NFL Player News

Commanders head coach Ron Rivera said Wednesday that Sam Howell rather than Heinicke will start Sunday's season finale against the Cowboys, Ben Standig of The Athletic reports.

Earlier Wednesday, Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.com reported that Heinicke was in line to draw the starting assignment in place of the benched Carson Wentz, with Howell also in line to appear in relief. However, Rivera subsequently clarified that the rookie fifth-round pick will take the first snap for the team Sunday, and presumably play the entire game. At 7-8-1, the Commanders have been eliminated from playoff contention and are incentivized to see what they have in Howell, who has yet to make his NFL debut. Unless he's used behind Howell this Sunday, Heinicke will conclude the 2022 campaign with a 62.2 percent completion rate for 1,859 yards, 12 touchdowns and six interceptions to go with 96 rushing yards and another score over his nine appearances.

Commanders head coach Ron Rivera said Wednesday that Howell will start Sunday's game against the Cowboys, Nicki Jhabvala of The Washington Post reports.

Though Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.com reported earlier in the day that Taylor Heinicke was expected to step back in as the starter for Week 18 in place of the benched Carson Wentz, Washington will instead turn the offense over to Howell, a fifth-round rookie out of North Carolina who has yet to make his NFL debut. Howell showed promise in the preseason, completing 62.3 percent of his passes for 7.8 yards per attempt while adding 94 yards and two scores on the ground. A positive outing against the Cowboys could help Howell garner consideration for the Week 1 starting job in 2023.

Fields is dealing with a strained hip and has been ruled out for Sunday's season finale against the Vikings.

With Fields sitting out the contest, Nathan Peterman will start at quarterback for the Bears. Fields will thus finish the 2022 campaign having completed 192 of 318 passing attempts (60.4 percent) for 2,242 yards, 17 touchdowns and 11 interceptions to go along with 160 carries for 1,143 yards and eight rushing scores in 15 games. Looking ahead to next season, Fields' dual-threat ability will make him a coveted fantasy asset, though he'll need to prove that he's making progress as a passer. The Bears are likely to surround him with several new pass-catching options in 2023 after few of his current weapons emerged as reliable targets this season. Fields will be going into the third year of his rookie contract that runs through 2024.

Bears head coach Matt Eberflus said that Peterman will start Sunday's season finale against the Vikings, Kevin Fishbain of The Athletic reports.

Peterman will enter the starting lineup with Justin Fields (hip) ruled out with a short-term injury, according to Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune. The Vikings have clinched the NFC North division title and may ultimately rest some starters Week 18, but Peterman's chances of racking up fantasy production in his first start since 2018 will still be hampered by having to work with Chase Claypool, Byron Pringle, Equanimeous St. Brown and Cole Kmet as his top receiving options.

Eagles head coach Nick Sirianni said Wednesday that Hurts (shoulder) is still being evaluated day-by-day, James Palmer of NFL Network reports.

Since the Eagles are merely holding a walk-through session Wednesday to begin Week 18 prep, Sirianni said he doesn't expect to know more about where Hurts stands in his recovery from the SC joint sprain in his right shoulder until Thursday. Ian Rapoport of NFL Network previously reported that Hurts is expected to put an end to his two-game absence and play Sunday versus the Giants, but fantasy managers will want to monitor the situation until Sirianni officially makes a decision about the star quarterback's status. Philadelphia is coming off consecutive losses with Gardner Minshew under center, but a win over New York on Sunday would clinch the NFC East division title as well as the No. 1 overall seed in the playoffs.

Bridgewater, who was diagnosed with a dislocated right pinky finger after exiting last week's 23-21 loss to the Patriots, hasn't been ruled out from starting Sunday's regular-season finale with the Jets, though his playing status will depend on whether he can grip the ball well enough to comfortably and accurately throw the football, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reports.

