 passing yards and two touchdowns in garbage time. Still, fantasy owners will take it. From a real-life perspective, though, Watson displayed a Russell Wilson-esque ability to navigate collapsing pockets that bought him the time to throw deep on multiple occasions -- which, given the success Watson had in throwing jump balls Sunday, seems to add an explosive vertical element to the Texans offense that they haven't had in a long time. We'll see if the rookie gunslinger can keep it going in Week 6 against a soft Browns pass defense that's allowed the fourth-most yards per pass attempt in 2017.

Brissett completed 22 of 34 pass attempts for 314 yards and one interception Sunday agianst the 49ers. He also ran eight times for 14 yards and a touchdown in the 26-23 win.

Brissett spread the ball around to eight different receivers as he set a new career high in passing yardage. He notably continued his strong rapport with T.Y. Hilton, who caught seven passes for 177 yards on the afternoon. Brissett also set a new personal best for rushing attempts, and while he managed just 1.8 yards per carry, he was able to barge into the end zone from three yards out in the fourth quarter for his third rushing touchdown in 2017. He is growing into his role as the team's temporary starter and will face a favorable matchup against the Titans next Monday.

Goff completed 22 of 47 pass attempts for 288 yards with two interceptions Sunday against the Seahawks. He also gained 22 yards on his only carry and lost a fumble in the 16-10 loss.

Goff endured a miserable afternoon against one of the league's top defenses, completing just 47 percent of his passes while posting just 6.1 yards per attempt. He was sacked twice and was under pressure on numerous occasions in what was easily his roughest performance of the year. Things won't get any easier for the rookie, who will face a much-improved Jaguars defense as he looks to bounce back next week.

Wilson completed 24 of 37 passes for 198 yards, one touchdown and one interception during Sunday's game against the Rams. He also gained 16 yards on five carries in the 16-10 win.

Wilson averaged a paltry 5.4 yards per attempt and didn't have a single target with more than 37 receiving yards on the day. He finished third on the team in carries, but a long gain of just nine yards saw him finish with his lowest rushing total of the season. Wilson entered this one on the heels of back-to-back strong efforts, so it was a bit disappointing to see him held in check in what was considered a favorable matchup. He will enjoy a bye in Week 6 before taking on the Giants the following Sunday.

Hoyer completed 29 of 46 pass attempts for 353 yards and two touchdowns during Sunday's 26-23 loss to the Colts.

Hoyer connected with nine different targets on the day as he delivered the second-highest yardage total of his career. He made several plays downfield, including a 51-yard strike to Marquise Goodwin, and added a pair of short touchdown tosses at the end of the fourth quarter to help force overtime. Hoyer has now delivered a pair of very productive outings through the season's first five weeks, but he has averaged just 175.3 yards with zero touchdowns and three interceptions in the other three games. He should face a tougher matchup next week against an improved Redskins defense.

Prescott completed 25 of 36 passes for 251 yards, three touchdowns and one interception during Sunday's 35-31 loss to the Packers. He added 37 rushing yards and a score on four carries.

The Cowboys got off to a fast start Sunday behind Prescott's first time ever throwing three scores before halftime. Even though he wasn't able to hold onto the lead through game's end, fantasy owners should still be pleased with the quarterback's overall production -- especially the 11-yard touchdown run he ripped off in the fourth quarter. Now, after throwing for over 250 yards and three scores in consecutive weeks, Prescott gets a bye in Week 6 before traveling to San Francisco for an inviting matchup with the 49ers in Week 7.

Rodgers completed 19 of 29 passes for 221 yards and three touchdowns during Sunday's 35-31 victory over the Cowboys. He added 32 rushing yards on four carries.

After rallying back from a 15-point deficit -- and with his team down 31-28 with just over a minute remaining in the game -- Rodgers orchestrated a 75-yard scoring drive in 62 seconds that culminated in a beautifully-thrown touchdown to Davante Adams. Although his passing yardage wasn't anything to write home about, Rodgers now sports 10 touchdowns and only one interception across his past three games and is firmly planted in the upper echelon of fantasy quarterbacks. On deck is a Week 6 matchup with the Vikings, who haven't been as stingy against the pass this season as most fans have become accustomed to in recent years, considering they sit 21st in the league with 7.5 yards allowed per pass attempt heading into their Monday night contest.

Vikings coach Mike Zimmer expects Bradford (knee) to return for Monday's game against the Bears, Courtney Cronin of ESPN.com reports.

Zimmer's expectation syncs with Bradford's optimistic comments from Friday, which preceded full practice participation Saturday and a "questionable" designation on the injury report. The final call likely will still come down to a game-time decision, with the Vikings presumably wanting to see how Bradford's knee responds to a pregame workout Monday. His expected return offers potentially excellent news for primary receiving threats Stefon Diggs, Adam Thielen and Kyle Rudolph.