NFL Player News

Bridgewater (knee) is listed as active Sunday at Washington, Chris Tomasson of the St. Paul Pioneer Press reports.

Making his long-awaited return from a devastating knee injury, Bridgewater will take on a backup role to Case Keenum while he prepares for his first action since the Vikings' wild-card loss to the Seahawks in January of 2016. Keenum has a firm hold on the starting gig at the moment, but head coach Mike Zimmer will likely want to see how Bridgewater reacts to live snaps at some point this season.

The Seahawks violated the NFL's concussion protocol in the third quarter Thursday's win over the Cardinals after allowing Wilson to reenter the game without first going to the locker room and receiving clearance from a team doctor and independent physician, a source informed Adam Schefter of ESPN.com reports.

After Wilson took a hard hit to the chin from the Cardinals' Karlos Dansby midway through the third quarter, referee Walt Anderson removed the quarterback from the contest in order for him to undergo concussion testing. Backup Austin Davis briefly entered the contest in Wilson's stead, but Wilson ended up checking back into the contest before medical officials could evaluate him. He then remained in the game the rest of the way, relaying afterward that he did in fact pass a concussion test. It appears the NFL is disputing Wilson's claim, but even if it is formally ruled within the next couple weeks that the concussion protocol was violated, the Seahawks would likely face some sort of fine, while Wilson himself probably wouldn't be subject to any discipline from the league.

The Cardinals are expected to finalize a contract with Barkley ahead of the team's Week 11 game against the Texans, Chris Mortensen of ESPN reports.

Making his second start in place of Carson Palmer (arm) during Thursday's loss to the Seahawks, Drew Stanton was unable to escape the contest unscathed, with the veteran quarterback diagnosed with a sprained knee following the game. According to Mortensen, the Cardinals are fearful that Stanton could miss at least the Week 11 game with the injury, so Barkley will be brought in to provide additional depth. If Stanton is in fact ruled out for Week 11, Blaine Gabbert would likely start the contest while Barkley would act as the team's backup.

Gabbert could get a rare start under center in the Cardinals' Week 11 matchup against the Texans, as replacement starer Drew Stanton is nursing a sprained knee, Chris Mortensen of ESPN reports.

Stanton reportedly suffered the injury in Thursday's loss to the Cardinals. Gabbert has not started a game since Week 5 of the 2016 season for the 49ers. It remains to be seen how serious Stanton's injury is, but the practice reps next week should indicate the likelihood of Gabbert actually drawing the start. The team is expected to bring back Matt Barkley for insurance.

Savage enters Sunday's game against the Rams having spent the entire week with the first-team offense, something that head coach Bill O'Brien considers "a big deal," Drew Dougherty of the Texans' official site reports.

O'Brien voiced confidence when talking about Savage, who had a partial week of preparation with the ones Week 9 when Deshaun Watson (knee) was injured last Thursday. In addition to his growing familiarity with the personnel, Savage is buoyed by his final two possessions in a loss to the Colts last week, when he completed 10 of 15 passes for 137 yards and a touchdown. We suspect the coaches want Savage to "manage" Sunday's game while leaning on his backfield against the Rams, who rank 26th (121.6 yards per game) stopping the rush.

Head coach Kyle Shanahan said Friday that C.J. Beathard will start Sunday's contest versus the Giants, ensuring Garoppolo remains a reserve, Nick Wagoner of ESPN.com reports.

At some point, the 49ers will want to learn about the investment made in Garoppolo, but that day won't come Sunday, at least at the outset of the game. Garoppolo's initial snap with the 49ers will be his first since Week 17 of last season with the Patriots.

Head coach Kyle Shanahan confirmed Friday that Beathard will start Sunday's contest against the Giants, Nick Wagoner of ESPN.com reports.

Beathard will fend off Jimmy Garoppolo for another week, but at some point the 49ers will see what they have with their new signal caller. In the meantime, though, Beathard will focus on a Giants defense that has conceded at least three touchdown passes in four of the last five games.

Wilson said he passed a concussion test during Thursday's 22-16 win over the Cardinals, Bob Condotta of The Seattle Times reports. "I got smacked in the jaw pretty good there,'' Wilson said. "I wasn't concussed or anything like that. I felt completely clear. I was just trying to move my jaw."

Wilson was ordered off the field by referee Walt Anderson after taking a big hit from Cardinals linebacker Karlos Dansby in the third quarter. The Seahawks' signal caller passed a concussion test and only missed one snap, seemingly escaping the incident with nothing more than some discomfort in his jaw. He finished the game 22-of-32 passing for 238 yards and two touchdowns, adding five carries for 19 yards. With the Seahawks still unable to muster a consistent running game, Wilson likely will need to put the offense on his back once again in a Week 11 home matchup with the Falcons on Monday Night Football.

Wilson completed 22 of 32 passes for 238 yards with two touchdowns and no interceptions in Thursday's 22-16 win over the Cardinals. He also rushed five times for 19 yards and fumbled once.

With the Seahawks' running game typically ineffective and also losing C.J. Prosise to an in-game ankle injury, the 28-year-old signal caller once again took charge of the offense. He found tight end Jimmy Graham for both of his scores, the second which was set up by a quintessential Wilson play. Facing a 2nd-and-21 from his own 44 early in the fourth quarter, Wilson eluded several defenders before uncorking an off-balance heave that somehow ended up in the hands of a leaping Doug Baldwin downfield and set Seattle up just two yards away from pay dirt. It was the sixth-year pro's fourth straight multi-touchdown effort, giving him a 19:6 TD:INT on the season. With the almost complete lack of production in the ground game, Wilson likely will continue bearing the brunt of the offensive responsibility, which should keep his fantasy owners happy. He'll look to continue racking up the numbers in a Week 11 Monday Night Football showdown with the Falcons.

Winston indicated that no new damage to his right shoulder was detected after he met with Dr. James Andrews in Pensacola, Fla. on Tuesday, Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times reports. "Part of the protocol," Winston said Wednesday, regarding the visit for the second opinion. "I mean, all the doctors are working together to come up with what they think. All I know is for the next two weeks, I'm going to be rehabbing and getting my shoulder 100 percent. That's all I can say."

Though Winston could require surgery if he doesn't respond to rehab work as well as the Buccaneers anticipate, for now, the team is hoping that two weeks off to rest his throwing shoulder will be all the quarterback needs to heal up. Ryan Fitzpatrick is slated to start for the team while Winston recuperates, but with top wideout Mike Evans (suspension) set to miss Sunday's matchup with the Jets, Fitzpatrick's fantasy upside looks fairly limited.