NFL Player News

Lawrence (concussion/ankle) is officially active for Sunday's game against the Buccaneers.

After not practicing Wednesday or Thursday, Lawrence worked on a limited basis Friday and was deemed questionable ahead of Sunday's contest. However, after clearing the NFL's concussion protocol, per Michael DiRocco of ESPN, the QB traveled with the team to Tampa on Saturday, setting the stage for the No. 1 overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft to make his 49th consecutive start, with C.J. Beathard slated to back him up. In the process, Lawrence is in line to face a Buccaneers defense that is allowing an average of 263.9 passing yards per game (31st in the league) thus far. Through 14 games this season, Lawrence has led the Jaguars to an 8-6 record while completing 65.9 percent of his passing attempts for 3,525 yards to go along with 18 touchdowns with 10 interceptions.

Lawrence (concussion/ankle) took the field for pregame warmups and appears on track to start Sunday's game against the Buccaneers, Juston Lewis of The Florida Times-Union reports.

Lawrence remains listed as questionable as the game's 4:05 p.m. ET kickoff approaches, but he looks like he'll be able to direct the Jacksonville offense despite not having put in a full practice this week. The quarterback did manage a limited practice session Friday, and he was given the green light to travel with the team to Tampa on Saturday upon passing the final stage of the five-step concussion protocol, when he received clearance from an independent neurologist. Lawrence's availability won't be made official until the Jaguars release their inactive list 90 minutes before kickoff, but even after a less-than-full workload in practice this week, he's not expected to face any limitations Sunday.

Hooker (coach's decision) is inactive ahead of Sunday's game against the Vikings.

The rookie quarterback out of Tennessee was activated from the Lions' reserve/non-football injury list Tuesday, but it still seems as if he's behind both Jared Goff and Teddy Bridgewater on the team's depth chart. Hooker will serve as Detroit's emergency option at QB in Week 16.

Tannehill will serve as the Titans' starting quarterback for Sunday's game against the Seahawks with Will Levis (ankle) inactive for the contest, Ben Arthur of FoxSports.com reports.

Tannehill will pick up his first start since Week 6 with the Titans deciding to hold out Levis for the matchup with Seattle after the rookie signal-caller sprained his right ankle late in last week's 19-16 overtime loss to the Texans. The 35-year-old Tannehill ceded the starting role to Levis after he completed 62 percent of his passes for 7.1 yards per attempt and a 2:6 TD:INT as the Titans limped out to 2-4 start to the season. Though Tannehill has a strong track record to fall back on compared to most backup quarterbacks around the league, his poor form from earlier this season doesn't inspire the most confidence in his ability to turn in a useful performance during the fantasy playoffs. Tannehill isn't helped by the fact that the Titans have fielded one of the shakier offensive lines in the NFL this season.

Levis (ankle) is inactive for Sunday's game against the Seahawks.

Levis had been listed as questionable heading into Sunday, but he'll ultimately need a little more time to heal up from the right ankle sprain he suffered late in last week's 19-16 overtime loss to the Texans. The rookie signal-caller was at least able to take a tangible step forward in his recovery by practicing on a limited basis Friday, so if he's able to upgrade to full participation in practice at some point during the upcoming week, he'll have a good chance at gaining clearance to start the Titans' Dec. 31 rematch with Houston. With Levis sidelined against Seattle, however, veteran Ryan Tannehill will direct the offense for the first time since Week 6.

Stroud (concussion), who is already ruled out for Sunday's game against the Browns, is making progress in his recovery and could be ready to return to action Week 17 versus the Titans, Adam Schefter of ESPN reports.

The Texans appear to have some optimism about Stroud's chances of fully clearing the NFL's five-step concussion protocol in time to return Week 17, but the team will undoubtedly continue to take a cautious approach with the standout rookie. In the immediate future, with Stroud missing a second straight game, Case Keenum is set to draw another start versus Cleveland on Sunday, with Davis Mills available as his primary backup.

Stick completed 23 of 33 pass attempts for 210 yards while adding 25 rushing yards and a touchdown on seven carries in Saturday's 24-22 loss to Buffalo.

Stick got the nod under center for the second week in a row following Justin Herbert's (finger) season-ending injury. Unlike last week's 42-point loss to the Raiders, Stick had the Chargers in Saturday's contest up until the final moments. The veteran backup didn't finish with a sexy fantasy line, but he showed a marked improvement over his first start by protecting the football while also scoring the first rushing touchdown of his career. Stick should be afforded another chance to showcase his skills as the starter against the Broncos next Sunday.

Allen completed 15 of 21 passes for 237 yards, one touchdown and one interception in Saturday's 24-22 win over the Chargers. He added five rushes for 15 yards and two additional scores.

Allen saw limited volume as a passer for the second consecutive week, though he was still productive thanks to an extremely efficient effort. That efficiency came largely due to his connection with Gabe Davis, with whom he recorded long completions of 57, 36, 20 and 17 yards -- the first of which went for a touchdown. Allen also supplemented that with two rushing scores from two and one yard away, respectively. As a result, he became the first player in NFL history with four consecutive seasons with 40 total touchdowns, and he also extended his own NFL record as the only player in history to have both a throwing and rushing touchdown 11 times in a season.

The Broncos elevated DiNucci from the practice squad Saturday ahead of Sunday night's game against the Patriots.

DiNucci will provide insurance behind Russell Wilson and Jarrett Stidham for Denver, but he's unlikely to see the field against New England. DiNucci hasn't attempted a pass in the NFL since the 2020 season with the Cowboys.

Rudolph completed 17 of 27 passes for 290 yards and two touchdowns while rushing twice for four yards in Saturday's 34-11 win over the Bengals.

Rudolph's first start of the season got off to an ideal start, as his first throw was an 86-yard touchdown pass to George Pickens. He led a touchdown drive on the next possession as well, which Calvin Austin capped with a seven-yard touchdown run, and Rudolph ultimately racked up 193 passing yards in the first half while leading the Steelers to a 24-0 lead. Pittsburgh's offense largely cooled down after halftime, though Rudolph helped the Steelers pull away with a 66-yard touchdown pass to Pickens in the third quarter. Given how effective Rudolph looked in his first start since Week 10 of the 2021 season, he could be in contention to remain under center even if Kenny Pickett (ankle) is healthy enough to return in Week 17 against the Seahawks.