NFL Player News

Blaine Gabbert has been named the starting quarterback in Jacksonville. Now it must be determined if he will start the opener Sunday against Kansas City. His status remains cloudy as he continues to recover from a thumb injury sustained on Aug. 17. But he is increasing his work in practice, reports the Florida Times-Union.

"We're encouraged with what we saw from Blaine Gabbert," Gus Bradley said Friday. "I thought he took steps in the right direction, but it is too early."

Gabbert also expressed encouragement after stepping up his workload, but added that the 48 hours before kickoff will determine his playing status. Chad Henne would replace Gabbert for the Jaguars if he is unable to play.

No player in NFL history attempted more passes than Lions' quarterback Matthew Stafford last season, as he chucked the ball up a record 727 times. And 93 of those attempts came in just two games against the Vikings last season, the team he faces to open the season in Week 1.

In a microcosm of his season, Stafford was up-and-down in two games against the Vikings. In Week 4, he threw for 319 yards on 51 attempts, while adding just one rushing touchdown and none through the air. He was better in a later matchup, tossing three touchdowns and 329 yards in Week 10, while throwing one interception.

Stafford's career against the Vikings is more like that latter matchup than the former, overall. He has faced his divisional rival six times, averaging 271.5 yards with 10 total touchdowns and only three interceptions.

Given his track record against Minnesota, Fantasy owners should consider Stafford a solid starting option in all formats for Week 1. 

Lions quarterback Matthew Stafford had a subpar preseason by completing just 49.1 percent of his passes, as the first-team offense struggled to put points on the board. However, offensive coordinator Scott Linehan said he isn't concerned since Stafford kept the turnovers to a minimum.

"He threw a lot of balls away because we didn't want to turn the ball over," Linehan said, per MLive.com. "That was our number one goal, to not turn the ball over. The only one he turned over was a drop. I was really pleased with what he was doing. His mechanics were perfect on a lot of those throwaways."

If Jaguars quarterback Blaine Gabbert (thumb) takes the field for Sunday's season opener against the Chiefs, he will be making his 25th career start and second straight start in a season opener. Gabbert hasn't had a ton of success in his first two NFL seasons, but if he is able to repeat the numbers he produced in Week 1 last season, then Gabbert's 2013 season will be off to a nice start.

The third-year quarterback completed 23 of 39 passes for 260 yards, two touchdowns and no interceptions in a 26-23 loss to Minnesota in the season opener last year. 

Last season, the Chiefs allowed 20.8 Fantasy points per week to quarterbacks, which was tied for the sixth-highest average in the NFL. The Chiefs underwent a coaching overhaul in the offseason, and the results in the preseason were a bit more encouraging. The Chiefs were tied for 14th in pass defense (207 yards per game) and allowed just five passing touchdowns to three interceptions.

Although Gabbert can't damage his thumb any further if he plays Sunday, he still isn't going to be 100 percent if he plays and could be rusty since he's missed so much playing time. Fantasy owners should look to better alternatives Week 1.

Blaine Gabbert would not have secured the starting quarterback job if he was still considered a risk due to his thumb injury, the team is reporting. Gabbert was named the starter on August 19 despite having hurt his thumb in a preseason game.

Neither Gabbert nor Chad Henne stood out for the Jaguars in exhibition play. But Henne threw three interceptions and managed a quarterback rating of just 63.2 to Gabbert's 86.1.

Gus Bradley told the media that it is his understanding that Gabbert is no more likely to reinjure the thumb while playing than he would if he remained sidelined.

The Carolina Panthers defense had a strange 2012. Even though they allowed an NFL-worst 66.85 percent completion rate and gave up 223 yards per game, the Panthers still held opposing quarterbacks to the ninth-fewest Fantasy points per game. And they allowed just 9.19 rushing yards per game to quarterbacks, the fifth-lowest rate in the NFL. 

While Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson can run, he's not reliant on it. In last year's matchup, the Panthers held Wilson to 221 yards passing and a touchdown, with two interceptions and just 12 rushing yards. Additionally, the Panthers led the NFL with 10 interceptions in the preseason; we tend to take preseason stats with a grain of salt, but Carolina's defense looked exceptional in the four games, and could be underrated heading in. 

Wilson is a very talented quarterback, but should probably be left on the bench in 12-team leagues (wherever possible). He doesn't have a reliable group of receivers and he's going up against a defense that is quietly suited to stop his brand of play. 

Rams coach Jeff Fisher has the utmost confidence in quarterback Sam Bradford heading into Sunday's season opener against the Cardinals.

"Sam’s going to go out there and just play the position and execute," Fisher said. "We felt like he’s had a great camp and we feel he has a good feel for the plan right now. He knows the challenge that he’s up against from a defensive standpoint. It’s a new defense with talented players. He’s going to have his hands full, but we’ve got confidence in him that he’ll be able to put points on the board for us."

Rex Ryan was not talking Thursday like a coach still contemplating a quarterback battle. He's talking like a coach that has handed the reins permanently to rookie Geno Smith. "This is his offense now," Ryan told Associated Press.

The Jets have given every indication that Smith has won the competition against Mark Sanchez and will remain at the helm after the latter recovers from a shoulder injury.

The Rams head into the 2013 season trying to establish who the playmakers will be on offense. But quarterback Sam Bradford is encouraged as the team prepares for Week 1 against the Cardinals, according to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.

"I’m ready to go," Bradford said. "I’m ready to see these young guys out there. They’ve put in a lot of time. They’ve done a great job learning the system so far. I think they’ve made tremendous strides. We had a great training camp. It’s going to be really fun to see those guys get out there and light it up on Sunday."

The Dolphins were 6-1 last season when rookie Ryan Tannehill recorded a 90-plus quarterback rating. The key to him achieving that goal Sunday in Cleveland will be keeping him clean.

The Browns boast an improved and more aggressive pass rush under new defensive coordinator Ray Horton, which could prove troublesome for Tannehill. The Miami offensive line finished tied for 14th in the NFL in sacks allowed a year ago with 37.

If the protection is strong, look for Tannehill to find some success against a Browns secondary that lacks depth and struggled mightily in third down situations in the preseason. The Browns are woefully short beyond cornerback Joe Haden and strong safety T.J. Ward. If top threat Mike Wallace is blanketed by Haden, Tannehill will set his sights on Brian Hartline against cornerback Buster Skrine, who committed nine penalties last year despite limited duty.

Based on the numbers, Tannehill might want to target Hartline anyway. Wallace has just six catches for 77 yards with no touchdowns in his last three games combined against the Browns. Hartline, however, enjoyed his finest performance of 2011 against Cleveland with four catches for 87 yards.

Despite a weak Browns secondary Tannehill is still among the least palatable options as a Fantasy quarterback this week. He is not listed among the top 24 quarterbacks by any of the CBSSports.com senior Fantasy writers.