NFL Player News

Smith is expected to be inactive for Sunday's game against the Redskins, allowing rookie Davis Webb to serve as Eli Manning's backup, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reports.

Aside from Smith's dalliance as the Giants' starter Week 13 in Oakland, he's only earned four offensive snaps in his first season with the team. The upcoming swap of backup quarterbacks has been in the works for a few weeks at this point, as Webb has been building up his practice reps with the first-team offense of late. An unrestricted free agent in the offseason, Smith seems as if he'll be searching for another employer in a few months.

Mahomes will start at quarterback in Sunday's regular-season finale against the Broncos, Terez A. Paylor of The Kansas City Star reports.

With the Chiefs locked in as the AFC's No. 4 seed for the postseason, the team will give the 10th overall pick in the 2017 NFL Draft his first regular-season playing time. Veteran starter Alex Smith will thus defer to the rookie signal caller in Week 17 before reclaiming the starting gig for the first round of playoffs. Mahomes brings a tremendous arm and a degree of mobility to the table, but it remains to be seen how aggressive the Chiefs will be in terms of play calling in his NFL debut. Given his bargain price, however, Mahomes profiles as an intriguing Week 17 dice roll in daily formats.

Vikings head coach Mike Zimmer said Wednesday that he anticipates Bradford (knee) returning to practice next week, Courtney Cronin of ESPN.com reports.

After weeks of failing to show much improvement in his recovery from the left knee injury he sustained in the Vikings' season opener, Bradford underwent arthroscopic surgery Nov. 7 to address the matter and was promptly placed on injured reserve. The Vikings haven't missed a beat while Bradford has been sidelined, with Case Keenum leading the team to a 10-3 record as starter and putting Minnesota a Week 17 victory away from claiming a first-round bye during the postseason. If Bradford does indeed return to practice next week and demonstrates that he's healthy enough to join to the active roster for the postseason, it seems rather unlikely that Zimmer would turn the keys of the offense back over to a potentially rusty Bradford, especially given how well Keenum has performed in his stead.

Rams head coach Sean McVay suggested Tuesday that Goff and several other key starters could be rested for the regular-season finale Sunday against the 49ers, Alden Gonzalez of ESPN.com reports.

The 11-4 Rams, who clinched the NFC South with last week's win over the Titans, won't be able to claim a first-round bye in the playoffs with the Eagles and Vikings locked into the top two spots in the conference. That leaves Los Angeles with little to play for in Week 17 beyond competing for the third seed and avoiding a fall to fourth, but since the Rams earn a first-round home game in either scenario, McVay is prioritizing the health of the team's core contributors above all else. Goff, who has taken a major leap forward in his second NFL season, is certainly part of that nucleus. Even if Goff is allowed to suit up Sunday, he likely wouldn't play more than a series or two, leaving backup Sean Mannion in line to see his most extensive NFL action to date.

Eagles head coach Doug Pederson hinted Tuesday that Nick Foles would start Week 17 against the Cowboys but also that he would like to get Sudfeld into the game at some point, Martin Frank of The Delaware News Journal reports.

The Eagles kept up their winning ways Sunday against the Raiders while Foles made his second start in place of the injured Carson Wentz (knee), but the victory came mostly on the strength of the Philadelphia defense. Foles completed only half of his 38 passes for 163 yards and a touchdown and threw a costly interception in the fourth quarter, an outing that likely didn't inspire much confidence from Pederson ahead of the playoffs. With the 13-2 Eagles locked into the No. 1 seed in the NFC, the team's top priority will be avoiding injuries to key players, but Foles appears likely to direct at least a drive or two in an attempt to enter the postseason on a high note. Expect Foles to eventually give way to Sudfeld, though the uncertainty regarding when the quarterback change might occur makes both signal callers unappealing options in Week 17 matchups and DFS contests.

Lions head coach Jim Caldwell said he won't give any consideration for resting Stafford during Sunday's season finale against the Packers, Kyle Meinke of MLive.com reports.

