Week 15 Essential NFL Practice News & Notes for Friday

Dec 16, 2016

Jaguars QB Blake Bortles (right shoulder) took full practice reps all week. Bortles will be out there, but he’s not a good option against a pretty stingy Houston defense.

Vikings QB Sam Bradford (right shoulder) took full practice reps on Friday after being limited earlier in the week. Bradford should be able to play through the injury.

Saints QB Drew Brees (not injury related) was removed from the injury report Friday. Brees will be out there against the Cardinals, but his home/away splits are not pretty over the last two seasons, and this is a tough matchup.

Raiders QB Derek Carr (finger/right hand) took full practice reps all week. Carr should fare better in warm weather San Diego. His TD:INT splits are better on the road (2.0:0.29) than they are at home (1.87:0.93) over the last two seasons. The only concern here is that both of his receivers are questionable for Sunday.

49ers QB Colin Kaepernick (neck) took full practice reps again Friday. He was removed from the injury report so he’s good to go.

Colts QB Andrew Luck (right shoulder, right elbow) took full practice reps on Friday after being limited earlier in the week. No worries here. Luck will be out there for a tough matchup against the Vikings. His offensive line is missing three starters, so pass protection may be an issue.

Panthers QB Cam Newton (right shoulder) took limited practice reps again Friday. The Panthers play on Monday night, so Newton has an extra day to get healthy. He suffered the injury last week, so it doesn’t entirely explain his 43% completion percentage over the last four games. Newton has a tendency to pick up his game on Mondays, averaging 24.7 PPG in four MNF games, more than four points more than his average on Sundays.

Texans QB Brock Osweiler (thigh) took full practice reps all week. Osweiler will be fine for Sunday.

Cardinals QB Carson Palmer (not injury related) took full practice reps again Friday. Palmer will be out there against the Saints. On paper it’s a good matchup, but Palmer has taken a step back this year and the Saints are actually playing better defense on the road than at home.

Packers QB Aaron Rodgers (calf, questionable) missed practice all week and is questionable for Week 15. Rodgers will be out there in a must-win game against the Bears, but he won’t have full mobility. He didn’t practice at all this week, which is a little worrisome. But this is Aaron Rodgers and the Bears that we’re talking about.

Steelers QB Ben Roethlisberger (not injury related) was removed from the injury report Friday. Big Ben will be out there for a so-so matchup against the Bengals.

Texans QB Tom Savage (right elbow) took full practice reps all week.

Broncos QB Trevor Siemian (foot) took full practice reps all week. Siemian is a Sneaky Start given his matchup with a so-so Patriots pass defense.

Lions QB Matthew Stafford (finger\right hand) took full practice reps all week. Stafford should be fine to play through the finger injury. It’s not a good matchup against the Giants, so Stafford is a dicey start this week.

Dolphins QB Ryan Tannehill (knee, out) missed practice all week and is out for Week 15. Matt Moore will start for the Dolphins. He’s a solid backup, but it’s a downgrade for the entire passing game.

Bills QB Tyrod Taylor (groin) took full practice reps all week. He's good to go for a great matchup with Cleveland.