NFL Player News

Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers has been ruled out Week 14.

Rodgers was able to return to practice this week, but did not take starter reps. He's missed the past four games due to a collarbone injury, but does appear to be closer to making his return. 

The Texans will continue to start Case Keenum at quarterback. Owner Bob McNair made that pronouncement Friday after announcing the firing of coach Gary Kubiak.

McNair said that Keenum, who was replaced by Matt Schaub during the Thursday night loss to Jacksonville, needed to be further evaluated.

"I think the jury is still out, and he's got a lot of ability, and he's shown some flashes of brilliance, and he's shown some rookie mistakes," McNair said. "We've got to see if he can improve or eliminate those mistakes."

Keenum has struggled in the last four games after throwing seven touchdowns and no interceptions in his first three starts.

For the second time in four games, the Texans benched starting quarterback Case Keenum Thursday against the Jaguars, in a 27-20 loss in Week 14.

Keenum was benched after the team's third drive of the season half, a drive which saw him throw two incompletions before picking up just four yards on a third-and-10 play. He ultimately led the Texans on just one scoring drive, capped off by an 8-yard touchdown pass to Keshawn Martin.

Keenum ultimately completed 16 of 29 passes for 159 yards, with one touchdown and one interception. He added a scramble for 13 yards, and left the game down 24-10 in the third quarter.

The last time Keenum was benched, he was able to retain the starting quarterback job, so it is not at all clear what the Texans will do next week. The Texans travel to Indianapolis to face the Colts in Week 15. 

Dolphins quarterback Ryan Tannehill hasn't found consistent success in his second season, but he has been looking better over the last few weeks. Tannehill enters Week 14 against the Steelers with back-to-back 300-yard passing performances under his belt, and his head coach acknowledged his improvement Wednesday at practice.

"He's clearly playing better," Joe Philbin told ESPN.com Wednesday. "You can look [at it] on a piece of paper and say he's playing better. I think overall, he has more command of the offense, his decision-making has improved and this is an important game for everybody." 

Despite his improvement, Tannehill might struggle to reach 300 yards for the third time, as he has to face a Steelers defense that holds opposing quarterbacks to 237 passing yards per game, the ninth-fewest in the league. Quarterbacks are averaging just 16.2 Fantasy points per game against the Steelers as well.

Furthermore, the weather in Pittsburgh Sunday calls for a chance of snow. Tannehill has never played in snow, but said he is not overly concerned about it affecting his game.

"If it's snowing, I've heard it's not too bad," Tannehill said. "It's actually nice to play in it. From the guys just in the locker room talking, Matt [Moore] played in the snow a few times. He said it's nice. It doesn't affect the ball." 

Even coming off arguably the best stretch of his career, Tannehill isn't the type of quarterback you start against just any defense. With this matchup, Tannehill should probably be considered just a low-end Fantasy option for Week 14. 

Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson has not enjoyed facing the 49ers recently. In a 29-3 Week 2 win in Seattle, WIlson completed only 8 of 19 passes for 142 yards with one touchdown and one interception. He'll try to break that trend against the 49ers in a tough matchup in San Francisco in Week 14.

The last time Wilson faced the 49ers in San Francisco, he completed only 9 of 23 passes for 122 yards with no touchdowns and one interception. Fortunately for Fantasy owners, Wilson is coming off his second 300-yard game of the season. In fact, he has averaged 275.7 passing yards while throwing for seven touchdowns and no interceptions over his last three games.

The 49ers have allowed only 206.2 passing yards per game, which is the third-fewest allowed this season. Opposing quarterbacks have only scored 13.17 Fantasy points per game in CBSSports.com standard leagues. You may want to think twice about starting Wilson this week, especially if you're in the playoffs. Our Fantasy experts have him ranked as high as ninth and as low as 11th for Week 14.

Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers was able to return to practice Thursday, but head coach Mike McCarthy didn't offer any updates on a possible return.

McCarthy said there was "no more clarity" regarding whether Rodgers would be ready to return Week 14. He added that Rodgers was a step closer, and has starting increased his work in the weight room.

Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers was able to practice in pads Thursday.

It was the first time Rodgers practiced in pads since he broke his collarbone. Despite the progress, Rodgers did not take many of the starting reps. Both Matt Flynn and Scott Tolzien received more starting snaps.

Bengals quarterback Andy Dalton -- who has been up and down this season -- may have met his defensive doppelganger in the Colts -- who have been up and down this season. 

Dalton's season has been one of balance, and "keeping things in check." His three-week scoring bonanza came against weak defenses. His eventual regression to the mean that followed came against tougher ones. He threw three touchdowns in Week 11, but only finsihed with 93 passing yards. In his most recent game, against the Chargers, Dalton had his second game in the last four with one or fewer touchdown passes. 

The Colts, meanwhile, have allowed 20 or more points to opposing quarterbacks once in their last four games, But extend that back a little, and they've done it three times in their last six. Two of those games saw a quarterback going over 30. And two of those games (two of the better ones for the Colts) were the Titans, who have the 12th-fewest passing yards this season. 

So an erratic quarterback meets an erratic defense. If anyone claims they know what to expect, they're lying. Dalton's worth the gamble in 2QB leagues, but the risk is too high to start him in standard-sized leagues. 

Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers said he'll know by Friday or Saturday at the latest whether he can play against the Falcons, reports the Green Bay Press-Gazette. Rodgers participated in individual drills Wednesday but has not been cleared to play.

"I don’t want to put any chances on it," he told the paper. "I think it’s a collaborative thing where we have to make sure we’re all on the same page and get cleared medically before I can get on the field."

Rodgers broke his collarbone a month ago. He reportedly threw well at practice, and said his arm strength and range of motion are fine. If doctors don't clear him, Matt Flynn would get another start.

Thus far, Raiders rookie quarterback Matt McGloin has been a one-week wonder since he hasn't made much noise since throwing for three touchdowns Week 11 at Houston. McGloin has one touchdown and two interceptions in his last two starts -- both losses.

McGloin will look to record his second multi-touchdown game Week 14 at N.Y. Jets. The chances of him getting it done are better than you might expect since quarterbacks have fared pretty well against New York. Quarterbacks average 271.8 passing yards and 19.8 Fantasy points per week against the Jets.

More importantly, quarterbacks have recorded multiple touchdowns against the Jets in six of the last nine games. In all, quarterbacks have totaled 22 passing touchdowns to seven interceptions.

McGloin has kept the Raiders in the game in both of their recent defeats, which is why he continues to hold onto the starting job despite the lack of touchdowns. He's also starting to build rapport with his receivers, more notably Rod Streater and Andre Holmes, so maybe another strong performance is in the cards Sunday.

It seems McGloin has the chance to post pretty good numbers Week 14 given the matchup, but he's still more of a low-end Fantasy option.