NFL Player News

Speaking after Wednesday's practice, Prescott confirmed that his bruised right hand is no longer an issue, Rob Phillips of the Cowboys' official site reports.

Prescott was bothered by the injury during the Cowboys' 38-14 win over the Redskins in Week 13, completing 11 of 22 passes for 102 yards and two touchdowns without missing a snap. He acknowledged that there was some swelling, but the long rest between games seems to have worked in his favor. Prescott was a full practice participant Wednesday and said he won't have any limitations for Sunday's road game against the struggling Giants.

Smith is in line to back up Eli Manning during the Giants' game Sunday against the Cowboys, Tom Rock of Newsday reports.

The Giants will officially reinstate Eli Manning as the team's starting quarterback Wednesday following the veteran's one-game benching, a change that was set in motion shortly after head coach Ben McAdoo was fired Monday. While Smith, who threw for 212 yards and one touchdown but lost two fumbles during his start in the Week 13 loss to the Raiders, is set to become a free agent this offseason and doesn't appear to have a long-term future with the franchise, he'll likely dress Sunday with third-round rookie Davis Webb apparently not ready for the understudy role just yet. Webb is expected to receive more reps than usual in practice this week, however, potentially setting the stage for Smith to fall to third on the depth chart at some point during the Giants' final three games.

Stafford (hand) didn't throw during the portion of Wednesday's practice open to the media, Kyle Meinke of MLive.com reports.

Prior to the session, head coach Jim Caldwell told Michael Rothstein of ESPN.com that Stafford is "not out of the woods yet" as it pertains to Sunday's game at Tampa Bay, noting the contusion on the quarterback's right hand isn't insignificant. The lack of throws doesn't mean Stafford ultimately won't be deemed a limited participant Wednesday, especially after he was able to hand off the ball with his left hand. Backup quarterback Jake Rudock handled the majority of reps, though, so the Lions seem to be preparing for all scenarios.

Prescott, who bruised his throwing hand in the Cowboys' Week 13 win over the Redskins, will play Sunday against the Giants, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reports.

According to Jori Epstein of The Dallas Morning News, Cowboys head coach Jason Garrett said that Prescott still may be inhibited when it comes to gripping the ball, but the injury isn't expected to impact the quarterback's throwing. Prescott was aided by the Cowboys having played Thursday last week, giving him a full nine days to heal up from the injury, which ultimately didn't prevent him from missing any snaps in the win over Washington. The 2-10 Giants, who have had trouble stopping the pass this season, represent a favorable matchup for Prescott in Week 14.

Lions head coach Jim Caldwell said Wednesday that Stafford (hand) is "not out of the woods yet" and indicated that the quarterback's injury isn't insignificant, Michael Rothstein of ESPN.com reports.

Though X-rays came back negative on Stafford's right hand earlier this week, he's still dealing with a painful bruise that inhibits his ability to throw the ball. As a result, Stafford seems likely to be at least a limited participant in the team's first practice of the week Wednesday, if not held out of the session entirely. Because Stafford's status for Sunday's matchup with the Buccaneers is up in the air, Caldwell indicated that he would likely have to balance getting both Stafford and backup Jake Rudock ready for possible starting assignments during the Lions' practices this week.

Taylor (knee) won't participate in practice Wednesday, Chris Brown of the Bills' official site reports.

According to Brown, Bills head coach Sean McDermott said that the team would "take it one day at a time" with regard to which of its three quarterbacks would start Sunday against the Colts. If he's able to shake off the patella contusion in his left knee before the weekend, Taylor would receive the starting assignment, but his absence from the Bills' first practice of the week will leave Nathan Peterman and Joe Webb to run the offense Wednesday. McDermott didn't specify which of the two quarterbacks would work with the first-team offense and which would be limited to scout-team work.

Dalton completed 21 of 36 passes for 234 yards and two touchdowns in Monday night's 23-20 loss to the Steelers. He also rushed twice for 19 yards.

Dalton found top target A.J. Green for two red-zone touchdowns during the first half, and had a 61-yard score to Green nullified by a holding penalty in the second half. Despite that frustrating play, Dalton still fared well for himself, throwing multiple touchdowns for the fourth straight contest while extending his streak of not throwing an interception to six games. Next up for Dalton is a favorable home matchup against the Bears.

Beathard will remain in a reserve role this Sunday against the Texans after head coach Kyle Shanahan named Jimmy Garoppolo the starting quarterback on Monday, ESPN's Nick Wagoner reports.

Beathard's recent hip and knee ailments made it easier for the 49ers to give Garoppolo his highly anticipated first start Sunday, which resulted in San Francisco earning its second victory of the season. Although Beathard was available as a backup, Garoppolo's strong showing cemented his starting status for this weekend. Considering Garoppolo's pedigree, it'd be surprising if he didn't start each of San Francisco's four remaining games, likely leaving the rookie Beathard's fantasy value reliant on an injury to his teammate.

San Francisco head coach Kyle Shanahan has named Garoppolo the starting quarterback for this Sunday's game against the Texans, ESPN's Nick Wagoner reports.

Garoppolo threw for nearly 300 yards while completing over 70 percent of his passes in Sunday's first start for the 49ers. That production coupled with the fact he led San Francisco to just its second victory of the season makes Shanahan's decision a no-brainer, despite any admiration rookie C.J. Beathard's effort has garnered thus far. Now with the keys to his new team's offense, Garoppolo will look to build on his promising full debut, and this weekend's matchup versus the Texans appears favorable. Houston's passing defense is currently tied for third-worst in touchdowns (23) and yards per attempt (7.8) allowed.

Smith will likely return to a backup role Week 14 against the Cowboys with the team expected to reinstall Eli Manning as its starting quarterback, a source informed Jordan Raanan of ESPN.com reports.

Even amid a lost season, the Giants' decision to strip Manning of his long-held starting duties and hand the keys of the offense over to Smith for Sunday's eventual 24-17 loss to the Oakland drew criticism in many circles. While not a complete disaster Sunday (21-for-34, one touchdown, no interception and two lost fumbles), the 27-year-old apparently didn't do quite enough to strengthen his hold on the gig before the man who had named Smith starter, head coach Ben McAdoo, was fired Monday. It's not clear if interim coach Steve Spagnuolo intends to stick with Manning beyond Week 14, but if another change is made, rookie third-round pick Davis Webb seems like a better than Smith, an impending free agent, to get a look.