NFL Player News

Mayfield (ankle) is inactive for Sunday's game at the Rams, Darin Gantt of the Panthers' official site reports.

After picking up a high-ankle sprain last Sunday against the 49ers, Mayfield sought a second opinion on the injury, which confirmed its nature and the fact he didn't sustain any additional damage. Despite not practicing this week, the Panthers left the door slightly ajar for him to be active, deeming him doubtful, but ultimately he'll yield the start to P.J. Walker, with Jacob Eason backing up Walker. Mayfield seems unlikely to recover in time for a Week 7 matchup with the Buccaneers next Sunday, but that'll mark his next opportunity to return to action.

Thompson exited Sunday's game against the Vikings after sustaining a right thumb injury.

With Tua Tagovailoa inactive, Teddy Bridgewater has stepped in for Thompson at QB. Prior to departing the game, Thompson completed seven of his 13 pass attempts for 89 yards.

Zappe will start at quarterback for the Patriots in Sunday's game against the Browns, with Mac Jones (ankle) inactive, Evan Lazar of the team's official site reports.

In the Patriots' 29-0 win over the Lions last weekend, Zappe completed 17 of 21 passes for 188 yards with one TD and a pick. In his second straight start, the 2022 fourth-rounder is a speculative fantasy play, though he is an option for those who might otherwise rely on Jones, are in need of a bye week plug-in or who could use some short-term depth in QB-heavy formats.

Jones (ankle) is inactive for Sunday's game against the Browns.

With Jones, who was able to practice in a limited fashion this past week, out for a third consecutive game, Bailey Zappe is slated to make his second straight start, backed up by Garrett Gilbert. Jones' next chance to suit up will thus arrive a week from Monday when the Patriots host the Bears in Week 7.

Winston (back/ankle) is listed as active Sunday against the Bengals.

While Winston will be available for the first time since Week 3, he won't be leading the Saints offense Week 6 and instead will be Andy Dalton's backup in an emergency capacity. Winston's next chance to reclaim the starting role is this Thursday at Arizona, but Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reported Sunday that Dalton may be able to keep the No. 1 gig with another steady performance this weekend. As a result, there's no telling when (or if) Winston will supersede Dalton, even after he's put four small fractures in his back and an ankle issue behind him.

Winston (back/ankle), who is listed as questionable for Sunday's game against the Bengals, is scheduled to dress for the contest and serve as an emergency quarterback behind starter Andy Dalton, Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.com reports.

Winston's return to action in a backup capacity was foreshadowed Saturday when the Saints waived No. 3 quarterback Jake Luton. The 28-year-old was a limited participant in practice throughout the week, but the Saints seemingly have hope that Winston may heal up enough to reclaim the starting role Week 7 in Arizona in a Thursday night game. Even if Winston avoids the inactive list ahead of Sunday's contest as expected, he may not be pressed into duty if Dalton is forced to exit early. The Saints would still have the versatile Taysom Hill on hand to take reps under center if the team would rather not expose Winston to further injury.

Tagovailoa (ankle), who is listed as out for Sunday's game against the Vikings but officially cleared the concussion protocol Saturday, will start Week 7 against the Steelers, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reports.

The Dolphins may not formally appoint Tagovailoa to the starting role until after they conclude their three Week 7 practices, but in the absence of any setbacks, the quarterback's two-game absence will come to an end. Skylar Thompson is slated to make his first NFL start against the Vikings, while Teddy Bridgewater will serve as his backup after clearing the concussion protocol Saturday but having managed only one full practice this week.

Dalton is expected to be working without each of his top three receivers while he makes his third consecutive start Sunday against the Bengals, ESPN.com reports.

Though top signal-caller Jameis Winston (back/ankle) is listed as questionable for the contest, he's unlikely to be available as anything more than a backup option behind Dalton, who has managed the Saints to a 1-1 record over his previous two starts. In those games, Dalton hasn't been asked to do much, as he's attempted just 52 passes, completing 69.2 percent of those throws for 8.1 yards per attempt and a 2:1 TD:INT. Even if a negative game script forces Dalton to drop back more frequently Sunday, he won't have many established weapons to work with in the passing game aside from running back Alvin Kamara. Michael Thomas (foot) and Jarvis Landry (ankle) have already been ruled out for their third and second straight games, respectively, while standout rookie Chris Olave is listed as questionable but is still experiencing concussion symptoms and isn't likely to play. Additionally, depth wideout Deonte Harty (foot) was moved to injured reserve Saturday, leaving Tre'Quan Smith, Marquez Callaway, Keith Kirkwood, Rashid Shaheed and Kevin White as the team's available options at the position. That quintet has combined for 13 receptions through the first five weeks of the season.

The Saints waived Luton on Saturday.

Due to the depleted state of its wide-receiving corps and secondary, the Saints couldn't afford to keep Luton on the 53-man roster as a No. 3 quarterback behind Jameis Winston (back/ankle) and Andy Dalton. Though Dalton will make his third straight start Sunday against the Bengals, Winston -- who is listed as questionable -- may be healthy enough to dress as his backup. Even if Winston ends up inactive, the Saints would still have the jack-of-all-trades Taysom Hill on hand to step in at quarterback if something should happen to Dalton on Sunday.

Zappe is expected to start Sunday's game in Cleveland with top quarterback Mac Jones (ankle) listed as questionable but considered highly unlikely to play, sources tell Ian Rapoport of NFL Network.

Clarification on the Patriots' plans at quarterback won't officially arrive until the team releases its inactive list 90 minutes prior to the 1 p.m. ET kickoff, but unless Jones checks out better than anticipated during pregame warmups, Zappe will pick up his second straight start. The Patriots' decision to elevate another quarterback in Garrett Gilbert from the practice squad Saturday already signaled that Jones is trending toward missing a third straight contest despite the fact that Jones practiced in a limited fashion this week. Gilbert should serve as the backup behind Zappe, who completed 17 of 21 attempts for 188 yards, a touchdown and an interception in his first NFL start last week in the Patriots' 29-0 win over the Lions.