NFL Player News

Cousins likely will be directing an injury-marred Washington offense Sunday in Seattle, Field Yates of ESPN.com reports.

The Seattle defense has injury issues of its own, but those don't quite compare to Washington's. The Redskins have three starters on the offensive line listed as doubtful or out, with another listed as questionable. Top tight end Jordan Reed (hamstring) has also been ruled out, while Jamison Crowder (hamstring) seems to fall on the wrong side of the questionable tag. Cousins may throw early and often, but he may struggle with his efficiency. He'll need big games from Chris Thompson and Vernon Davis, not to mention some form of production from a struggling group of wideouts.

McGloin, who signed with the Texans on Friday, will initially slot in as the No. 3 quarterback for Houston, Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle reports.

The Texans signed both McGloin and T.J. Yates to address their depth at quarterback in the aftermath of Deshaun Watson's (knee) season-ending ACL tear. Tom Savage will get the first crack at starting duties, with Yates stepping in as the top backup. As a result, McGloin is expected to be inactive for Sunday's game against the Colts.

Broncos head coach Vance Joseph said Thursday that Lynch would be inactive for Sunday's game against the Eagles, Jeff Legwold of ESPN.com reports.

For at least the time being, Lynch looks to be behind newly appointed starter Brock Osweiler and Trevor Siemian on the depth chart at quarterback, but that could change once the Broncos become more comfortable with where the second-year signal caller is at on the health front. Lynch only resumed practicing in full last week after the right shoulder sprain he suffered in training camp limited his activity for nearly two months. Once he gets more reps in at practice, the 2016 first-round pick could get a look as the starting quarterback in the event Osweiler falters in that role.

Watson is slated to undergo season-ending surgery after tearing his right ACL during Thursday's practice, Chris Mortensen of ESPN reports.

Watson, who tore the ACL in his left knee as a freshman at Clemson in 2014, is expected to make a full recovery in time for the 2018 season, though he does face a rehab period estimated in the 7-to-9 month range, per Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle. With Watson's spectacular rookie season derailed by the injury, Tom Savage is slated to start at quarterback for the Texans on Sunday against the Colts. Meanwhile, the team plans to add fellow signal callers Matt McGloin and T.J. Yates to bolster its depth behind Savage. The jarring loss of Watson represents a major hit to the Texans offense down the stretch, with wideouts DeAndre Hopkins and Will Fuller especially impacted by the team's looming quarterback transition.

Garoppolo will be serve as the No. 2 quarterback for Sunday's game against the Cardinals, Cam Inman of The San Jose Mercury News reports.

San Francisco head coach Kyle Shanahan said Wednesday that he can't promise Garoppolo will play this season, emphasizing that Tuesday's trade was made with a focus on 2018 and beyond. Regardless, the team's recent acquisition will be active Sunday, as the 49ers are only carrying two quarterbacks on their roster. Despite what Shanahan said earlier in the week, it's seemingly only a matter of time before Garoppolo replaces struggling starter C.J. Beathard. The 49ers presumably will want to get a close look at their new quarterback before making any major decisions in the offseason. It's possible the team signs Garoppolo to an extension before he plays, as a strong finish to the season would drive up his price.

Taylor completed 29 of 40 passes for 285 yards with two touchdowns and no interceptions in Thursday's 34-21 loss to the Jets. He also rushed six times for 35 yards and a touchdown and fumbled twice, losing one.

Taylor's final line was a perfect illustration of how the same statistics can be considered ineffective from a real-world football perspective and a success from a fantasy point of view. The 28-year-old struggled to move the ball for the majority of the contest, as the Bills punted a total of six times, lost the ball on downs on another drive and also saw three more possessions end courtesy of lost fumbles. One of those miscues was committed by Taylor himself, as he lost the handle on the ball early in the fourth quarter at his own 17-yard line after getting sacked by Jordan Jenkins. However, the seven-year veteran propped up his final numbers by leading Buffalo to a pair of late fourth-quarter scores, which served to push his passing yardage total to a season high. Taylor also managed to throw multiple touchdowns for the first time since Week 3 with his late-game surge, as he hit Deonte Thompson from the 26 yards out with 4:10 remaining. By adding a one-yard scoring dive with 2:29 left, he posted his first three-touchdown effort of the season. Taylor will look to put together a more complete effort through all four quarters when the Bills face the Saints in Week 10.

Taylor will have to wait until Week 10 before throwing to newcomer Kelvin Benjamin, who is inactive for Thursday night's game against the Jets.

Benjamin is destined to provide the Bills' wideout corps -- and in turn, Taylor's fantasy upside -- with a boost, especially in the red zone, but given that the wideout just arrived via a trade on a short week, the 6-foot-5, 245-pounder will be held out Thursday. Looking ahead though, Benjamin should benefit greatly from the added preparation time he'll see before Buffalo's next contest, Nov. 12 against the Saints. Look for Jordan Matthews, Andre Holmes and Zay Jones to head the Bills' Week 9 WR corps, before the team introduces Benjamin to the mix in Week 10.

The Texans will sign McGloin to a contract Friday, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reports.

McGloin played for Texans head coach Bill O'Brien at Penn State, so he'll presumably be able to get up to speed with the Houston offense in short order. He's on track to back up Tom Savage on Sunday in the wake of the stunning news Thursday that starting quarterback Deshaun Watson (knee) tore his ACL during Wednesday's practice.

It has been confirmed that Watson tore his ACL on Thursday, both Adam Schefter of ESPN and Mike Garafolo of NFL Network report.

We'll await official word from the Texans, but Watson is now on track to miss the remainder of the season, with Tom Savage -- who was replaced by Watson in team's season opener -- set to reclaim the team's starting QB assignment. Watson's brilliant rookie campaign thus comes to a sudden halt, with the Clemson product having tossed 19 TDs versus eight picks through seven games. His absence down the stretch represents a major hit to the Texans offense, with wideouts DeAndre Hopkins and Will Fuller especially affected by Thursday's unfortunate turn of events.

Savage is poised to take over as the Texans' starting quarterback beginning with Sunday's game against the Colts after Deshaun Watson (knee) suffered a season-ending ACL tear during Thursday's practice.

While Savage has a talented wideout duo in DeAndre Hopkins and Will Fuller at his disposal, the unexpected quarterback change forced by Watson's injury represents a major hit to the Texans' offense as a whole. Savage, of course, is an option for those scrambling to replace Watson in fantasy lineups, but given his mediocre results over his seven career regular-season appearances, he's likely only worthy of consideration in two-quarterback formats.