Week 15 Essential NFL Practice News & Notes for Thursday

Dec 15, 2016

Jaguars QB Blake Bortles (right shoulder) took full practice reps again Thursday. 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 limited practice reps again Thursday. Bradford should be able to play through the injury. He has a favorable matchup against the Colts, but it's tough to trust this passing game.

Saints QB Drew Brees (not injury related) was removed from the injury report Thursday after taking limited practice reps Wednesday. Brees will be out there against the Cardinals, but his home/away splits are not pretty over the last two seasons.

Raiders QB Derek Carr (finger/right hand) took full practice reps again Thursday. 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.

49ers QB Colin Kaepernick (neck) was added to the injury report Thursday after taking full practice reps. Kaepernick should be out there against the Falcons.

Colts QB Andrew Luck (right shoulder, right elbow) returned to limited practice reps Thursday after missing Wednesday practice. No worries here. Luck will be out there for a tough matchup against the Vikings.

Panthers QB Cam Newton (right shoulder) took limited practice reps Thursday. 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 again Thursday. Osweiler will be fine for Sunday.

Cardinals QB Carson Palmer (not injury related) returned to full practice reps Thursday after missing Wednesday. 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 pretty good defense on the road.

Packers QB Aaron Rodgers (calf) missed practice again Thursday. Rodgers should be out there in a must-win game against the Bears, but he won’t have full mobility.

Steelers QB Ben Roethlisberger (not injury related) was removed from the injury report Thursday. No worries here.

Texans QB Tom Savage (right elbow) took full practice reps again Thursday.

Broncos QB Trevor Siemian (foot) took full practice reps again Thursday. 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 again Thursday. 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) missed practice again Thursday. 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 again Thursday. Taylor has a fantastic matchup with the Browns, and he’ll be able to play through he groin injury. Keep an eye on the weather in Buffalo, however.