NFL Player News

Raiders quarterback Matt McGloin may get his first NFL start this Sunday in place of an injured Terrelle Pryor, but the 23-year-old will have a tough task ahead of him -- his opponent, the Houston Texans, have allowed the fewest passing yards per game (167) in the NFL. 

The tiny sliver of hope here is that the Texans, despite the low yardage total, have given up 15 passing touchdowns this season. And while the Texans have allowed 17.8 Fantasy points to opposing quarterbacks this season, they've allowed an average of 21 over the last four, driven by nine quarterback touchdowns in that span. 

McGloin, a former walk-on at Penn State, holds the school record for career touchdown passes, single-season passing yards, and single-season completions. So while he has considerable skill, his Week 11 matchup is tough enough to keep him on the waiver wire in most formats. 

Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers has been ruled out Week 11.

Rodgers was not expected to play due to a broken collarbone. He has not been able to practice yet since sustaining the injury.

Texans quarterback Case Keenum has 59 Fantasy points over his last two games. He's thrown three touchdowns in each of the games and hasn't been intercepted.

Week 11 brings a matchup against the Raiders, who have allowed 22.1 Fantasy points per game to opposing quarterbacks -- the seventh-most in the NFL. However, the Raiders have been uneven all year, giving up more than 20 points in four games, and 20 or fewer in five. A good amount of the damage to the QB average against the Raiders came in two games (Week 3 against the Broncos and Week 9 against the Eagles). 

This Jekyll and Hyde-type Raiders conundrum leaves Keenum owners with what is essentially a neutral matchup. So just going on what he's been able to do the last two games, Keenum makes for a solid start. He's gotten Andre Johnson five touchdowns, he's not afraid to spread the ball to Garrett Graham and DeAndre Hopkins, and the run game should still be very good with Ben Tate in the lead.

Keenum has shown he can succeed as an NFL quarterback and can be started in most formats. 

Word of warning to Fantasy owners: Don't get any bright ideas about picking up and playing the Chargers DST based on the performance of the Miami offense Monday night against Tampa Bay.

Yes, the Dolphins rushed for a grand total of two yards. But that was against a far superior run defense than that of San Diego, which ranks a lowly 29th in the NFL in average yards per attempt at 4.8. And Miami quarterback Ryan Tannehill has actually performed well despite the loss of two of his starting offensive line to the bullying scandal. He completed 71 percent of his passes against the Bucs.

The Chargers are a bad defense no matter the opponent that is a worse unit in Fantasy because teams throw the ball often to keep up with their prolific offense. They even rank dead last in the NFL with six turnovers. The Dolphins are still averaging about 22 points a game, so it's not as if their offense is a mess. Bottom line: Don't get cute and stick the Chargers in your lineups.

Lions quarterback Matthew Stafford could be in for a rough time Week 11 against the Steelers.

Pittsburgh has been effective against opposing quarterbacks, holding them to 15.22 Fantasy points per game. The team has allowed 10 passing touchdowns through nine games. Pittsburgh has been far more vulnerable on the ground, where they've allowed 12 rushing touchdowns, so Stafford could turn to Reggie Bush more often than usual. 

At the same time, Stafford has been pretty solid this season, scoring at least two touchdowns in all but one game. He has not, however, faced a passing defense as strong as the Steelers. On top of that, Calvin Johnson missed the first two days of practice with a knee injury, and could be more hurt than he's let on. Johnson will play, but Stafford would be limited if Johnson is clearly slowed by the injury. Stafford remains a strong Fantasy play, but he's going up against the toughest defense he's faced all year.

Bengals tight end Andy Dalton's season has been an up-and-down affair, and he is currently in the midst of a downward trend, with six interceptions and two touchdowns over the last two games. Will he be able to break out in Week 11 against the Browns?

Dalton had little trouble dealing with the Browns in these team's previous game, as he passed for two touchdowns and racked up 22 Fantasy points in Week 4. In fact, in five career games against the Browns, Dalton is averaging 251.2 yards with eight total touchdowns and five interceptions in his career.  

The Browns have been a roughly middle-of-the-road unit against opposing quarterbacks, allowing 18.4 Fantasy points per game against them. Dalton might be a difficult choice to rely on for Fantasy purposes this week, but his track record against the Browns makes him a worthy starting option this week. 

Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson could be in line for a monster performance Sunday against the Vikings in Week 11.

Wilson threw for 287 yards and two touchdowns in Week 10 against Atlanta. He has averaged 213.2 passing yards, with a total of 17 touchdowns and six interceptions through 10 games. He has not cracked the 300-yard mark since opening week against the Panthers.

Wilson will face a Minnesota defense that allowed 281 passing yards to Robert Griffin III in Week 10. The Vikings have allowed 285.7 passing yards per game, which is the fourth most allowed in the league.

WIlson has passed for two or more touchdowns in each of his last four games, and that trend should continue against the Vikings. Our Fantasy experts all have him in the Top 5 this week. Consider him a must-start option for Week 11.

Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers threw Wednesday for the first time since breaking his collarbone Nov. 4 vs. the Bears. "He did not participate in practice," coach Mike McCarthy said. "He actually did some throwing today for the first time on the field. We’ll stay with that status."

Rodgers hinted he's targeting a Week 12 return vs. Minnesota, according to ESPNWisconsin.com. The Thanksgiving game at Detroit is another possible return date.

Gary Kubiak, who has returned to coach the Texans upon his recovery from a mini-stroke, will not commit to Case Keenum as his starting quarterback for the rest of the season, per Pro Football Talk.

Kubiak is still leaving the door open for deposed starter Matt Schaub, who is reportedly dealing with an ankle injury. Keenum, however, has outplayed Schaub despite an 0-3 record. He has completed just 56 percent of his passes, but has thrown for 822 yards, seven touchdowns and no interceptions for the Texans.

Raiders struggling quarterback Terrelle Pryor merely watched practice Wednesday, according to the San Francisco Chronicle. He has been nursing a knee injury. Matthew McGloin, who played only in Week 8, received the first-team reps and would likely start Sunday in Houston if Pryor gets the red light.

Pryor is coming off one of his worst performances of the year. He completed a season-low 42.3 percent of his passes against the Giants. He has just one touchdown pass and eight interceptions in his last four games.