NFL Player News

Wilson (concussion), who has already been ruled out for Sunday's game against the Commanders, is unlikely to be available for the Jets' Thursday night game against the Browns in Week 17, Rich Cimini of ESPN.com reports. "It does make it a challenge that it's a Thursday game," head coach Robert Saleh said Friday, regarding Wilson's potential Week 17 availability. "He's got to clear some hurdles over the weekend. It's going to be one of those where we'll see."

Due to the short turnaround for Week 17, Wilson will have just four additional days to clear the five-step concussion protocol after Sunday's game. Trevor Siemian will make his first start of the season Sunday against the Commanders. Siemian may be likely to start again Thursday regardless of how he fares against Washington, though Brett Rypien could also be an option after signing with the Jets earlier in December.

Stroud (concussion) wasn't spotted on the field at Friday's practice, DJ Bien-Aime of ESPN.com reports.

Stroud didn't practice Wednesday or Thursday either, so the signal-caller's continued absence Friday is a likely indication that he'll miss a second straight game Sunday against the Browns. The Texans' final Week 16 injury report will be released later Friday and will clarify whether Stroud has any chance of playing Sunday. If Stroud is once again sidelined, however, Case Keenum would be in store for another turn as Houston's starting quarterback.

Lawrence (concussion/ankle) is slated to practice Friday, Michael DiRocco of ESPN.com reports.

After Lawrence missed practice Wednesday and Thursday, head coach Doug Pederson said prior to Friday's session that the quarterback will be given "as much [work ] as we can." While Lawrence's looming return to practice is a big step forward, he still needs to clear the NFL's five-step concussion protocol to have any chance at starting Sunday's game against the Buccaneers.

Siemian will start Sunday's game against the Commanders in place of Zach Wilson, who was ruled out Friday due to a concussion, Adam Schefter of ESPN reports.

Siemian will face a Washington defense that's at or near the bottom of the league in numerous statistical categories, though he'll have the keys to an offense that's been equally bad or perhaps even worse, averaging 14.4 points (30th in NFL) and 255.1 yards per game (32nd). Poor quarterback play has been a large part of the Jets' offensive struggles, and it's a trend Siemian is unlikely to change given his career 58.5 completion rate and 6.6 yards per attempt. He's fared poorly in his two relief appearances this season for the Jets in Weeks 13 and 15, completing 19 of 39 passes (48.7 percent) for 176 yards (4.5 YPA), with no touchdowns, two interceptions, four fumbles (two lost) and five sacks.

Wilson (concussion) won't play Sunday against the Commanders.

Per Rich Cimini of ESPN.com, with Wilson ruled out for Week 16, Trevor Siemian will pick up his first start as a member of the Jets. Wilson will now target a potential return to action next Thursday against the Browns in Week 17.

Stafford completed 24 of 34 passes for 328 yards with two touchdowns and no interceptions in the Rams' 30-22 win over the Saints on Thursday night. He also rushed once for minus-4 yards.

Stafford continued his recent stretch of significantly improved play, authoring his fifth straight multi-touchdown effort while eclipsing the 300-yard mark for the first time since Week 4. The veteran signal-caller also extended his streak of games without an interception to four, and he unsurprisingly connected with the dynamic duo of Puka Nacua and Cooper Kupp, the former of whom joined Demarcus Robinson on the receiving end of Stafford's pair of touchdown passes, for 15 of his 24 completions. Stafford has the Rams creeping closer to a postseason spot, and he'll aim to keep that quest going in the right direction in a Week 17 road matchup against the Giants on New Year's Eve.

Carr completed 27 of 40 passes for 319 yards with three touchdowns and one interception and added two carries for two yards in the Saints' 30-22 loss to the Rams on Thursday night. He also threw for a two-point conversion.

The veteran signal-caller had struggled most of his first Saints season in terms of establishing consistency and pushing the ball downfield, but he was able to reverse those trends Thursday, albeit in defeat. Carr's night progressively improved as it unfolded, and he capped off his standout performance with five- and 35-yard touchdown tosses to Juwan Johnson and A.T. Perry, respectively, in the fourth quarter. He also hit Rashid Shaheed from 45 yards out late in the first half for his first scoring pass of the night, marking his second straight three-touchdown tally. Carr's 300-yard effort was his sixth of the campaign overall and a particularly welcome sight for fantasy managers in their playoff contests after he'd topped out at 226 yards in five of his previous six games. The 10-year veteran will aim to carry over the momentum into a Week 17 road division clash with the Buccaneers on New Year's Eve.

Smith (groin) practiced in full Thursday, John Boyle of the Seahawks' official site reports

Smith has missed two consecutive games due to a groin injury that he suffered during a Dec. 7 practice, but he was active this past Monday against the Eagles after completing a pregame workout. In the end, the Seahawks erred on the side of caution on a wet field and rolled with Drew Lock under center, and the latter led a come-from-behind 20-17 victory. Smith told Michael-Shawn Dugar of The Athletic on Thursday that he feels "the same Monday that I do now," which so far has amounted to full listings on the first two Week 16 practice reports. Smith seems destined to resume QB duties Sunday at Tennessee, but it remains to be seen how coach Pete Carroll approaches the situation this weekend.

Head coach Mike Tomlin announced Thursday that Trubisky will serve as the No. 2 quarterback behind Mason Rudolph for Saturday's game against the Bengals, Brooke Pryor of ESPN.com reports.

Kenny Pickett will remain out for a third game in a row while recovering from tightrope surgery on his right ankle, but Trubisky will be bumped down to second on the depth chart in favor of Rudolph after starting the prior two contests. Trubisky went 0-2 during his brief run as a starter, completing 38 of 58 pass attempts for 359 yards (6.2 YPA), two touchdowns and three interceptions while adding 31 yards and two scores on 10 carries. The Steelers benched Trubisky late in this past Saturday's 30-13 loss to the Colts and turned to Rudolph, who will now get his first start since the 2021 season. Pickett was a limited participant in practice Tuesday through Thursday and could be ready to return to the lineup Week 17 versus the Seahawks, so Trubisky may find himself as a healthy inactive for that contest as the Steelers' emergency No. 3 quarterback.

Levis (ankle) didn't practice Thursday, Jim Wyatt of the Titans' official site reports.

With Levis, who also didn't practice Wednesday, sidelined for the second straight day, veteran QB Ryan Tannehill once again saw extensive work with the Titans offense Thursday. Levis now has one more chance to practice ahead of Sunday's contest against the Seahawks, but if he's unavailable this weekend, Ryan Tannehill would serve as the Titans' starting signal-caller Week 16.