NFL Player News

The 49ers made a pair of roster moves on Friday, according to Comcast SportsNet Bay Area. The team re-signed defensive back Raymond Ventrone and released quarterback Josh Johnson. However, Johnson is expected to re-sign with San Francisco on Tuesday, per Pro Football Talk.

Browns quarterback Brian Hoyer has more than held his own in leading the Browns to a surprise 3-2 record, but he hasn't exactly lit it up for Fantasy owners. Should we expect that to change in Week 7, with the lowly Jaguars on the schedule?

Hoyeris coming off a 14-point Fantasy effort, the fourth time in five games he has been held to 16 points or fewer. He has mostly avoided mistakes, but that hasn't led to big numbers, as he has just one multi-touchdown game. Part of that is by design, as the Browns have not asked him to do much; Hoyer is just 25th in the league in pass attempts so far.

That might not change in Week 7, as teams have had little trouble beating the Jaguars even without big contributions from quarterbacks. Though the Jaguars' pass defense hasn't looked particularly good overall, they have held their last two opponents to just 23 Fantasy points combined.

The Browns seem likely to continue relying on their running game in Week 7, so don't expect Hoyer to flip the script. Consider him just a low-end Fantasy starter at this point. 

Jets quarterback Geno Smith worked past a minor injury scare and put together a turnover-free performance, but it wasn't enough in Week 7 defeat to the Patriots in Foxboro.

Smith took a brutal shot to the knee from Chris Jones and was on the on the floor momentarily before jogging off the field. Michael Vick took over for one play before Smith returned to action early in the fourth quarter. He told reporters after the game he won't need a follow-up MRI exam on his knee, per Newsday.

Down only eight points, Smith bounced back with 10-yard touchdown strike to Jeff Cumberland. He was unable to hook up with his other tight end, Jace Amaro, for the game-tying two-point conversion with 2:31 remaining in the game. Down only two points, he got another chance and orchestrated an 8-play, 48-yard drive which led to a blocked 58-yard field goal as time expired.

Smith compiled 226 yards through the air, 153 of which came in the second half. He completed 20 of 34 pass attempts, adding one touchdown and no interceptions. He was sacked three times and rushed for 37 yards on seven carries in a 27-25 defeat. He has thrown for 1,365 yards with seven touchdowns and seven interceptions this season.

Smith will look to get his team back on track Week 8 at home against the Bills.

Jets quarterback Geno Smith went down with a left knee injury in the fourth quarter of Thursday night's game against the Patriots in Week 7. Smith took a brutal shot to the knee from Chris Jones and was on the on the floor momentarily before jogging off the field. Michael Vick took over for one play before Smith returned to action.

Smith completed 11 of 19 passes for 136 yards. He also rushed for 31 yards on six attempts before getting hurt. He'll try to play through the pain the rest of the way for the Jets.

Raiders quarterback Derek Carr was able to get through full practice Thursday.

Carr is coming off an ankle injury, but was able to play Week 6. He performed well, tossing four touchdowns during the contest. Carr will be tested Week 7 against the tough Cardinals defense, so it's imperative that he's 100 percent for the game. 

Raiders quarterback Derek Carr has expressed tremendous respect for Cardinals cornerback Patrick Peterson, but he will not shy away from throwing the ball in his direction Sunday.

"It's not an arrogant thing," Carr told ESPN about challenging premier corners. "It's not one of those things at all. Trust me, I know where they are and I'm very careful about where we're throwing at, what routes we're throwing.

"Patrick Peterson, obviously, is one of - it depends who you talk to - is the best, or one of the best, corners ... in the NFL. You just turn the film on and you're like, 'Wow, that guy plays corner? He looks like a linebacker and runs a 4.1' or whatever. He's a great player. I'll know where he is every snap, but to me, I have to go through my reads."

Redskins quarterback Kirk Cousins might not be the starter long term in Washington, but he has performed well enough more often than not for Fantasy owners to consider him a reasonable starting option for Week 7 against the Titans.

Sure, Cousins had that one four-interception meltdown in Week 4, and he tossed three more picks last week too. Still, he ended up with 20 Fantasy points in Week 6 anyways, a mark he has reached four times in five games since taking over in the first quarter of Week 2. It hasn't always been pretty, but Fantasy owners have to be pretty happy with the overall outcome so far.

That theme should continue in Week 7, as the Titan's pass defense has fallen apart in recent weeks. After holding the first three quarterbacks on the schedule to just 11.7 Fantasy points per game, each of their last three opponents have dropped 20 points or more on them, including Brian Hoyer's 27 in Week 5 and Blake Bortles' 20 in Week 6.

At this point, the Titans look exceedingly vulnerable through the air, and Cousins should be able to exploit that. Cousins is ranked in the top-15 in both Jamey Eisenberg and Dave Richard's quarterback rankings for Week 7, so consider him a decent starting option.

Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers hasn't thrown an interception since Week 1 and has the best touchdown-to-interception ratio (15 to 1) in the NFL. He's thrown at least three touchdowns four times and has Green Bay riding a three-game winning streak heading into Week 7 vs. Carolina. 

Despite a fairly strong start from Rodgers, coach Mike McCarthy indicates there might be even more room for improvement.

"I've seen him play better," McCarthy said, per ESPN. "I just think one thing from the standard that he's set and all the little things he's done at a high level, he's got a lot of good football in front of him. I mean, the way we're taking care of the football, the big plays and timely plays -- exceptional. No doubt about it. It's not really as much his individual performance I'm referring to. It's our focus this week offensively is we were not clearly as efficient as we want to be after six games. So that's a focus of ours, and it's part of the way we spent our time here the last couple days."

Dolphins quarterback Ryan Tannehill was limited by an ankle injury in practice Wednesday, the Miami Herald reports.

The Dolphins added a second quarterback to the practice squad this week, but it's likely that Tannehill's injury won't keep him from playing Sunday. He rushed for 49 yards on three carries in Week 6 while racking up 227 passing yards.

The agent for Browns quarterback Brian Hoyer said he is fine with waiting until after the season to negotiate a new deal for his client, according to The Plain Dealer. Agent Joe Linta said he hasn't spoken with the Browns since the spring.

"The ball is in their court," Linta said. "We're willing to wait until the end of the year to see how it plays out."

Hoyer, who will be a free agent after the season, is 6-2 as a starter with the Browns (including three starts in 2013) and leads the NFL with an average completion of 13.6 yards. He also has a 99.5 passer rating.

Linta added the contract situation won't be a distraction for Hoyer.

"Brian's heartbeat doesn't go above 50 (beats per minute) on the field or off it," Linta said. "He's been very calm about this."