NFL Player News

The Raiders are hoping that O'Connell (thumb) will be ready to return from injured reserve and start their Week 13 game against Kansas City on Friday, Tashan Reed of The Athletic reports.

O'Connell opened the season as the Raiders' No. 2 quarterback, but after coming on in relief for a struggling Gardner Minshew in Weeks 3 and 5, the second-year signal-caller took over as Las Vegas' starter in Week 6 before fracturing his right thumb in Week 7, resulting in his move to IR. O'Connell seems to have made good progress in his recovery, with head coach Antonio Pierce noting Sunday that the quarterback was able to do some throwing this past week. Assuming the Raiders open O'Connell's 21-day evaluation window this week, he'll have a chance to step back in as Las Vegas' starter after Minshew suffered a season-ending fractured collarbone in a Week 12 loss to the Broncos. Desmond Ridder finished out that contest under center and would be the top candidate to start in Kansas City if the Raiders aren't comfortable with having O'Connell step back into the lineup on a short week.

Hurts (ankle) completed 15 of 22 pass attempts for 179 yards and a touchdown while rushing 12 times for 39 additional yards in Sunday's 37-20 win over the Rams.

Star tailback Saquon Barkley went off for over 300 total yards and two scores Sunday, leaving little work for the passing game in a lopsided victory. On a positive note, Hurts did not appear limited on his 12 rushing attempts after dealing with a minor ankle injury during the practice week. The dual-threat quarterback is completing a career-best 69 percent of his passes this season with 24 combined trips to the end zone over 11 contests. Hurts should continue being an elite QB in fantasy when Philadelphia visits Baltimore next Sunday.

Stafford completed 24 of 36 pass attempts for 243 yards and two touchdowns while taking his only carry for 15 yards in Sunday's 37-20 loss to the Eagles.

Stafford was unable to replicate his four-touchdown performance against the Patriots from a week ago, but he still posted solid fantasy numbers despite Sunday's lopsided score. The veteran signal-caller has been on a tear of late, ripping off 12 touchdowns over his last five contests following a slow start to the campaign. Stafford should continue serving as a dependable fantasy option as the Rams prepare to visit the Saints next Sunday.

Smith completed 22 of 31 passes for 254 yards and a touchdown with an interception in Sunday's 16-6 win over the Cardinals. He added two rushing yards on three carries.

A three-yard toss to Jaxon Smith-Njigba late in the second quarter accounted for the only offensive TD of the day by either team on a rainy afternoon in Seattle. Smith continues to have trouble with ball security -- he's thrown at least one pick in four straight games and has a 12:12 TD:INT in 11 contests -- but that's been good enough to get the Seahawks to the top of the NFC West with a 6-5 record. Smith will try to boost his numbers in Week 13 against the Jets.

Levis completed 18 of 24 pass attempts for 278 yards, two touchdowns and one interception in Sunday's 32-27 win over the Texans. He added eight rushes for 10 yards and also lost a fumble.

As usual, Levis had plenty of both positives and negatives during the Titans' upset win. He led the team to points on each of the first three drives, highlighted by a 38-yard touchdown pass to Nick Westbrook-Ikhine and a 63-yard connection with Calvin Ridley to set up a Tony Pollard score. Levis later chipped in his second touchdown with a 70-yard toss to Chigoziem Okonkwo, though the majority of that gain came after the catch. While those were all significant bright spots, Levis also turned the ball over twice, including a pick-six late in the third quarter, while also taking eight sacks. Despite the ongoing inconsistency, he's combined to throw for 573 yards with eight completions of at least 20 yards across his last two games.

Allen completed 17 of 29 pass attempts for 199 yards, one touchdown and one interception while rushing twice for five yards and losing a fumble in Sunday's blowout loss to Green Bay.

Allen was asked to step in for injured starter Brock Purdy (shoulder) on Sunday, and the results were on par for a backup quarterback playing in a hostile environment against a contending franchise. The 32-year-old Allen led the offense to just one touchdown while being responsible for two turnovers on the day. It sounds like Purdy's injury may cost the star quarterback only this one game, which would push Allen back to the No. 2 role when San Francisco visits Buffalo next Sunday.

Ridder completed five of 10 passes for 64 yards after replacing replacing Gardner Minshew (collarbone) during Sunday's 29-19 loss to the Broncos. Ridder added three rushing yards on one carry.

Minshew took a sack late in the fourth quarter and suffered a broken collarbone that will cost him the rest of the season, per Ian Rapoport of NFL Network. Ridder took over for the Raiders and was sacked himself two plays later, losing a fumble, but on his one full drive under center he nearly led Las Vegas to a touchdown, only for Tre Tucker to be ruled down short of the goal line inside the final minute. Aidan O'Connell (thumb) will be eligible to return from IR for a Week 13 trip to Kansas City, but if he's not ready Ridder would be in line for his first start of the season. There's also a chance the Raiders could bring in a quarterback like Daniel Jones from outside the organization.

Young completed 21 of 35 passes for 263 yards, one touchdown and no interceptions in Sunday's 30-27 loss to the Chiefs. He added three rushes for 20 yards.

The Panthers came away with only nine first-half points, but Young kept the offense moving in the first two quarters by completing 10 of 18 passes for 177 yards. He managed to break through for a touchdown on a one-yard pass to David Moore midway through the third quarter, and Young also managed four completions of at least 20 yards -- his highest mark in a game this season. The only shortcoming of his performance was a single touchdown pass, but this was almost certainly his best start of the campaign. His position as Carolina's starter in the short-term is also seemingly no longer in question, as coach Dave Canales said that Young will start in Week 13 against Tampa Bay, per David Newton of ESPN.com.

Love completed 13 of 23 pass attempts for 163 yards and two touchdowns while rushing once for two yards in Sunday's 38-10 win over San Francisco.

Love wasn't needed much in Sunday's victory against an opponent starting its backup quarterback, attempting his third-fewest pass attempts this season. The 26-year-old threw for multiple touchdowns for the first time since Week 7, confirming his improved health following a stretch during which he likely wasn't playing at full strength. Love will stay in Green Bay on a short week to host the Dolphins this Thursday on Thanksgiving.

Murray completed 24 of 37 passes for 285 yards, no touchdowns and one interception and took two carries for nine yards during Sunday's 16-6 loss at Seattle.

The Cardinals emerged from their Week 11 bye with a dud, with the team mustering a pair of Chad Ryland field goals and nothing more. The game script flipped on Murray's interception midway through the third quarter, which Seahawks CB Coby Bryant returned for a touchdown. Overall, Murray's 37 pass attempts were a season high, while his two rushes matched his second fewest in a game this season, and he also failed to throw a TD for the second time in three contests. He'll aim to bounce back next Sunday at Minnesota, whose pass defense ranks in the bottom five in the NFL.