NFL Player News

Either Hoyer or Aidan O'Connell will start Sunday against the Bears, as Jimmy Garoppolo (back) was ruled out Friday.

O'Connell got the starting nod when Garoppolo missed Week 4 due to a concussion, but Hoyer has been working as Garoppolo's primary backup, and the veteran came on in relief after Garoppolo hurt his back Week 6. Coach Josh McDaniels said both available quarterbacks have enjoyed a strong week of practice, but he has yet to name a starter for Sunday's battle of backup quarterbacks against a Bears team that's expected to deploy Tyson Bagent under center with Justin Fields (thumb) unavailable.

Garoppolo (back) has been ruled out for Sunday's game in Chicago, Rachel Gossen of the Raiders' official site reports.

Garoppolo was forced out of the Raiders' Week 6 win against the Patriots with a back injury in the second quarter and took an ambulance to a local hospital. After failing to practice at all Wednesday through Friday, he'll miss at least one contest as a result. The Raiders have yet to make a decision on their Week 7 starting quarterback, but coach Josh McDaniels told Tashan Reed of The Athletic that they'll know for sure who's getting the call between veteran Brian Hoyer and rookie fourth-round pick Aidan O'Connell after Friday's session. Garoppolo's next chance to play comes Oct. 30 at Detroit.

Bagent is in line to be the Bears' starting quarterback Sunday against the Raiders with Justin Fields (thumb) officially ruled out, Adam Schefter of ESPN reports.

Since Justin Fields departed Chicago's Week 6 loss to the Vikings, Bagent has been the leader in the clubhouse to get the nod Week 7 over veteran Nathan Peterman, especially considering the former was active this past Sunday while the latter was not. Bagent stepped in for Fields in that contest and completed 10 of 14 passes for 83 yards, no touchdowns and an interception while also losing a fumble that was returned for a TD. The Bears have yet to make an official announcement on their No. 1 QB for this Sunday, but the situation should receive some clarity before the 1:00 p.m. ET kickoff.

Fields (thumb) has been ruled out for Sunday's game against the Raiders.

After dislocating the thumb in his right throwing hand this past Sunday against the Vikings, Fields was deemed doubtful for Week 7 action by head coach Matt Eberflus, per Kevin Fishbain of The Athletic. Fields will need to regain his typical grip strength in order to be cleared for game action, and Ebeflus told Fishbain on Friday that "he's improving. ... It's trending in the right direction. He'll be week to week, but we'll know more Monday." With Fields out Sunday, undrafted rookie Tyson Bagent is the top candidate to get the start at quarterback over veteran Nathan Peterman.

Watson (shoulder), who is listed as questionable for Sunday's game against the Colts, officially was deemed a full practice participant Friday, Scott Petrak of the Elyria Chronicle-Telegram reports.

Watson has missed the Browns' last two games due to a rotator cuff strain in his throwing shoulder, but his full practice participation represents a big step toward the quarterback's return to action, per Jake Trotter of ESPN.com. With that in mind, head coach Kevin Stefanski hasn't yet committed to Watson starting this weekend, noting that he wants to see how the signal-caller "responds over the next 48 hours based on that full workload that he just got." On the plus side, Stefanski said Watson "looked good" Friday. Fortunately for those considering Watson in Week 7 fantasy lineups, Cleveland kicks off at 1 p.m. ET on Sunday, so managers should have plenty of options available in the event Watson isn't able to play.

Jones (neck) is listed as questionable for Sunday's game against the Commanders, Dan Salomone of the Giants' official site reports.

Mike Garafolo of NFL Network suggests Jones may be on "the wrong side of questionable" after head coach Brian Daboll revealed earlier Friday that the quarterback hadn't been cleared for contact. It sounds like it'll come down to a medical/doctor's decision ahead of Sunday's 1:00 p.m. ET kickoff, rather than being a matter of pain management or something that's left up to Jones. If he's out for a second straight week, Tyrod Taylor will make another start after nearly leading the Giants to an upset of the Bills this past Sunday. it won't be surprising if an announcement comes before Sunday morning, though for now fantasy managers should treat Jones as a potential game-time decision.

Watson (right shoulder) will be listed as questionable for Sunday's game against the Colts, Jake Trotter of ESPN.com reports.

Mary Kay Cabot of The Cleveland Plain Dealer relays via coach Kevin Stefanski that Watson took his normal amount of practice reps Friday, with Stefanski noting that he thought the QB "looked good" in doing so. As for Watson's Week 7 availability, Stefanski told Trotter that he wants to see how Watson's shoulder responds to the work he got in Friday before a determination is made, but at this stage the signal-caller appears to be trending in the right direction ahead of Sunday's contest.

Coach Brian Daboll said Friday morning that Jones (neck) hasn't been cleared for contact, Dan Duggan of The Athletic reports.

Daboll ruled out three offensive linemen but didn't comment on an injury designation for Jones ahead of Sunday's matchup with the Commanders. The quarterback has been a limited practice participant this week and seems more likely than not to miss a second straight game.

Hill secured four of five targets for 50 yards and rushed five times for 18 yards and a touchdown in the Saints' 31-24 loss to the Jaguars on Thursday night.

Hill was efficient on his nine touches, and he scored his first rushing touchdown of the campaign on a one-yard run early in the fourth quarter. The 33-year-old has logged multiple carries in all but one game, and his receiving yardage total Thursday was a season high. Hill's boost in involvement as a receiver over the last two games (11-99 line on 13 targets) is certainly encouraging, and he'll have a good matchup in that regard against the Colts in a Week 8 interconference battle Sunday, Oct. 29.

Carr completed 33 of 55 passes for 301 yards with one touchdown and one interception and added three carries for 14 yards in the Saints' 31-24 loss to the Jaguars on Thursday night. He also threw a two-point conversion pass and committed a fumble recovered by New Orleans.

Carr put up fantasy-friendly numbers in defeat for a second straight game, but he ultimately came up short at the most critical time of the contest. The narrative would have admittedly been different if Foster Moreau would have come up with a would-be game-tying touchdown with 30 seconds remaining on a catchable pass. Carr threw four incompletions overall inside the Jaguars' 10-yard line in the final 36 seconds of the game, increasing the glare of the spotlight on him. The veteran signal-caller is also playing through multiple bumps and bruises, so the extra prep time ahead of a Week 8 road matchup against the Colts on Sunday, Oct. 29 should be particularly valuable.