NFL Player News

Allen (coach's decision) is inactive for Monday's game against the Lions, Nick Wagoner of ESPN.com reports.

Allen will serve as the emergency No. 3 quarterback Monday behind starter Brock Purdy and backup Joshua Dobbs. That means Allen will only be allowed to play if both Purdy and Dobbs were to be taken out of the game due to injury, illness or ejection.

Dobbs is active and will operate as the 49ers' top backup quarterback in Monday night's matchup with the Lions, Eric Branch of the San Francisco Chronicle reports.

Dobbs will serve as Brock Purdy's backup for the second time this season, also operating as the No. 2 quarterback in Week 13 versus the Bills. Dobbs will take over that role from Brandon Allen (coach's decision), who will be available as an emergency third option in case both Purdy and Dobbs are knocked out of the game in Detroit.

Bridgewater (coach's decision) is inactive for Monday night's game against San Francisco.

Bridgewater came out of retirement and signed with the Lions' active roster this past Thursday. Hendon Hooker will remain as the backup quarterback to Jared Goff on Monday while Bridgewater serves as the emergency quarterback. That means Bridgewater would only be allowed to see the field if both Goff and Hooker were to be taken out of the game due to injury, illness or ejection.

Lance completed his only pass attempt for one yard and gained one yard on his only carry in Sunday's loss to the Eagles.

The 24-year-old quarterback took over for Cooper Rush on the Cowboys' final possession in a 41-7 rout, marking Lance's third appearance of the season. Lance has done very little with his opportunities, completing five of seven passes for 22 yards and an interception while adding 15 yards on five carries. With Dallas just playing out the string, Lance could see a bigger workload in Week 18 against the Commanders and potentially even get a start, but the pending free agent seems unlikely to be a part of the Cowboys' 2025 plans.

The Saints will evaluate Carr (hand) this week to determine if he will play in Sunday's Week 18 game against the Buccaneers, Mike Triplett of NewOrleans.Football reports.

Per interim head coach Darren Rizzi, Carr simulated some game-like situations last week but wasn't far enough along to suit up against his former club, the Raiders. It's likely Carr will go through a similar assessment this week before his status for the Saints' season finale is determined. New Orleans probably isn't going to push the envelope with Carr given that the team is out of playoff contention, and if the veteran quarterback can't play, Spencer Rattler likely will get another start.

Bills head coach Sean McDermott said Monday that Allen will start Sunday's matchup versus New England but will be in the game for a "very, very short-lived amount of time," Ryan O'Halloran of The Buffalo News reports.

The Bills are locked into the No. 2 seed in the AFC, and the team plans to play only some of its starters, per O'Halloran. The motivation for Allen to see the field at all could be simply to extend his 104-game streak of regular-season starts, in which case the MVP candidate may log no more than a few snaps. It goes without saying that Allen isn't going to be a viable play in fantasy given the extremely limited amount of time he'll likely be on the field in the regular-season finale. Mitchell Trubisky figures to see most of the QB snaps for the Bills against the Patriots.

Richardson is continuing to get treatment on his back spasms and will start Week 18 versus Jacksonville if he's healthy, Mike Chappell of Fox 59 News Indianapolis reports.

Richardson also has been dealing with a foot injury, but head coach Shane Steichen indicated last week that the back problem -- which he clarified to be back spasms Monday -- was the bigger issue. Steichen did indicate Monday that Richardson is feeling better, so there's a legitimate chance the rookie QB could return to a starting role Sunday. If Richardson can't play, Joe Flacco -- who threw for 330 yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions Sunday in a loss to the Giants -- would likely start behind center again.

Miami head coach Mike McDaniel stated Monday that Tyler Huntley will get more practice reps than Tagovailoa (hip) this week, Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald reports.

Tagovailoa missed Sunday's Week 17 win over the Browns due to a hip issue, and he appears to be in danger of sitting out Sunday's Week 18 battle against the Jets as well. McDaniel mentioned Monday that the team is in a "gray area" with Tagovailoa moving forward because the star QB's "body did not cooperate" leading up to the Week 17 contest. The Dolphins need a win against the Jets on Sunday in order to have a chance of making the postseason.

Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel said Monday that Huntley will get more practice reps than Tua Tagovailoa (hip) this week, Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald reports.

Though Tagovailoa hasn't been ruled out for Week 18, McDaniel said the team is in a "gray area" regarding the star quarterback due to his hip injury, per Jackson. With Huntley slated to get most of the reps in practice this week, it appears he has a better chance than Tagovailoa of starting against the Jets on Sunday in a game the Dolphins must win in order to have any chance of making the postseason. Huntley led the team to a victory Sunday versus the Browns, performing well with 225 passing yards and a touchdown while completing 22 of 26 attempts and adding 52 yards and another score on the ground.

Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin said Monday that Fields (abdomen) is expected to be active for Saturday's contest against Cincinnati, Alan Saunders of SteelersNow.com reports.

Fields was inactive for each of Pittsburgh's previous two games, though he was deemed the team's emergency third quarterback Christmas Day versus the Chiefs. It appears the fourth-year QB will be able to suit up Saturday, and he'd presumably work as the team's backup to Russell Wilson. However, there's a possibility Fields could log more than his usual amount of work if Pittsburgh decides to sit or limit its starters. The Steelers play the late game Saturday, and they'll know whether they have a chance to win the AFC North and move up to the No. 3 seed depending on the outcome of the early Saturday contest between Baltimore and Cleveland.