NFL Player News

The Browns will have quarterback Brian Hoyer Week 10 against the Bengals.

Hoyer entered the contest listed as probable due to a glute injury. Hoyer was able to fully participate in practice all week, and was never expected to miss the contest.

The team will also have Desmond Bryant, Taylor Gabriel, Barkevious Mingo and Rodney Smith available for the contest. All four players entered Thursday listed as probable. 

Raiders rookie starting quarterback Derek Carr believes he will hinder his own performance and that of his offense if he concerns himself Sunday with Denver standout pass-rushers Von Miller and DeMarcus Ware despite their combined 17 sacks in eight games.

"Oh, you know where they are," he told ESPN. "It's just like playing J.J. Watt, you know where he's at. You know where those guys are, but I won't be looking at them. I'm not helping us if I do that.

"You kind of just have to know, based on your rules, based on the protection, based on what blitz they're bringing, you know what's going on. There are a lot of things going on in your head where you're not even looking at, so I never look at it ... I try to act like it's 7-on-7, that's just my mindset. ... I'm just out there and I'm trying to complete passes, and then if I get hit, I just get hit."

Carr has been sacked just eight times in eight games this season.

The Lions are obviously excited to get wide receiver Calvin Johnson back in the lineup Week 10 vs. Miami after he missed the last three games due to an ankle injury. However, the Lions did see some benefits to playing without their All-Pro receiver, according to MLive.com.

"If you can win in those situations, I think it adds something to your repertoire," coach Jim Caldwell said. "It makes you look at things differently, it makes those synapses function a little bit differently, because sometimes you have to go about your game slightly different. I think that's a plus. It makes you stronger overall. It does add more balance to what you're doing."

While the Lions were able to win all three games Megatron was sidelined, quarterback Matthew Stafford is still happy to see his star receiver make his return.

"The more experience and the better everybody else plays, the less you feel you have to get 81 the ball," Stafford said. "It's still conducive to playing good offense to get the best receiver on the planet the ball as much as you can. We'll continue to try and do that as well."

Eagles backup quarterback Matt Barkley said Wednesday he is far more prepared to play this season than he was as a rookie in 2013, according to the Philadelphia Daily News. Barkley is now the team's backup quarterback to Mark Sanchez since Nick Foles is sidelined several weeks due to a collarbone injury.

"I've progressed so much since when the public saw me last year," Barkley said. "Even from a health standpoint, my shoulder is finally healed. My [throwing] motion is back to where it should be.

"I've grown a lot this offseason in terms of overall position in the offense. I'm accustomed to what [Eagles coach Chip Kelly's] mindset is and how he wants quarterbacks to play. It's definitely a big difference from 2013.''

Lions quarterback Matthew Stafford gets his best weapon back and a good test for his abilities in Week 10, with Calvin Johnson returning from an ankle injury in time for Sunday's game against the Dolphins.

Stafford has struggled at times this season, even when Johnson was healthy, but that was also just a three-game sample size. He had 33 Fantasy points in dismantling the Giants, and then fell on his face in a 3-point effort against the Packers. Still, the longer track record indicates Stafford can easily put up big numbers when he has Johnson available.

However, that will be tested against the Dolphins, who have been stingy against opposing passing attacks. The Dolphins have allowed just two quarterbacks to record 20-plus Fantasy points this season, and rank as the second-best defense at slowing down quarterbacks, allowing just 14.3 Fantasy points per game.

Stafford is still a high-upside option, especially with the development of Golden Tate's game. Even though the matchup makes him somewhat risky, he should be worth rolling the dice on in Week 10. 

The Browns have listed five players as probable for the Thursday night game in Cincinnati, including starting quarterback Brian Hoyer (glute).

Also on that list are defensive end Desmond Bryant (wrist), wide receivers Taylor Gabriel (shoulder) and Rodney Smith (hamstring) and linebacker Barkevious Mingo (shoulder).

Special teams standout Johnson Bademosi (concussion) will not play.

Dolphins quarterback Ryan Tannehill is riding the best stretch of his NFL career heading into Week 10, but this Sunday's matchup with the Lions might be his toughest challenge yet.

Tannehill is averaging 24.0 Fantasy points per game over the last five games, a stretch that has coincided with an increased reliance on his rushing abilities. He is averaging 45.4 yards per game on the ground in this stretch but will be tested by a Lions defense that has yet to allow 20 yards rushing in a game to a quarterback.

The Lions enter the game as the league's top defense by a number of measures, and that includes Fantasy points allowed to opposing quarterbacks. They are surrendering just 13.5 Fantasy points per game through eight games, with Drew Brees in Week 7 and Cam Newton in Week 2 the only ones to reach 20 Fantasy points against them.

If Tannehill is a legitimate Fantasy stud, we could find out this weekend. If he can find success running the ball against this ferocious Lions' front, there won't be much room to doubt him any more. However, you might have other options with better matchups this week, so consider Tannehill a low-end starter against this defense. 

As expected, Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers is practicing Wednesday, reports ESPN.com. Rodgers said Monday that his hamstring is fine after he tweaked it Week 8 against the Saints, per NFL.com. Rodgers rehabbed the injury during the team's bye week.

Green Bay hosts the Bears on Sunday night.

Bengals quarterback Andy Dalton has struggled to put up big numbers this season, and not having his full complement of weapons hasn't help. With A.J. Green's health improving, things could be turning around for him.

Dalton tossed a pair of touchdowns and finished with 18 Fantasy points in Week 9, and that was with Green played a little over half the team's snaps. Green's role is expected to be expanded in Week 10 against the Browns Thursday, and that could lead to good things for Dalton.

Of Dalton's three two-touchdown games this season, Green has been around for both, and has one touchdown in each game so far. The good news, Dalton has Green around and is set to take on a team he has enjoyed some success against, as he has three games of three touchdowns in his career against the Browns. They have been pretty tough for opposing quarterbacks overall this season, but did allow Mike Glennon and Charlie Whitehurst to log multi-TD games against them.

This isn't a great matchup for Dalton, who has been a pretty iffy Fantasy play most weeks. Jamey Eisenberg is buying into him, however, ranking him 11th among quarterbacks for the week; Dave Richard is less bullish, slotting Dalton in 17th for Week 10. He should be viewed as a risky matchup, though one with some upside. 

Jets coach Rex Ryan is pleased with how quarterback Geno Smith has handled his demotion from the starting quarterback role, according to Newsday.

"I think he has prepared well. I guess time will tell once he gets an opportunity to play again," Ryan said. "I don't think any player likes it. They shouldn't like it. But, I think he approached it the right way."

Smith was benched in favor of Michael Vick heading into Week 9 against the Chiefs. Vick will be under center again Week 10 against the Steelers, and Ryan gave no indication about when Smith might return to the starting role.

"I am not really looking past this game," Ryan said Monday. "So if that happens, then it happens. Right now we are going with Mike to play against Pittsburgh, and that's as far as I have thought about it."