NFL Player News

Stafford (back/hip) said Monday that he'll be back to full health for the start of the Lions' offseason program in April, Michael Rothstein of ESPN.com reports.

Stafford was sidelined for the Lions' final eight games of the season after fracturing multiple bones in his back in a Nov. 3 loss to the Raiders. The quarterback said he's "pretty close to being back to normal" and won't require offseason surgery for his back or a lingering hip issue, putting him on pace to enter the 2020 campaign with few restrictions. Prior to getting shut down, the 31-year-old looked on his way to turning in the best season of his career, as he completed 64.3 percent of his passes for 8.6 yards per attempt and a 19:5 TD:INT through his eight starts.

Jackson has the flu, Jeff Zrebiec of The Athletic reports.

It doesn't seem to be a serious case, considering Jackson was on the sideline for most of Sunday's 28-10 win over the Steelers. He and a few other key players were held out of the regular-season finale, with Baltimore preparing for a divisional-round playoff matchup against the Texans, Bills or Titans on Jan. 11. Coach John Harbaugh expects Jackson to participate in practice Tuesday, per Jamison Hensley of ESPN.com.

Coach Bruce Arians said Monday that a decision on Winston's status with the organization heading into the 2020 season will likely be made within the next couple of weeks, though the Buccaneers aren't expected to publicly announce their plans for the quarterback until March, Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

After completing his first year on the job for Tampa Bay, Arians didn't exactly offer up a ringing endorsement for Winston, who became the first player in NFL history to throw for 30 touchdowns and 30 interceptions in a season. According to Stroud, Arians told the media that Winston is "bright" and "hard working," but on the other hand noted the Buccaneers also could win with another quarterback. With Tampa Bay expected to make inking wideout Chris Godwin to an extension a priority this offseason, Winston -- if retained -- would be a more logical choice for the Bucs' franchise tag rather than a candidate to re-sign on a long-term deal. If the organization determines Winston isn't the answer for 2020, expect the team to turn its attention to the trade market or free agency for a starting quarterback and/or address the position with the No. 14 overall pick in April's draft.

Grier (foot) is scheduled to undergo an MRI on Monday, Jourdan Rodrigue of The Athletic reports.

Offensive coordinator Scott Turner noted that Grier isn't believed to have fractured his left foot in Sunday's 42-10 loss to the Saints, but the rookie signal-caller will don a walking boot as a precaution for now. The MRI should provide clarity on the extent of his injury and allow the Panthers to put an estimated timeline on his return to activity. Grier started the final two games for the Panthers but looked far from NFL ready, completing 28 of 52 attempts (53.8 percent) for 228 yards, zero touchdowns and four interceptions.

Garoppolo completed 18 of 22 pass attempts for 285 yards with no touchdowns or interceptions in Sunday's 26-21 win over the Seahawks.

Garoppolo fared much better against the Seahawks in the teams' second matchup this season as he had more time to stand in the pocket behind a healthier offensive line and pick apart Seattle's defense. The only blemish on his line was the lack of scores, as San Francisco's runners finished off the drives that the aerial attack started. The 28-year-old concludes his first full regular season with a 69.1 percent completion rate, 3,978 passing yards and a 27:13 TD:INT ratio while leading his team to the No. 1 seed in the NFC heading into the playoffs. Garoppolo didn't finish with a gaudy yardage total due to the 49ers' strong rushing attack and defensive unit, but his 8.4 yards per attempt (third behind only Matthew Stafford and Ryan Tannehill) displays his ability to hit big plays without being erratic. He may not have finished as a top fantasy arm -- and may not next year in coach Kyle Shanahan's current power-run scheme -- but Jimmy G certainly delivered on the real football hype in 2019.

Wilson completed 25 of 40 passes for 233 yards and two touchdowns in Sunday's 26-21 loss to the 49ers. He also ran eight times for 29 yards.

Wilson's first three quarters were uninspiring, but he turned it up in the fourth quarter, completing 14 of 23 passes for 149 yards and a touchdown. The Seahawks were inches from scoring with less than a minute left as the veteran signal caller completed a fourth-down pass to rookie John Ursua that was stopped just short of the goal line. Due to substitution issues following the catch, they took a costly delay of game penalty, pushing them back five yards. On Wilson's last opportunity to clinch the NFC West, he connected with Jacob Hollister on fourth down, but the tight end was stopped short of glory. The Seahawks will have to go on the road this postseason, starting in Philadelphia for the wild-card round.

Brissett completed 12 of 25 pass attempts for 162 yards while also rushing four times for 17 yards in Sunday's 38-20 loss to the Jaguars.

Brissett's late-season slide hit rock bottom after the signal-caller fell below a 50 percent completion rate for the first time in a game this season. The 26-year-old was looking like an adequate replacement for Andrew Luck (retirement) after a strong first half of the season when he posted a 64.5 completion rate, 1,590 passing yards and a 14:3 TD:INT ratio through the first seven games of the campaign. The league must have figured him out in the second half of the campaign, however, as he struggled to the tune of a 56.9 completion percentage, 1,352 yards and a 4:3 TD:INT ratio over his final eight games. The Colts extended Brissett through the 2020 season, so he should get a chance to redeem himself if the team doesn't pursue another option this upcoming offseason.

Minshew (shoulder) completed 27 of 39 pass attempts for 295 yards, three touchdowns and an interception in Sunday's 38-20 win over the Colts.

Minshew provided one of Week 17's biggest surprises when you consider he entered the game nursing an injured shoulder while also coming off of his worst performance of the season last week against Atlanta (13 of 31 for 181 yards). Filling in for the injured Nick Foles to begin the year, the 2019 sixth-round pick created a huge buzz with some strong fantasy performances coupled with his unorthodox sense of style, thus creating 'Minshew Mania.' The Jaguars signed Foles to a huge four-year, $88 million contract this past offseason, money that could dictate giving him another chance to start in 2020, but Minshew showed the team that he is a capable NFL quarterback (60.6 completion percentage, 3,271 passing yards, 21 touchdowns and six interceptions in 14 games), and he appears to have a higher fantasy ceiling due to his ability to chip in some rushing stats (344 rushing yards).

Tannehill completed 13 of 20 passes for 198 yards and two touchdowns in the team's Week 17 win over the Texans.

Tannehill took a backseat to Derrick Henry, throwing only 20 passes in comparison to 32 rushing attempts for Henry. However, the quarterback worked efficiently, throwing multiple touchdowns for the seventh consecutive game. Tannehill resurrected his career in 2019, leading the team to a 7-3 record after taking over as the starter in Week 7. A free agent at the conclusion of the season, Tannehill likely did enough to either be given the franchise tag or signed to a long-term deal in Tennessee. For now, however, his focus will be squarely on the team's matchup against the Patriots in the wild-card round of the playoffs.

Jones completed 28 of 47 passes for 301 yards and a touchdown with one interception in Sunday's 34-17 loss to the Eagles.

He also gained 26 rushing yards on three carries but committed two more fumbles, losing one of them. Ball security was a major issue for the rookie -- he finished 2019 with 12 INTs and 11 lost fumbles in 13 games (12 starts) -- but otherwise Jones gave the Giants reason to believe they've found the long-term successor to Eli Manning, as he completed 61.9 percent of his passes for 3,027 yards and 24 touchdowns, albeit with a modest 6.6 YPA. With Saquon Barkley in the backfield, Jones doesn't need to carry the offense on his own, but if he can reduce his turnovers in 2020 he should have the receiving weapons around him to put together a strong fantasy campaign.