NFL Player News

Stafford (finger) practiced in full Wednesday.

Donning a one-fingered glove in Wednesday's practice, Stafford was unhindered, handling every drill thrown his way. Considering he's only a few days removed from dislocating and sustaining torn ligaments in the middle finger of his right throwing hand, the preceding is quite the accomplishment. With two sessions remaining this week, the Lions may opt to give him a veteran's day off at some point. However, he appears to be on pace to start Sunday's road test against the Giants.

Head coach Mike McCarthy said that Rodgers won't take part in practice Wednesday in order to focus on rehabbing his right calf, Michael Cohen of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports.

Rodgers may also sit out Thursday for a similar reason, but McCarthy mentioned that the quarterback won't be "held back" with the implementation of the game plan, per Jason Wilde of ESPN.com. A cautious approach with Rodgers' workload is prudent due to recent bouts with lower-body injuries, which could very well extend beyond Week 15. In any case, there's little question that he'll be directing the Packers' offense for Sunday's key divisional matchup with the Bears, barring a setback.

Stafford practiced with a one-fingered glove Wednesday, Kyle Meinke of MLive.com reports.

Although his participation level is unknown, Stafford was wearing the least amount of protection possible for the afflicted middle finger on his right hand, which was dislocated and endured ligament damage Sunday against the Bears. After starting that contest 6-for-7, he proceeded to complete just a shade over 50 percent of his passes (15 of 28) following the injury, including only 12 passes in the second half, two of which were picked off. Stafford will certainly carry the ailment with him over the final three contests of the regular season, with his first test a difficult one Sunday on the road versus a Giants defense that just held the Cowboys' Dak Prescott to 165 yards and one touchdown, while forcing two interceptions on Sunday night.

Taylor will remain the team's starting quarterback for Sunday's game against the Browns. Said coach Rex Ryan on Monday, "Tyrod Taylor. In my opinion, he gives us the best opportunity to win."

This seems to make the most sense, as the Bills have a huge decision to make regarding Taylor's contract, one that could determine the future of the franchise. That would seem to outweigh whether EJ Manuel is worth keeping around on a much smaller deal or if Cardale Jones holds more promise than just a project QB. As far as fantasy goes, Taylor goes from possibly being benched to having the chance to put up good numbers against the hapless Browns.

Packers coach Mike McCarthy said he's unsure whether Rodgers will be more limited in practice this week after injuring his calf Sunday, ESPN's Rob Demovsky reports.

Rodgers' right calf injury comes after he was already limited in practice the past two weeks due to a left hamstring issue. Although the calf problem isn't thought to be as bad as the left calf strain that didn't cause him to miss any games to end the 2014 season, Rodgers is still very likely to remain restricted in his practice involvement this week. That expectation comes after the blowout nature of Sunday's win allowed Rodgers to sit out most of the fourth quarter to avoid further damage. Whether he'll continue to be held out of practice to ensure he's not overextended ahead of this Sunday's game against the Bears remains to be seen, so Green Bay's practice reports should be worth monitoring as the week unfolds.

According to coach Adam Gase, Tannehill (knee) only suffered a sprained ACL and MCL in Sunday's game against the Cardinals, Adam Beasley of the Miami Herald reports.

Tannehill was widely feared to have suffered fully torn ligaments in his left knee, so Monday's news that he only sustained sprains was better than expected. While that development will likely allow Tannehill to avoid needing surgery, the fact that he damaged multiple ligaments still makes it unknown whether he'll be able to play again this season. It's almost certain Tannehill will be sidelined Saturday against the Jets, which figures to result in Matt Moore starting at quarterback for the Dolphins.

There is some early talk around the team that with the Bills out of the playoff picture, there could be a change from Taylor at quarterback for the last three weeks, BuffaloBills.com reports.

We have nothing concrete here yet, but coach Rex Ryan -- whose own job might be in jeopardy -- hasn't exactly endorsed his quarterback after some poor performances recently. While the thought of replacing Taylor may not be entirely fair, as he's had streaks of good play this season and he's been working with a depleted receiving corps for most of the campaign, things are starting to come off the rails at One Bills Drive and there might be enough impetus to see what EJ Manuel or Cardale Jones can do so some clearer evaluations can be made for the future.

According to coach Jim Caldwell, Stafford (finger) will practice this week and will play Sunday against the Giants, Tim Twentyman of Lions.com reports.

Stafford's badly dislocated middle finger on his throwing hand has rightfully drawn much attention since he led the Lions to a comeback victory while playing through it Sunday. Although the injury isn't expected to require surgery, it's likely to force him to wear some type of protective brace or glove going forward. Nonetheless, Stafford is anticipated to continue to play, as Caldwell confirmed would be the case this weekend. Caldwell also said Stafford will practice this week, but it wouldn't be surprising if he's limited in order to avoid unnecessary stress on the finger. All in all, Stafford's injury comes at a bad time, but the fact that he's not slated to miss game action is a relatively good development for fantasy owners.

Rodgers' right calf injury suffered Sunday against the Seahawks doesn't appear to be as big of a concern as the left calf strain that slowed him toward the end of the 2014 season, NFL Network's Ian Rapoport reports.

Rodgers, who was limited in practice the past two weeks due to a left hamstring ailment, suffered his calf injury on the third play of Sunday's game. Although he was seen limping more noticeably between plays as the game unfolded, Rodgers still completed 78 percent of his passes and threw three touchdowns, building a blowout lead that allowed him to rest after just over three quarters. Following that abbreviated performance, preliminary tests reportedly showed Rodgers' calf problem isn't as bad as his previous one, which didn't force him to miss any games. While more news is sure to come regarding Rodgers' situation, it should be a relief to both the Packers and his owners alike to hear his issue isn't thought to be serious.

Cowboys owner and general manager Jerry Jones said the team will not replace Prescott with Tony Romo at quarterback, Clarence Hill of the Star-Telegram reports. When asked about that possibility following Sunday's loss to the Giants, Jones said, "No. No. No. No. Not at all. Let me just say that."

Prescott's backing from Jones couldn't have been more emphatic, despite the fact that Sunday's defeat marked the rookie's third straight game with under 200 passing yards. While it was also the first multi-interception outing of his young career, coach Jason Garrett echoed Jones' desire to keep Prescott in charge of Dallas' high-powered offense, saying, "We feel good about Dak playing quarterback for us." Although this Sunday night's matchup against a surging Buccaneers defense could pose another tough challenge for Prescott, he's slated to remain the Cowboys' starter until further notice.