NFL Player News

Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson has averaged just 14 Fantasy points over his last two games. But he had a string of four 22-plus point games before his last two, and put up 25 in a Week 7 matchup against this Sunday's opponent, the Cardinals. 

The Cardinals have been wildly erratic against quarterbacks. In the last five games, they've allowed them to score 12, 15, 29, four, and 38 Fantasy points. It averages out to 19.6 Fantasy points per game, but that number masks a ton of fluctuation and unpredictability. Arizona held Andrew Luck to 15 points, but allowed Ryan Fitzpatrick to score 38 (and pass for 402 yards).

It might be best to just start from Wilson's Week 7 performance -- 235 passing yards and three touchdowns. Sidney Rice was still in the mix back then, but the Seahawks (and Wilson) have managed to push forward without him; Doug Baldwin and Golden Tate have held their own. 

There's not much here to push Wilson up or down, matchup-wise. He's a top-12 option this week, and can be left in lineups where he had been starting throughout the season. 

An unnamed Packers player told ESPN that all the team's starters expect Matt Flynn, not Aaron Rodgers, to start at quarterback Sunday vs. Pittsburgh. Rodgers (collarbone) has not been medically cleared, and Flynn again took the first-team reps in Wednesday's practice.

Bengals quarterback Andy Dalton has already bounced back from a November rough patch with five touchdown passes to zero interceptions in his last two games, but that might have been just a warmup for Week 16 against Minnesota. The Vikings rank 30th against the pass, giving up 290.6 yards per game, and have allowed the most Fantasy points to quarterbacks this season.

They've given up 32 touchdowns through the air, most in the NFL, including eight in their last three games. Just last week against the Eagles, quarterback Nick Foles threw for 428 yards and three touchdowns against them.

The Vikings have played better football of late, losing just one of their last four games, which reduces the chances of the Bengals jumping out to an early lead and relying mostly on their running game in the second half. With the weapons at his disposal, Dalton has a real opportunity for three or more touchdown passes this week.

Quarterback is usually not a position for playing matchups, but if you don't have a surefire Peyton Manning, Drew Brees, Nick Foles or Matthew Stafford type there, Dalton is an option to consider.

Packers coach Mike McCarthy said at his Wednesday press conference that quarterback Aaron Rodgers still has not been cleared by the medical staff to return from his broken collarbone. He said Rodgers is doing similar work in practice to what he did last week.

"He threw the ball extremely well, looked sharp, he's getting better," said McCarthy, who described Rodgers as a limited practice participant. "We're going to take a similar process to what we did last week."

Rodgers was examined by the team physician before Wednesday's practice. McCarthy would not get into specifics on the results. If Rodgers isn't cleared this week, Matt Flynn will start Sunday vs. the Steelers.

A torn thumb ligament will sideline Texans quarterback Case Keenum from action Sunday against Denver and place Matt Schaub back in as the starter, per NFL.com.

Keenum started the last eight games after replacing the mistake-prone Schaub, but the Texans losing streak continued to its present length of 13 straight. Schaub did appear in two of those of games in relief of a struggling Keenum.

Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers took snaps in individual drills from backup center JC Tretter while Matt Flynn worked with starting center Evan Dietrich-Smith, the same routine from recent weeks, reports ESPN.com. Team drills were closed to the media.

"Rodgers continued to throw with good velocity and might have taken a few more throws than he did last Wednesday," the report added.

Rodgers, who broke his collarbone Nov. 4, was scheduled to be examined by the team physician before practice. The results have not been made public, the report said. Coach Mike McCarthy will update Rodgers' status after practice.

Green Bay hosts Pittsburgh on Sunday. Flynn will start if Rodgers doesn't gain medical clearance.

Many NFL quarterbacks would be a fine Fantasy play against a deteriorating Cleveland pass defense. Geno Smith of the Jets isn't one of them.

The rookie had been a disaster of late despite showing signs of recovery Sunday against Oakland. He threw for no more than 159 yards in his previous five games and his touchdown pass against the Raiders was, amazingly, his first since Week 7. He has just 10 touchdowns and 21 interceptions this season.

So never mind that the Browns could be playing without top cornerback Joe Haden, rank among the worst teams in the NFL in red zone defense and have yielded an average of 33 points in their last five games. Never mind that the Jets are playing at home. Smith is about as bad a Fantasy option as you can find out there.

If you are trying to throw your finals because your opponent has been going through a tough time in life, pluck Smith from the waiver wire and stick him in your lineup. Otherwise, don't even dream about it.

Lions coach Jim Schwartz said he has not considered benching quarterback Matthew Stafford, even for a short time to get his mind right, reports the Detroit Free Press. "Matt's our quarterback and he's going to play well for us," Schwartz said.

Stafford has accounted for seven touchdowns and 11 turnovers the past four weeks after throwing three second-half interceptions in Monday's loss to Baltimore. Detroit hosts the Giants in Week 16.

Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers, who's missed six straight games with a broken collarbone, said he felt more like himself in practice last week. "I knew I was closer (to playing)," he said on his radio show, per the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel. "We’re sitting here with another 4-5 days of rest.”

Added Rodgers: "My hope is that I practice tomorrow and experience no setbacks mentally or physically and then go from there."

Rodgers is trying to get medically cleared to play Sunday vs. the Steelers. Green Bay controls its destiny in the NFC North, a big motivator for Rodgers to return. Rodgers said "there has to be some level of risk-reward conversation."

Jets rookie quarterback Geno Smith emerged with the starting quarterback job after a preseason competition with Mark Sanchez. Smith has had an up-and-down rookie campaign, which led Smith to acknowledge Monday he will probably be competing for the starting job again next season.

"Yes, I do," he said, per the New York Post. "I’m going to be in full competition with myself and every other guy who’s in camp."

Smith also admitted he hasn't lived up to expectations. He has completed just 55.3 percent of his passes and has twice as many interceptions (21) than touchdowns (10) through 14 games.

"I haven’t," he said of meeting expectations. "I think I could have played a lot better. I obviously understand there are growing pains you have to learn from and experiences you have to get better from. I set the bar high for myself, I always will. That’s the way I’ll improve, by setting that bar high and keep climbing."