NFL Player News

Rodgers didn't practice Wednesday due to right thumb and knee injuries.

While the thumb issue likely is a residual one due to the fracture that Rodgers played through for a good portion of the campaign, the knee concern stems from a hit he took this past Sunday at Miami. He told Matt Schneidman of The Athletic that he isn't concerned about his potential to play Sunday against the Vikings, calling Wednesday's absence a veteran's day off. Rodgers thus should get back on the practice field in some capacity both Thursday and Friday as the Packers prepare for a Week 17 NFC North matchup that contains massive playoff implications for both squads.

Lawrence (toe) didn't practice Wednesday.

The toe injury has affected Lawrence's practice participation since Week 14 but hasn't stopped him from playing and leading the Jaguars to three straight wins while accounting for nine total touchdowns against three turnovers. Fumbles remain a problem with his 10 being fourth-most in the league, though the extent has probably been exaggerated on account of his bad luck in losing eight of them. As for Week 17, head coach Doug Pederson said he'll play to win and won't rest starters this Sunday against the Texans, even though the game is essentially irrelevant to the playoff picture, per Adam Stites of USA Today. The Jaguars will follow the Week 17 game with a winner-take-all bout with the Titans in Week 18 to determine the AFC South champion.

Willis is in line to start Thursday's game against Dallas with Ryan Tannehill (ankle) ruled out for a second straight contest, Jim Wyatt of the Titans' official site reports.

Tannehill won't return until the playoffs, if at all this season, and Willis' performance through the first three starts of his career doesn't inspire confidence in the Titans making it beyond Week 18. The Titans' game this Thursday is all but meaningless in terms of the AFC playoff picture, which probably explains why Derrick Henry (hip) and a slew of other key players are either listed as doubtful or out. With that in mind, the Titans could let Willis take more shots -- even against a tough Dallas defense -- as their playoff fortunes are almost certain to depend on the result Week 18 at Jacksonville and nothing else.

Fields (foot) isn't listed on Chicago's Week 17 injury report ahead of Sunday's game in Detroit.

Fields has been playing through a left shoulder injury since Week 13 and had his foot stepped on in Saturday's loss to Buffalo, with the quarterback noting Wednesday that the latter injury is "fine" after he dealt with some swelling the past few days, per Patrick Finley of the Chicago Sun-Times. Head coach Matt Eberflus said Monday that he won't shut Fields down for the season so long as he's healthy enough to play, and that's apparently the case for Week 17 in a potential shootout with the Lions.

Carr will be inactive for Sunday's game against the 49ers, with Jarrett Stidham getting the start at quarterback and Chase Garbers in line to be elevated from the practice squad to serve as the backup, Adam Schefter of ESPN reports.

Needing about a dozen games to go their way over the final two weeks to qualify for the playoffs, the Raiders have decided to prioritize evaluation of young players over pursuing their minuscule chances of reaching the postseason. Making Carr inactive down the stretch rather than the No. 2 quarterback ensures he won't have to play and eliminates injury risk -- crucial given the possibility he's traded or released this upcoming offseason. Paul Gutierrez of ESPN.com reports that the Raiders can release him with a dead-cap charge of $5.63 million if they do it within three days of the Super Bowl in February. The Raiders are likely to make the move unless they have a verbal agreement in place to trade him to another team, since a deal can't be made official until the start of the 2023 league year in March.

Hurts (shoulder) was a non-participant at Wednesday's walk-through practice, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reports.

Even though the Eagles still have some work to do to lock down the NFC's No. 1 seed after this past Saturday's loss at Dallas, they may be without the services of Hurts for a second straight game, given that he has yet to log any practice reps due to the sprained right shoulder that he suffered Week 15 in Chicago. He still has a pair of sessions available to him this week to put himself in a position to play Sunday against the Saints, while Gardner Minshew is the next man up to direct Philadelphia's offense if Hurts requires more time to rehab his injury.

Broncos CEO Greg Penner said Tuesday that Wilson is still central to the team's long-term plan and is expected to rebuond in 2023, Jeff Legwold of ESPN.com reports.

The in-season firing of first-year head coach Nathaniel Hackett earlier this week led to speculation that Wilson could be the next be the next big name headed out of Denver, even though he signed a five-year, $245 million extension in early September. The more likely scenario is one where Wilson finishes out the final two weeks of the season under interim coach Jerry Rosburg before getting a fresh start in the offseason with a new coaching staff. Rosburg confirmed Wednesday that Wilson will start Sunday's game against the Chiefs, according to Aric DiLalla of the Broncos' official site.

Rodgers was held out of practice Wednesday with a sore knee but is expected to play Sunday against the Vikings, Rob Demovsky of ESPN.com reports.

Rodgers took a hard hit to the knee during Sunday's 26-20 win over Miami, but he was able to finish the game and now has the Packers in decent shape to reach the playoffs as a wild card if Green Bay can win its final two games and get some minor help. With that in mind, he'll likely suit up Sunday if the knee issue is just a matter of pain tolerance.

Cardinals head coach Kliff Kingsbury said Wednesday that McCoy has cleared the concussion protocol and is in line to start Sunday's game in Atlanta, Josh Weinfuss of ESPN.com reports.

Following Kyler Murray's torn ACL that he sustained Week 14, McCoy got the nod under center Week 15, only to suffer a concussion that forced him out Week 16. McCoy has logged only one official practice since then -- he was limited last Friday -- but now that he's out of the protocol he'll be a full participant moving forward. As a result, he again will be the top quarterback on the Cardinals' depth chart, pushing back Trace McSorley to the No. 2 spot.

Raiders head coach Josh McDaniels said Wednesday that Jarrett Stidham will replace Derek Carr as the starting quarterback Sunday against the 49ers, leaving Garbers to operate as the primary backup, Paul Gutierrez of ESPN.com reports.

Garbers landed on Las Vegas' practice squad after he failed to make the team's initial 53-man roster coming out of the preseason, and he's been there since. The undrafted rookie out of California passed for 6,580 yards and also rushed for 1,174 yards over his four-year college career.