NFL Player News

Jets quarterback Geno Smith endured some more growing pains at home against the Lions in Week 4.

Smith connected with Eric Decker for an 11-yard touchdown in the third quarter, but was picked off by Darius Slay in the fourth quarter. He completed 17 of 33 passes for 209 yards, with one touchdown and one interception. He was sacked twice and finished with four carries for 4 yards.

Smith has 922 passing yards, with four touchdowns and five interceptions through four games. The Jets will travel to San Diego to face the Chargers in Week 5

Lions quarterback Matthew Stafford scored three times and nearly cracked the 300-yard mark in a win over the Jets in Week 4.

Stafford hooked up with Jeremy Ross for a 59-yard touchdown and also found rookie tight end Eric Ebron for a 16-yard strike -- all in the second quarter. He scored a rushing touchdown with 1-yard out in the fourth quarter.

Stafford compiled 293 yards through the air while completing 24 of 34 passes. He added two touchdowns and no interceptions, registering a 116.4 passer rating. He was sacked four times and finished with 8 yards and a touchdown on the ground.

The Lions will host the Bills in Week 5.

The Eagles declared wideout Josh Huff (shoulder), linebacker Mychal Kendricks (calf), quarterback Matt Barkley, corner Jaylen Watkins, center Jason Kelce, defensive end Taylor Hart and offensive lineman Kevin Graf inactive for the game at San Francisco.

Raiders quarterback Derek Carr was forced out of Week 4 against the Dolphins in London with an apparent left knee injury.

Carr took a tough hit to the knee by Jelani Jenkins while on the run in the third quarter. He limped off the field and was replaced by Matt McGloin. Carr completed 15 of 25 passes for 132 yards, with a touchdown and an interception.

According to the NFL Network, Carr went the locker room for X-rays. His return is questionable.

The 49ers declared cornerback Tramaine Brock (toe), tight end Vance McDonald (knee), defensive lineman Cornellius Carradine, quarterback Josh Johnson, offensive linemen Marcus Martin and Dillon Farrell, and wideout Quinton Patton inactive for the game against the Eagles.

The Texans have designated the following players as inactive for Sunday's Week 4 matchup with the Bills: quarterback Tom Savage, safeties Shiloh Keo (calf) and Eddie Pleasant (ankle), linebacker Jadeveon Clowney (knee), cornerback A.J. Bouye (groin), wide receiver DeVier Posey and offensive tackle Jeff Adams.

Bouye was questionable to play this week, while Keo, Pleasant and Clowney had all been previously ruled out. Running back Arian Foster (hamstring) and punter Shane Lechler (hip) are active after being listed as questionable. Wide receiver Andre Johnson (ankle), defensive ends Jared Crick (neck) and Tim Jamison (groin), cornerbacks Kareem Jackson (thigh) and Johnathan Joseph (foot/ankle, neck), safety D.J. Swearinger (elbow, hip) and guard Ben Jones (knee) are all active for the game.

Titans quarterback Jake Locker was ruled inactive Week 4 at Indianapolis due to a wrist injury. He came into the game as questionable.

Backup quarterback Charlie Whitehurst drew the start in Locker's absence Sunday.

Barring an unforeseen improvement in his wrist, Titans quarterback Jake Locker will not play Sunday against the Colts. Both ESPN and NFL Network believe that Charlie Whitehurst will start in Locker's place, with NFL Network suggesting that if Locker would be out for a while that we'd see rookie Zach Mettenberger get the start instead of Whitehurst. 

Whitehurst has three touchdowns and five turnovers in four career starts. 

Redskins quarterback Kirk Cousins blamed himself greatly for the lopsided loss Thursday night to the Giants. Committing five turnovers has a tendency to have one looking in the mirror.

"I turned the ball over too much," he told ESPN. "I got a little bit of mind play because I was killing us here and there [with] all the turnovers in the second half."

Cousins missed open receivers, forced passes into coverage and was criticized for following his targets with his eyes, allowing defenders to jump routes. He finished with four interceptions and one fumble.

I think we can be honest with each other; we whiffed on Kirk Cousins this week. Seduced by his brilliant showing in his first two games, we believed Cousins would continue his strong play in what was shaping up to be a Thursday night shootout between the Redskins and Giants.

Unfortunately Cousins failed to hold up his end of the bargain, as he turned the ball over five times in a disastrous performance, highlighted by a complete meltdown in the third quarter. Over at the Fantasy Football Today blog, I grabbed some video of his performance to try and highlight just where exactly Cousins went wrong.

"Cousins' mechanics were a mess in this game, as you can see on his second interception of the day. He faced a tough situation with Washington's offense starting deep in their own territory, but he did not exactly have a pass rush breathing down his neck on this pass. He strangely lets his momentum carry him backwards, and ends up throwing a lob off his back foot that is easily taken away by the safety playing over the top."

Cousins faces the Seahawks and Cardinals in his next two games, so Fantasy owners might want to look for other options for Weeks 5 and 6. Fortunately, you likely grabbed Cousins on waivers, so you should have at least a comparable option handcuffed to him.