NFL Player News
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Easton Stick QB | ATL
Chargers' Easton Stick: No TDs or TOs in loss
Stick completed 24 of 38 pass attempts for 220 yards and rushed for 31 yards on five attempts in Sunday's 16-9 loss to the Broncos.
Stick corrected his turnover issues from last week's loss to the Bills, but it came with the price of scoring no offensive touchdowns against the Broncos on Sunday. It was the second time in three starts that the longtime backup failed to produce either a passing or rushing touchdown. That fact coupled with a tough matchup against the Chiefs on the docket make Stick a low-end fantasy option for Week 18.
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Sam Howell QB | DAL
Commanders' Sam Howell: Struggles in blowout loss
Howell completed 17 of 28 passes for 169 yards, one touchdown and two interceptions in Sunday's 27-10 loss to the 49ers.
After the Commanders announced that Howell would be benched early in the week, he was forced into the starting role with Jacoby Brissett (hamstring) sidelined. He struggled in a tough matchup, averaging only 6.0 yards per attempt while turning the ball over twice. Howell did have positive moments, as he completed three passes of at least 20 yards and also connected with Terry McLaurin for a three-yard touchdown late in the second quarter. It's unclear whether Howell will get the chance to start in Week 18 against the Cowboys, but he has now failed to throw for multiple touchdowns in six straight games.
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Joshua Dobbs QB | NE
Vikings' Joshua Dobbs: Emergency QB versus Green Bay
Dobbs (coach's decision) is inactive for Sunday's game against the Packers and will serve as the emergency quarterback, Craig Peters of the Vikings' official site reports.
Dobbs will serve as the Vikings' emergency quarterback for the third straight game. Head coach Kevin O'Connell has elected to start Jaren Hall over Nick Mullens for Sunday's pivotal contest. Dobbs will see the field if both Hall and Mullens sustain injuries.
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Lamar Jackson QB | BAL
Ravens' Lamar Jackson: Remarkable numbers in marquee win
Jackson completed 18 of 21 passes for 321 yards with five touchdowns and no interceptions and added six rushes for 35 yards in the Ravens' 56-19 win over the Dolphins on Sunday.
Jackson's numbers, which netted a perfect 158.3 QB rating, essentially tell the tale of what type of afternoon it was for him and the Ravens as a whole. The one-time league MVP continued making an airtight case for another run at the honor with his spectacular performance, which was punctuated by touchdown tosses of 20 yards to Justice Hill, 75 yards to Zay Flowers, 35 yards and seven yards to Isaiah Likely and four yards to Patrick Ricard. Jackson now has an 11:2 TD:INT over his last four games, a sample in which he's eclipsed the 300-yard mark twice. With the AFC's No. 1 seed now in hand, it remains to be seen if Jackson logs any action in the Week 18 finale against the Steelers.
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Kyler Murray QB | MIN
Cardinals' Kyler Murray: Throws three TDs to upset PHI
Murray completed 25 of 31 pass attempts for 232 yards, three touchdowns and one interception while rushing five times for 24 yards in Sunday's 35-31 win over the Eagles.
Murray was an instrumental part of a second-half surge that brought the Cardinals back from a 21-6 halftime deficit to top the now 11-5 Eagles. The 2019 first-overall pick looked like his old self in the pocket by completing over 80 percent of his passes and scoring three touchdowns for the first time through seven games this season. However, Murray's best passing performance this year was coupled with one of his more casual rushing lines (5-24-0). Still, it was a masterful performance from Arizona's signal-caller in a tough road environment. Perhaps Murray's improved play coincides with his improved health following major offseason knee surgery. Whatever the case may be, Murray will carry a full head of steam into a Week 18 matchup against the Seahawks.
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Taysom Hill QB | NO
Saints' Taysom Hill: Scores in big win
Hill logged two rushes for one yard and caught both of his targets for 30 yards and a touchdown during Sunday's 23-13 win versus Tampa Bay. He also went 1-for-2 passing for 11 yards.
Hill got behind his nearest defender on an all-out blitz by Tampa Bay before hauling in a 22-yard touchdown near the pylon, thus extending New Orleans' lead out to two scores late in the second quarter. This also marked the 33-year-old's first touchdown since Week 13 and just his second receiving touchdown of the 2023 campaign. The versatile tight end's biggest contributions this season have come as a rusher while lined up in the shotgun, which has helped spare top running back Alvin Kamara's workload. While Kamara was forced out with an ankle injury Sunday, Hill's rushing production remained limited for the third game in a row; instead, No. 2 running back Jamaal Williams carried the load with a season-high 19 carries. Hill has now recorded two or fewer rushes in each of his past three games, and, unless he gets involved in the rushing rotation more consistently Week 18, his fantasy value will likely hinge on if he can find the end zone against the Falcons.
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Gardner Minshew QB | ARI
Colts' Gardner Minshew: Quiet in win over Vegas
Minshew completed 15 of 23 passes for 224 yards and a touchdown in Sunday's 23-20 win over the Raiders. He added three rushing yards on two carries.
Minshew and the Colts leaned on their running game after taking a 14-3 lead into halftime, limiting the quarterback's production, but he did help pad that lead with a 58-yard TD strike to Alec Pierce late in the second quarter. Indianapolis remains in a three-way tie atop the AFC South with Jacksonville and Houston, and as a result Minshew could be asked to do a lot more in Week 18's tilt against the Texans with a potential division title on the line.
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Aidan O'Connell QB | LV
Raiders' Aidan O'Connell: Strong showing in Sunday's loss
O'Connell completed 30 of 47 passes for 299 yards and two touchdowns in Sunday's 23-20 loss to the Colts.
He added three rushing yards on two carries. O'Connell came just short of his first career 300-yard performance and tossed multiple TDs for the second time in three games, a stretch in which he has a 6:0 TD:INT. The Raiders were eliminated from postseason contention with Sunday's loss, but the team has little reason to rest its rookie quarterback for a Week 18 clash with the Broncos.
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C.J. Stroud QB | HOU
Texans' C.J. Stroud: Victorious in return
Stroud completed 24 of 32 passes for 213 yards, one touchdown and no interceptions in Sunday's 26-3 win over the Titans.
Stroud returned from a two-game absence caused by a concussion and led the Texans to a needed victory to keep their postseason hopes alive. He threw for his touchdown early in the second quarter on a 12-yard completion to Brevin Jordan and connected on four passes of at least 15 yards. This wasn't Stroud's most impressive performance of the season, but the stout Texans defense ensured the offense didn't need to be aggressive to secure the win.
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Josh Allen QB | BUF
Bills' Josh Allen: Two more rushing TDs in win
Allen completed 15 of 30 passes for 169 yards and an interception while adding 44 rushing yards and two touchdowns on 11 carries in Sunday's 27-21 win over the Patriots.
Bill Belichick's defense did an excellent job containing Allen as a passer but couldn't do much to stop him at the goal line, as he punched in a one-yard TD in each of the first and third quarters. Allen came out of the game for the final couple kneeldowns at the end of the fourth, and the Bills' starting QB acknowledged after the game he's picked up a stinger in his left shoulder on his last carry of the day, per Josh Reed of WIVB Buffalo. The issue seems minor though, and Allen doesn't seem to be in much danger of missing a Week 18 contest against the Dolphins with the AFC East title on the line.