NFL Player News

Hoyer completed 33 of 43 passes for 397 yards and two touchdowns Sunday against the Colts.

With the Bears trailing throughout the majority of the second half, the team had to go into pass-heavy mode, which allowed Hoyer to have an excellent fantasy day. Since Alshon Jeffery saw quite a bit of defensive attention, Hoyer locked in 12 times on Cameron Meredith, resulting in 130 yards and one of his two touchdown passes. He also benefited from the fact that the Colts had very little in the way of an effective pass rush, providing him with plenty of time to complete passes at will. It's difficult to imagine that Jay Cutler (thumb) will be taking back the starting quarterback duties anytime soon, so Hoyer should continue to function as a borderline starting option in leagues that start a single quarterback.

Stafford completed 19 of 25 passes for 180 yards and three touchdowns while also rushing for 16 yards on six rushing attempts, in the Lions' 24-23 victory over the Eagles in Week 5.

Stafford's 180 passing yards represented his lowest total since Week 15 of 2014, but his overall performance had to have provided Lions fans with some peace of mind, given the team's recent three-game skid. While he didn't single in on any one receiver in particular, Stafford efficiently maneuvered his offense around a stingy Eagles defense and ultimately came out of the contest turnover-free. Next up is a Week 6 tilt against the Rams in the comfort of Ford Field.

Siemian (shoulder) is officially inactive for the Broncos' Week 5 game against the Falcons.

Rookie Paxton Lynch, the 16th overall selection in this year's draft, will get his first NFL career start under center Sunday, with Austin Davis serving as his backup.

Garoppolo (right shoulder) is listed as active for Sunday's game against the Browns.

With Jacoby Brissett now on IR, Garoppolo is locked in as Tom Brady's top backup, but he's not going to start again this season unless Brady suffers an injury, or in the event that a late-season scenario emerges in which starters are rested.

Lynch is in line to start Sunday's game against the Falcons, NFL.com reports.

Meanwhile, the report adds that Trevor Siemian is not expected to be active for the contest, which would result in Austin Davis backing Lynch up Sunday. There's optimism that Siemian can return for this coming Thursday's contest against the Chargers, but in Week 5 at least, Lynch is a fantasy lineup option, while facing an Atlanta defense that is allowing an average of 317 passing yards per game. Only the Raiders are allowing more thus far.

Siemian (shoulder) is not expected to play Sunday against the Falcons, but he could return Thursday at San Diego, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL Network.

Siemian is officially listed as questionable for Sunday's game, and while he was able to increase his practice workload as the week went on, his non-throwing shoulder is apparently not healthy enough to allow him to start. Paxton Lynch will be under center Sunday.

Lynch is expected to start Sunday against the Falcons, ESPN's Adam Schefter reports.

The Broncos' first-round pick will earn his first career start thanks to Trevor Siemian's shoulder injury. Lynch played well last week, completing 14 of 24 passes for 170 yards and touchdown in just over a half of play. The rookie could hold some value in two quarterback leagues given the fact that the Falcons defense is rather thin and expected to be without two starting linebackers.

Garoppolo (right shoulder) is listed as questionable for Sunday's game against the Browns.

With Jacoby Brissett now on IR, we'd expect Garoppolo to suit up as Tom Brady's top backup Sunday, but he's not going to see the field again this season unless Brady suffers an injury, or until it's garbage time in either a blowout or a late-season scenario in which starters are rested.

Gradkowski was released from the Steelers' injured reserve on Friday, ESPN's Adam Caplan reports.

The 33-year-old suffered a torn hamstring in the preseason and landed on IR before the season started. Landry Jones and Zach Mettenberger remain to back up starting quarterback Ben Roethlisberger.

Brissett (thumb) has been placed on IR by the Patriots.

Brissett helped fill in at QB for the Patriots while Tom Brady was serving a four-game suspension to start the season, but now that Brady is back with the team, Brissett is slated to have his troublesome right thumb surgically repaired. Meanwhile, Jimmy Garoppolo (right shoulder) is slated to serve as the team's No. 2 QB while Brissett recovers. While landing on IR is obviously a less than ideal outcome for Brissett in his rookie season, the 2016 third-rounder did unexpectedly see some valuable on-the-job training after Garoppolo was injured in Week 2.