NFL Player News

Fields (thumb) is inactive for Sunday's game against the Saints.

Fields will miss a third consecutive game Sunday, but he took his first tangible steps forward this week in his recovery from the dislocated right thumb he sustained Oct. 15. After failing to practice in any fashion since suffering the injury, Fields returned to the field Friday as a limited participant, a development the Bears hope can "jump start" the signal-caller's return to the lineup Week 10, per Mike Garafolo of NFL Network. According to Courtney Cronin of ESPN.com, Bears general manager Ryan Poles seemingly backed up Garafolo's report, saying in a radio appearance Sunday that "there's a possibility" Fields is back in action Thursday against the Panthers. While the short week of prep work isn't ideal in advance of the matchup with Carolina, Poles noted that the Bears were pleased how Fields looked while throwing during 7-on-7 drills Friday.

Rypien will start Sunday's game against the Packers with Matthew Stafford (thumb) inactive for the contest, Adam Schefter of ESPN reports.

As anticipated, Stafford will end up sitting out the Week 9 game after he was unable to practice in any fashion Wednesday through Friday while recovering from a UCL sprain of the thumb on his throwing hand. Rypien, who completed five of 10 pass attempts in relief of the injured Stafford in the Rams' 43-20 loss to the Cowboys this past Sunday, will now get the chance to make the fourth start of his NFL career and his first as a member of the Rams. With Rypien under center, the Rams' offensive game plan could skew more run-heavy and limit the fantasy ceilings of pass catchers Cooper Kupp, Puka Nacua, Tutu Atwell and Tyler Higbee more than usual.

Stafford (thumb) is inactive for Sunday's game against the Packers, Sarah Barshop of ESPN.com reports.

Despite taking a questionable tag into the weekend and having a penchant for playing through injuries throughout his career, Stafford will sit out Sunday after spraining the UCL in the thumb on his throwing hand in the Rams' Week 8 loss to the Cowboys. With the Rams on bye Week 10, Stafford, who didn't practice in any capacity this week, will benefit from three full weeks to heal up from the injury before Los Angeles returns to action Nov. 19 versus the Seahawks. Brett Rypien will start against the Packers in Stafford's stead, with practice-squad call-up Dresser Winn serving as the team's backup quarterback.

Rypien is in line to start in place of Matthew Stafford (thumb) on Sunday at Green Bay, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reports.

The Rams will give Stafford until Sunday morning to see if he can play through the sprained UCL in his right thumb that he sustained Week 8 in Dallas, but it appears as if he's a long shot to be available. If that comes to pass and Stafford is inactive, Rypien will lead L.A.'s offense, which would mark the fourth start of his career. In the first three as a member of the Broncos between the 2020 and 2022 seasons, Rypien completed 64 of 103 passes for 664 yards, three touchdowns and five interceptions, took 10 rushes for two yards and had two fumbles (one lost).

Stafford (thumb) remains listed as questionable but isn't expected to play in Sunday's game at Green Bay, Adam Schefter of ESPN reports.

Stafford hasn't been able to log any on-field work since suffering a sprained UCL in his right thumb just before halftime of the Rams' Week 8 loss at Dallas. Head coach Sean McVay called Stafford day-to-day all along, and the team will give the quarterback until Sunday morning before making a decision on his availability for Week 9. The Rams will post their list of inactives about 90 minutes before Sunday's 1 p.m. ET kickoff, and if Stafford's name is included, the Rams will turn to Brett Rypien under center.

Taylor (ribs) was placed on injured reserve Saturday, Ralph Vacchiano of Fox Sports reports.

Taylor's absence perfectly coincides with the return of Daniel Jones (neck) from his multi-game absence. Tommy DeVito appears to be the team's backup at the moment with the journeyman Taylor sidelined until at least Dec. 11, but it's possible the Giants add an additional backup given DeVito's lack of experience.

The Cardinals have elevated Driskel from their practice squad ahead of Sunday's game against the Browns.

Driskel will be available Sunday to back up Clayton Tune, who is slated to start at QB for Arizona in Week 9, with Kyler Murray still on the PUP list. Driskel last saw regular-season action with the Texans during the 2022 campaign.

Tune will start Sunday against the Browns after the Cardinals did not activate Kyler Murray (knee) off the reserve/PUP list Saturday.

It seems as if the Cardinals are playing it safe with the status of their franchise quarterback, as Murray could eventually start in Week 10 against the Falcons. As a result, Tune will make his first career start against the fearsome Browns defense Sunday. The rookie is considered an athletic prospect (4.64 40-yard dash) and was a multi-year starter in college, but he's a raw passer and didn't exactly light up the scoreboard in a few preseason opportunities. That the Cardinals opted to start Joshua Dobbs over Tune to begin the 2023 campaign despite the former's lack of reps in the offensive scheme is likely telling and doesn't inspire a lot of confidence in the 24-year-old's fantasy prospects, especially in a difficult matchup against Cleveland.

Murray (knee) won't be activated off the PUP list ahead of Saturday's 4:00 p.m. ET deadline, meaning Clayton Tune will start Sunday against the Browns, Adam Schefter of ESPN reports.

As a result, Murray will need to be activated next week in order to clear his 21-day activation window. Fantasy managers thus could plan for the Pro Bowl quarterback to possibly make his return ahead of the Week 10 matchup against the Falcons, but at least for this upcoming Sunday, expect the rookie Tune to make his first official start of his career against the vaunted Browns defense.

Winn was elevated to the Rams' active roster Saturday, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reports.

The typical cadence of the NFL would suggest this isn't a good sign for Matthew Stafford's (thumb) status come Sunday, but it doesn't guarantee he'll be unavailable either. Expect Winn to operate in a backup capacity either way for the veteran or Brett Rypien.