NFL Player News

Zappe will start at quarterback in Saturday's season finale against the Ravens, Scott Petrak of the Elyria Chronicle-Telegram reports.

While Zappe is slated to make his Browns debut this weekend, head coach Kevin Stefanski previously suggested that he expected Dorian Thompson-Robinson (calf) to also see some work versus Baltimore. The threat of losing snaps to Thompson-Robinson inhibits the overall fantasy ceiling of Zappe, whose appeal was already limited due to his unimpressive body of work during his time in New England over the past three seasons. In 14 career NFL appearances (eight starts), Zappe has completed 63.2 percent of his passes for 6.8 yards per attempt and an 11:12 TD:INT while offering little utility as a runner (27 carries for 83 yards and a touchdown).

Pickett (ribs) isn't participating in Thursday's practice, Jeff McLane of The Philadelphia Inquirer reports.

For the second straight day, neither Pickett nor Jalen Hurts (concussion/finger) took part in drills, leaving Tanner McKee and Ian Book as the team's only healthy quarterbacks. With the Eagles locked in as the NFC's No. 2 seed, head coach Nick Sirianni said earlier in the week that Hurts is on track to sit out Sunday's game against the Giants, but Pickett could still have a chance at starting in the regular-season finale. Even so, Pickett will almost certainly need to practice in some fashion Friday to keep himself in the mix for the Week 18 start, as McKee currently looks like the frontrunner to direct the Philadelphia offense against New York.

Burrow (wrist/knee) doesn't have an injury designation for Saturday's game against the Steelers.

Burrow was listed as a limited participant in both of the Bengals' first two Week 18 practices due to the pair of injuries, but he erased any lingering concern about his availability for Saturday by turning in a full session Thursday. His practice participation was inhibited by the same two injuries in each of the previous three weeks, but Burrow's production wasn't affected at all, as he tossed nine touchdowns against two interceptions while adding another score on the ground and averaging 311.7 passing yards per contest during that stretch. Fantasy managers in leagues that are still active in Week 18 can feel fully comfortable with keeping Burrow in lineups.

Hurts (concussion) wasn't spotted during the media-access portion of Thursday's practice, Brooks Kubena of The Athletic reports.

The same can be said for the Eagles' No. 2 QB Kenny Pickett (ribs), giving the pair just one more chance to mix into drills this week. For Hurts, getting back on the field would mean a notable first step in his recovery from the concussion that he sustained Week 16 at Washington, as he's expected to be held out of Sunday's game against the Giants along with a number of other starters. Meanwhile, Pickett likely will need to practice in some capacity Friday to put his hat in the ring along with Tanner McKee for the Week 18 start.

Winston (shoulder) is listed as questionable for Saturday's game at Baltimore, Mary Kay Cabot of The Cleveland Plain Dealer reports.

Winston doesn't appear to be in consideration for the Week 18 start, as coach Kevin Stefanski told Daniel Oyefusi of ESPN.com on Thursday that he intends to play Dorian Thompson-Robinson (calf) and Bailey Zappe under center. As a result, even if Winston is available Saturday, he likely will be the emergency third quarterback, at best.

Richardson (back) remained sidelined at practice Thursday, James Boyd of The Athletic reports.

Richardson was listed as a non-participant in Wednesday's walkthrough, so the QB's absence from Thursday's session puts the focus on what he's able to do Friday in terms of his availability for Sunday's season finale against the Jaguars. If Richardson is unavailable versus Jacksonville, Joe Flacco presumably would draw the Week 18 start for the 7-9 Colts.

Pickett (ribs) didn't participate in Wednesday's walk-through practice.

Head coach Nick Sirianni said earlier Wednesday that many starters won't be available for Sunday's regular-season finale versus the Giants, including starting quarterback Jalen Hurts (concussion/finger) and No. 1 running back Saquon Barkley. Sirianni was also non-committal regarding Pickett's availability for the Week 18 contest, per Martin Frank of The Delaware News Journal. Consequently, the Eagles' practices Thursday and Friday will be key to determining who among Pickett and fellow quarterback Tanner McKee will draw the start under center in Week 18.

Hurts (concussion/left finger) was a non-participant in Wednesday's walk-through practice.

Both Hurts and his primary backup, Kenny Pickett (ribs), didn't take reps to begin Week 18 prep, leaving Tanner McKee as the next man up at quarterback for the Eagles. Head coach Nick Sirianni told Jeff McLane of The Philadelphia Inquirer on Wednesday that Hurts and multiple other starters won't play Sunday against the Giants, but Sirianni didn't rule Pickett out from playing, per Martin Frank of The Delaware News Journal. As a result, Pickett and McKee both look to be possibilities to start under center Sunday at this stage of the week.

Burrow (wrist/knee) was a limited participant at practice Wednesday.

The quarterback will have one more opportunity Thursday to put in a full practice before Saturday's game against the Steelers, but even if he remains limited, his availability for the regular-season finale won't be in much question. The 8-8 Bengals can keep their faint playoff hopes alive with a win, so expect Burrow to play through the pair of injuries, even if he's less than 100 percent healthy.

Winston (shoulder) was a limited practice participant Wednesday, Scott Petrak of the Elyria Chronicle-Telegram reports.

Winston has been listed as a limited participant on both of the Browns' first two Week 18 practice reports, and even if the quarterback is a full participant Thursday, head coach Kevin Stefanski has already said that Winston will likely be inactive for Saturday's season finale versus the Ravens, per Petrak. Dorian Thompson-Robinson (calf) and Bailey Zappe will serve as the Browns' top two quarterbacks this weekend, though Stefanski has yet to name a starter.