The Dolphins are proceeding with Bridgewater and Skylar Thompson as their options at quarterback this week with a playoff spot at stake, as head coach Mike McDaniel has already dismissed the possibility of Tua Tagovailoa (concussion) starting Sunday even if the signal-caller clears the five-step protocol before the weekend. When healthy, Bridgewater has worked ahead of Thompson, but before being handed another starting nod, Bridgewater will need to prove during practices Wednesday through Friday that his finger injury isn't an issue. If Bridgewater fails to make enough progress as the week rolls along and isn't fit to start or dress as Thompson's backup, the Dolphins will likely elevate recent practice-squad signee Mike Glennon to step in as the understudy to Thompson.

Jets head coach Robert Saleh confirmed Wednesday that Wilson will remain a healthy inactive for Sunday's game against the Dolphins, Rich Cimini of ESPN.com reports.

Even though the Jets were eliminated from playoff contention with their 23-6 loss to Seattle this past weekend, Saleh won't use a mostly meaningless season finale as an opportunity to get another look at Wilson, as Mike White will make a second straight start while Joe Flacco dresses as the backup quarterback. Though Wilson will be in street clothes for the second consecutive week to close out the season, Saleh reiterated that the organization remains committed to maximizing the 2021 No. 2 overall pick's potential, according to Cimini. The Jets' offseason moves at the quarterback position will likely dictate whether that's in fact the case after Wilson wrapped up a disappointing sophomore season with a 54.5 percent completion rate for 7.0 yards per attempt and a 6:7 TD:INT over his nine appearances.

Jets head coach Robert Saleh said White will remain the team's starting quarterback for Sunday's game against the Dolphins, Rich Cimini of ESPN.com reports.

Though he's still tending to a fractured rib, White will begin Week 18 prep Wednesday as a full participant and is on tap for his second straight start, despite the fact that the 7-9 Jets have been eliminated from playoff contention. After sitting out Weeks 15 and 16 due to the rib issue, White returned to the lineup for this past Sunday's 23-6 loss to the Seahawks and struggled to move the offense, completing just 23 of 46 pass attempts for 200 yards and two interceptions while also losing a fumble. Despite White's poor showing, the Jets will stick with him rather than turning the offense back over to Zach Wilson, whom Saleh confirmed will be a healthy inactive for the season finale. Joe Flacco will dress as White's backup.

Howell is slated to dress as the Commanders' backup quarterback behind Taylor Heinicke in Sunday's game against the Cowboys and is expected to get the chance to play his first NFL snaps, Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.com reports.

While Carson Wentz was on injured reserve from Weeks 7 through 12, Howell had served as the top backup, but he didn't see any game action behind Heinicke. However, with the 7-8-1 Commanders having now been eliminated from the playoffs after suffering a 24-10 loss to the Browns this past Sunday in Wentz's return to the starting lineup, head coach Ron Rivera appears prepared to drop Wentz to third on the depth chart in order to get an evaluation on Howell in the No. 2 role. It's unclear when the Commanders plan on having Howell enter the game in relief of Heinicke or if the two quarterbacks will alternate series, but the rookie fifth-round pick out of North Carolina looks like he'll finally get the opportunity to showcase his skills to some extent.

Heinicke is expected to be named the Commanders' starting quarterback for Sunday's game against the Cowboys, Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.com reports.

With Carson Wentz flopping in his return to the starting role in last week's 24-10 loss to the Browns, head coach Ron Rivera looks set to turn the offense back over to Heinicke with little on the line in the season finale for the 7-8-1 Commanders, who have been eliminated from playoff contention. Over his nine starts this season prior to being benched Week 17, Heinicke guided Washington to a 5-3-1 record while completing 62.2 percent of his passes for 1,859 yards, 12 touchdowns and six interceptions to go with 96 yards and another score on the ground. According to Fowler, Washington plans to get a look at rookie fifth-round pick Sam Howell at some point during Sunday's game, so Heinicke doesn't look as though he'll be in line to play the full 60 minutes. Meanwhile, Wentz appears likely to be inactive for the contest as Washington's No. 3 quarterback.