The 8-7 Lions were officially eliminated from playoff contention after their Week 16 loss to the Bengals, but with a winning record for the season still achievable, it doesn't sound like the team will rest its regulars for an otherwise meaningless finale. Stafford has been playing through a bruise on his throwing hand throughout this month and sprained his ankle in late November, but it hasn't translated to a dramatic downturn in his productivity over the last five games. During that time, he's completed 70.4 percent of his passes for 272.6 yards per game and seven touchdowns. He shouldn't have much difficulty finding success against a vulnerable Green Bay secondary that he torched for 361 yards through the air in the two sides' previous matchup this season.

Broncos head coach Vance Joseph confirmed that Lynch (ankle) would start Sunday's game against the Chiefs, Zac Stevens of BSNDenver.com reports.

After being limited to backup duties in the Week 16 loss to the Redskins while he continued to recover from a high-ankle sprain, Lynch was widely viewed as the leading candidate to start the season finale if his ankle didn't prove to be an issue. It was expected the Broncos would at least wait and see what Lynch was able to do at Wednesday's practice before rendering a decision on a starter, but the team was apparently content enough with the quarterback's health two days after the loss to Washington to feel comfortable having him return to the No. 1 role. Brock Osweiler will thus assume backup duties on the heels of a mediocre outing, but it's hard to envision Lynch being a vast upgrade at quarterback. Though Lynch's first-round pedigree theoretically gives him a high ceiling, he's struggled to move the chains during his four NFL appearances to date, completing 59.7 percent of his passes for 5.5 yards per attempt.

Broncos head coach Vance Joseph reiterated after Sunday's 27-11 loss to the Redskins that Lynch would likely start Week 17 against the Chiefs if the quarterback's sprained ankle cooperates, Aric DiLalla of the Broncos' official site reports. "Our goal is to see [Lynch] play, so absolutely," Joseph said. "If he's ready to go next week, he will probably play for us."

Lynch and Brock Osweiler split first-team reps throughout practice last week, but Osweiler received the nod Sunday when it was determined that the lingering effects of Lynch's high-ankle sprain would limit the second-year signal caller to backup duties. Even if Osweiler had performed well in the blowout loss -- he completed 22 of 38 passes for 193 yards and tossed two interceptions -- a healthy Lynch would likely still be considered the favorite to start the regular-season finale, as his status as a 2016 first-round pick has Denver eager to see what he can do heading into 2018. Lynch was a limited participant in two of the Broncos' three practices last week, so if he's able to put in a full session or two in the coming days, Joseph should feel more comfortable turning the offense over to the 23-year-old. Though Lynch has more perceived upside than Osweiler, he has yet to show much promise in four career appearances. With a 59.7 percent completion mark for a weak 5.5 yards per attempt and two touchdowns against two interceptions in those contests, Lynch should be treated as a lower-tier fantasy option at quarterback if he garners the Week 17 start.

Carr completed 15 of 29 passes for 140 yards, a touchdown and two interceptions in Monday night's 19-10 loss to the Eagles.

Carr found Amari Cooper for a 63-yard touchdown during the second quarter, but otherwise he endured another dismal display. Over the last three games, Carr has failed to top 5.15 yards per attempt while completing just 55 percent of his passes. With five turnovers versus four touchdowns as well, the Raiders' three straight losses have seen them eliminated from playoff contention. Unfortunately for Carr, he'll face a team still fighting for its postseason life in Week 17, when Oakland travels to play the Chargers.

Heinicke suffered a concussion in Monday's game against the Steelers and won't return.

Heinicke entered the contest in place of struggling starting quarterback T.J. Yates, who briefly departed after being evaluated for a concussion. It only took nine plays before Heinicke succumbed to a head injury of his own, with the 24-year-old completing his lone pass attempt for 10 yards and gaining two yards on a carry before departing. Yates was cleared of a concussion and appears set to direct the offense for the rest of the evening while Heinicke remains under the NFL's protocol. If Heinicke is unable to demonstrate enough progress in his recovery prior to the Dec. 31 season finale against the Steelers, the Texans will likely have to sign a new backup for Yates in the coming days.