NFL Player News

After being sacked 22 times in 2013, Lions quarterback Matthew Stafford has been sacked 17 times through the first five games in 2014. Stafford and coach Jim Caldwell have said the offensive line needs to do a better job protecting the quarterback, but it seems Stafford deserves some of the blame as well, according to MLive.com.

Stafford is holding onto the football longer this season than last. Stafford is waiting at least 2.6 seconds to throw the ball on 47.1 percent of his dropbacks, which is up 9.1 percent from last year, according to ProFootballFocus. He's taken 16 of his 17 sacks when he's held the football at least 2.6 seconds.

"You get sacked as many times as I got sacked, you can find ways to get the ball out quicker," Stafford said. "Find open guys and just make sure I'm taking as few hits as I possibly can. And that's something I'll continue to work on."

Caldwell said Stafford has been slow on some of his reads, but also added some plays are slow-developing by design in coordinator Joe Lombardi's scheme.

"There may be a few more of play-action passes that require holding the ball a little bit longer, to make certain that we get the proper depth of the route for the timing," Caldwell said. "Some of those things are there and in place. But it's a variety of things, I think, so we're crossing the entire gamut in that regard."

Raiders head coach Tony Sparano said he'd wait and see when asked if quarterback Derek Carr (knee, ankle) is expected to play this week but indicated the rookie had a good practice Wednesday, Comcast SportsNet Bay Area reports.

Carr said that "it would take a lot for me to not be out there" Sunday against the Chargers and added that he's not going to wear a brace to protect his injured knee. Carr appears to be trending towards being available to play in Week 6.

Kirk Cousins last three games have been quite a roller coaster ride, as he has gone from torching the Eagles to slumping against the Giants to showing a surprising amount of fight against the Seahawks. How should Fantasy owners approach him in Week 6's matchup between the Redskins and Cardinals?

Arizona's defense has surrendered 19-plus Fantasy points to each of their last three quarterback opponents, and could be missing some key players. Cornerback Patrick Peterson is dealing with an ankle sprain and could be limited, while defensive lineman Calais Campbell is dealing with a knee injury that is likely to keep him out. The Cardinals are one of the league's toughest teams to run the ball against, so Washington might end up having to throw the ball against them; if they are shorthanded, that only helps his chances.

Cousins is obviously tough to rely on at this point, with how up-and-down he has been. Still, his performance against Seattle should give you enough hope to consider him a worthy No. 2 Fantasy quarterback in Week 6.  

Coming off his best performance of the season, Dolphins quarterback Ryan Tannehill could be forced to sling the ball around a lot in Week 6. Should Fantasy owners expect him to find much success against the Packers this Sunday?

The Packers have seen their last three opponents throw the ball at least 34 times against them, but the results have not been good for those passers. Between Jay Cutler, Matthew Stafford and Christian Ponder -- one of these things is not like the other -- the trio combined for just 34 Fantasy points against the Packers over the last three games, with three total touchdowns to seven turnovers.

The Packers have more than held their own in pass defense so far this season, forcing eight turnovers by quarterbacks to six touchdowns. As a result, their 15.2 Fantasy points per game allowed mark ranks third in the league.

Tannehill has been solid through four games, but has yet to have a truly huge Fantasy performance. Given the tough matchup, search for better options and leave Tannehill for two-QB leagues.  

Vikings quarterback Teddy Bridgewater is expected back in Week 6 against the Lions, but Fantasy owners might still want to avoid him in this Sunday's matchup. And not just because of his tender ankle.

Bridgewater racked up 22 Fantasy points in his first and only start prior to this week, and looks like he could be a fine Fantasy option in the long term, but that might not be the case this week. The Lions have more than held their own against quarterbacks so far, allowing a league-low 12.4 Fantasy points per game. And though some of that is a result of some easy matchups, they also held Eli Manning and Aaron Rodgers to 20 combined Fantasy points over two seasons.

Bridgewater has a nice complement of weapons around him, but is certain to deal with some growing pains. Against a team that can defend the pass, we expect some struggles, so keep him in reserves for Week 6.  

Vikings head coach Mike Zimmer addressed the media following the team's walk-thru on Wednesday and told them he expects quarterback Teddy Bridgewater to play Week 6 at home against Detroit.

Bridgewater suffered a sprained ankle in Week 4 against Atlanta which caused him to miss Week 5 at Green Bay. He threw for 317 yards in his only start against the Falcons.

The expected absence of Calvin Johnson makes Matthew Stafford a somewhat risky play in Week 6, but he is facing a pretty good matchup as the Lions get set to take on the Vikings.

Stafford has been predictably unreliable with Johnson limited over the last two games, scoring 29 points In Week 4 and then following that up with a 12-point showing in Week 5. The main difference in the two games was the opponent, as the Bills feature a tougher defense than the Jets, his last two opponents. The good news is, the Vikings aren't a particularly tough passing defense, having allowed 71 combined Fantasy points over the last three games.

Stafford is going to be tough to rely on as long as he is playing without the game's best receiver, but Golden Tate is still around as a pretty solid first option if he needs to be. Stafford certainly is not a must-start quarterback, as he has shown recently, but he is good enough o play against this matchup. 

Browns quarterback Brian Hoyer has mostly held his own as the starter this season, averaging 18.0 Fantasy points per game and coming off a strong showing against the Titans last week. However, he might be in for a letdown with the Steelers on the way in Week 6.

The Steelers have been decent against quarterbacks so far, allowing just two 20-plus Fantasy point games and 15.8 per game overall. They surrendered multiple touchdowns in three straight games, but enter Week 6 with four turnovers forced in the last three games. Hoyer has done a good job avoiding turnovers, but might not be able to sustain this kind of pace, with just one interception in 132 pass attempts.

Coming off his best performance of the season, Fantasy owners might be tempted to look Hoyer's way in Week 6. However, Hoyer he managed just 14 Fantasy points in Week 1 against the Steelers, and is too unproven to trust against all but the best matchups outside of two-quarterback leagues.  

Vikings rookie quarterback Teddy Bridgewater returned to practice Tuesday, and "he didn't seem to be too bothered" by his sprained ankle, reports the Minneapolis Star Tribune. Bridgewater is "fine," coach Mike Zimmer said.

Bridgewater sat out last Thursday's game at Green Bay but is fully expected to start Sunday against the Lions.

After he threw four interceptions against the Giants in Week 4, Redskins quarterback Kirk Cousins didn't find too many takers for Week 5 against the Seahawks. Nobody really knew whether the four interceptions or the three touchdown passes in Week 3 was the fluke, and besides, you'd sit just about any quarterback against the Seahawks.

Turns out that even though the Redskins lost, those Fantasy owners who actually started Cousins in 8 percent of leagues may not have. He had another strong showing, throwing for 283 yards and two touchdowns to give him three good performances in four.

Predictability is a concern for him -- the Giants didn't look like they'd be a tough matchup -- but if Cousins performs well again Week 6 at Arizona, he'll have definitively regained my trust. The position is deep enough that he may not deserve to start for you, but he needs to be owned, if only as a backup.