NFL Player News

Lions quarterback Matt Stafford is unhurt after getting standed on the road early Friday morning due to a collapsed bridge. The pedestrian bridge fell onto a freeway after being hit by a truck.

Washington quarterback Kirk Cousins imploded Thursday against the Giants.

Cousins completed 19 of 33 passes for 257 yards and one touchdown. He threw four interceptions during the contest, all of which came during the second half. Things started out rocky for Cousins. On the team's first drive, he was sacked and turned the ball over on a fumble. He managed to throw an 18 yard strike for a touchdown in the second quarter, but that was the extent of the positives for Cousins.

The second half was a mess. Cousins finished 6 for 14, with 104 yards and four interceptions. Cousins will take on the Seahawks next week .

So ... who's excited about starting Matthew Stafford this week?

Can't get all the way there, can you? He's been Fantasy Football's greatest enigma since his 5,000-yard, 40-touchdown season in 2011. Even this year, he started off with a bang before a couple of lackluster performances back-to-back.

Of course, those were against the Panthers and the Packers, who have fared well against the pass this season, regardless of the opponent, which is what makes his matchup Week 4 at the Jets so interesting.

These ain't your daddy's Jets. Darrelle Revis is long gone, and their secondary no longer dominates the way it used to. In terms of yardage, they rank ninth against the pass, but they've allowed seven touchdowns through the air without recording a single interception. They've also surrendered the fourth-most Fantasy points to quarterbacks this season. The Packers' Aaron Rodgers had his one good game against them in Week 2, throwing for 346 yards and three touchdowns.

Yardage hasn't been the problem for Stafford this season. Touchdowns have. If he can't manage a couple in this game, then maybe you shouldn't be just lukewarm on starting him, but shy away from it altogether.

You may be tempted to bench quarterback Aaron Rodgers in Fantasy after two of his first three games were duds, but that would make me sad.

It would make Jamey Eisenberg and Dave Richard sad, too, judging by their rankings for Week 4. Both have Rodgers either first or second at quarterback. No lie.

The crux of the frustration is that nobody really knows what the Lions defense is just yet. We halfway expected Rodgers to stink Week 1 at Seattle, but that was against a Super Bowl champion at a venue legendary for its difficulty. The Lions are just ... the Lions.

But they're also the team that intercepted Eli Manning twice in Week 1, limiting him to just 163 yards. They're also team that took down Cam Newton four times in Week 2 and that's allowed the fourth-fewest Fantasy points to quarterbacks this season. Individually, those accomplishments count for little, but put them all together, culminating in Rodgers' Week 3 performance, and they begin to mean something.

So if you operate under the premise that Rodgers struggled against two of the league's toughest pass defenses and thrived against one of its most ordinary, you should like his chances in the weeks to come.

And that makes him a perfect buy-low right now.

While Dolphins head coach Joe Philbin still has yet to announce a starting quarterback for Sunday's game against the Raiders, Ryan Tannehill continues to insist he will start Sunday and backup quarterback Matt Moore appears to be backing up that claim.

"I've taken zero reps. Ryan's prepared the same way he always does and I've prepared the same way I always do," Moore said, per CSNBayArea.com. "We showed up on Tuesday and everything was the same. Obviously, I did get a couple of text messages from friends who read things and it caught me off guard but nothing was said in here."

Although Dolphins head coach Joe Philbin continues to avoid naming a starting quarterback for Sunday's game against the Raiders, incumbent starter Ryan Tannehill has no doubt in his mind he will be under center at the start of Sunday's game, per The Palm Beach Post.

"I’m taking the first snap of the game," he said.

Tannehill did admit, however, the quarterback controversy has been a distraction. 

"Obviously it doesn’t feel good," Tannehill said. "It creates a lot of stir, a lot of distraction in the locker room -- mostly from outside."

Generally speaking, skill positions players are hard to rely on when facing Thursday night matchups. Through three weeks, only one player has topped 100 yards receiving on Thursday this season, compared to 29 in 45 other games. That pattern continued last season, as only 10 of the league's 208 100-yard receiving performances came during the 17 Thursday games a year ago.

That being said, this Thursday's game has all of the makings of an outlier, as the Redskins and Giants look set for a shootout. Neither team boasts a particularly strong pass defense, with both ranking among the league's seven worst in yards per attempt allowed. That is why you will find Pierre Garcon and Victor Cruz ranked among the top-15 at wide receiver in both Jamey Eisenberg and Dave Richard's rankings for Week 4.

Cruz has enjoyed solid success against Washington in his career, averaging 71.8 yards per game in five matchups. Garcon was mostly held in check in two games against the Giants a year ago, hauling in 15 combined passes for just 117 yards, but Fantasy owners have to consider him a must-start option after the rapport he showed with new starter Kirk Cousins a week ago. Especially with DeSean Jackson's availability in question with a shoulder injury. 

If Jackson plays, he could be a nice option, as he shrugged off the shoulder injury with five receptions for 117 yards and a touchdown last week. Rueben Randle just might find himself the odd-man-out this week, however, and is more of a flex start. 

The Vikings put quarterback Matt Cassel on injured reserve, ending his season. Cassel broke several bones in his foot in Sunday's loss in New Orleans.

Rookie Teddy Bridgewater takes over as Minnesota's full-time starter. He hit 12 of 20 throws for 150 yards and ran six times for 27 yards against the Saints.

"Moving forward, I think I am definitely going to be ready," Bridgewater said. "I just need to get more practice reps throughout the week."

Dolphins quarterback Ryan Tannehill is scheduled to start Sunday, NFL.com reports. The team hasn't committed to Tannehill as the starter for Week 4's trip to London, but the third-year signal caller should remain under center for the Dolphins.

The Jets have lost two straight games and quarterback Geno Smith has had his struggles in both outings. However, coach Rex Ryan gave the second-year quarterback a vote of confidence Tuesday following Monday's loss vs. Chicago.

"Everybody is behind Geno. He's our quarterback. Our football team believes in him," Ryan said, per the New York Daily News.