NFL Player News

Browns quarterback Brian Hoyer sustained a right shoulder injury late in the Week 16 game at Carolina and is considered day-to-day, per CBSSports.com NFL Insider Jason La Canfora.

His potential absence Sunday in Baltimore, as well as the loss of Johnny Manziel to a hamstring problem, could open the door for undrafted rookie and current practice squad quarterback Connor Shaw to start against the Ravens.

Shaw is set to be activated if the two can't play. Given the monumental struggles of Hoyer and Manziel lately, a strong performance by Shaw could complicate the situation regarding the position heading into the offseason. The Browns have been searching for their franchise quarterback since returning to Cleveland in 1999.

With the Cardinals struggling to get anything going offensively behind third-string quarterback Ryan Lindley, the Seahawks offense got repeated opportunities to shine Week 16 in Arizona. And quarterback Russell Wilson took advantage, throwing for a season-high 339 yards while rushing for 88. For the second time in three games, he contributed three total touchdowns, two in the air and one on the ground.

The Seahawks have gotten back to winning with their defense in recent weeks, making Wilson at times an afterthought. But when pressed to make plays, he's shown he's still capable of putting up big numbers.

Chances are he'll need to make plays in Week 17 against a Rams team that has played well of late, particularly on the defensive side of the ball. Wilson's previous season high in passing yards came in his first meeting with them back in Week 7, when he threw for 313 and ran for 106. Despite his up-and-down tendencies, you'll want him active for the season's final week.

When Lions quarterback Matthew Stafford disappointed with just 153 passing yards and one touchdown Week 15 against Minnesota, I was willing to make excuses for him. "The Vikings pass defense really isn't so bad," I said while penciling in Stafford for another 390 yards and two touchdowns Week 16 at Chicago. That's what he did against the Bears in Week 13, after all, and they entered Week 16 ranked 31st against the pass.

So of course, Stafford throws for 243 yards with no touchdowns and two interceptions.

The performance could have been so, so, so much better. He threw one of those interceptions in the end zone and another just short of the end zone. But the fact is he completed those passes to Bears and not Lions, and so it was an awful performance despite a favorable matchup.

Stafford has been one of the most up-and-down quarterbacks in Fantasy this season, but the one thing he appeared to have going for him was that he played to the matchups. Remove predictability from the equation, and he's as frustratingly inconsistent as Cam Newton.

How can you trust him Week 17 at Green Bay? He threw two interceptions with no touchdown passes in his previous meeting with the Packers this year, so if you have a Mark Sanchez or even Newton type on the waiver wire, you might want to go that route instead.

Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson turned in a fantastic start Week 16 against the Cardinals.

Wilson completed 20 of 31 passes for 339 yards and two scores. Despite playing one of the tougher defenses in the NFL, Wilson did not turn the ball over during the contest. He had a mostly clear pocket, or at least was able to escape when things got muddy, taking just one sack. When Wilson did have time, he was able to hit on big play, averaging 10.9 yards per completion. 

On top of that, Wilson turned in a fine game on the ground. An early 55 yard run started things off, but a late 5 yard scramble really put the nail in the coffin. Wilson stiff-armed a defender on his way to the end zone.

Wilson will take on the Rams Week 17.

Dolphins quarterback Ryan Tannehill snapped a streak of disappointing performances in Week 16 against the Vikings, as he put together arguably the finest performance of his career.

Tannehill, who has found his greatest success this season when utilizing his legs, did it all with his arm Sunday. He racked up 396 yards through the air on 35 of 47 passing, the second-best total of his career, and added a career-best four touchdowns, while tossing one interception as well.

Tannehill has taken his game to another level this season, but consistency remains an issue. He has scored 30-plus points in two of the last five games, but had just 40 in the other three combined. He had consecutive 20-plus-point games just twice overall, heading into Week 17 against the Jets.

With the Dolphins announcing they will be keeping coach Joe Philbin around for the 2015 season, Tannehill's job should be secure. His upside is apparent, but he has still shown it only in flashes. He shouldn't be viewed as a top-10 quarterback for Fantasy purposes heading into the offseason. 

Vikings quarterback Teddy Bridgewater got off to a very slow start in his NFL career, tossing five interceptions to just one touchdown in his first four games. However, continues to turn things around, as he put together another solid performance in Week 16 against the Dolphins.

Bridgewater tossed a pair of touchdowns to just one interception on 26 attempts Sunday, his fourth game with more scores than turnovers in the last five. He also passed for 259 yards, bringing his three-game total to 883 yards, by far the best stretch of his career.

Bridgewater now has 13 touchdowns to 11 interceptions on the season, however he has been much improved of late. Over the last eight games, heading into the season finale, Bridgewater has 12 touchdowns and six interceptions, while completing 65.5 percent of his passes and racking up 237.3 yards per game.

He hasn't been a Fantasy star, but he has certainly shown flashes of that kind of ability. He has at least 17 Fantasy points in each of his last five games, and could finish the season with a flourish in Week 17 against the Bears. Bridgewater looks like a keeper, and could be in the discussion as a starting Fantasy option for his second season in the league.  

Raiders quarterback Derek Carr completed just 17 of his 34 pass attempts for 214 yards with two touchdowns and no interceptions in his team's 26-24 win over the Bills in Week 16.

Carr opened the second quarter by finding a wide-open James Jones in the back of the end zone for a three-yard score. He hit his fullback on a one-yard flare route with less than three minutes left in the game to extend his team's lead to nine points, an insurance touchdown that came in handy when the Bills were able to answer with a score a few minutes later.

Carr opened the season with 10 straight losses but has won three of his last five games, with all three of his wins coming at home. He'll hit the road for a Week 17 matchup with the Broncos in Denver.

Making his first start of the season, Texans quarterback Case Keenum did just enough to help lead the Texans to a 25-13 win over the Ravens Sunday.

Keenum was the third quarterback to start for the Texans this season and he completed 20 of his 42 pass attempts for 185 yards. It was his first start since Dec. 15, 2013.

Keenum did not throw a touchdown pass and made an errant throw which was intercepted by Darian Stewart in the first quarter. He also rushed for 19 yards on four carries.

The Texans host the Jaguars Week 17.

Jets quarterback Geno Smith was held in check in his team's loss to the Patriots in Week 16.

Smith hooked up with Jeff Cumberland for a 20-yard touchdown strike in the second quarter. He completed 17 of 27 passes for 210 yards with one touchdown and one interception, registering a 83.9 quarterback rating. He was sacked twice and rushed for 9 yards on three carries.

Smith will finish the season on the road against the Dolphins.

Vikings quarterback Teddy Bridgewater helped lead the Vikings to four touchdown drives, but it was not enough as the Vikings fell to the Dolphins 37-35 Week 16.

Bridgewater completed 19 of his 26 pass attempts for 259 yards while also throwing for two touchdowns. His lone blemish was an interception in the third quarter.

Bridgewater connected with wide receiver Greg Jennings on a 21-yard touchdown pass in the second quarter and then with Jarius Wright on a 8-yard touchdown in the fourth quarter. Bridgewater has now thrown multiple touchdowns in four of his last five games as a starter.

The Vikings play against the Bears in the season finale.