Ben Roethlisberger injures shoulder, was in 'a lot' of pain on game-winning drive

Jan 10, 2016

Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger returned to the AFC wild-card playoff game against the Cincinnati Bengals after exiting earlier with a right shoulder injury and helped Pittsburgh to a last-minute, game-winning drive in an 18-16 victory Saturday night.

Roethlisberger was hurt on a sack by linebacker Vontaze Burfict in the closing seconds of the third quarter but re-entered the game with 1:23 remaining in the fourth, after the Bengals had fumbled.

Roethlisberger did not want to address the extent of the injury in his postgame news conference, saying "we won the game" when asked what news he received from trainers in the locker room. He's scheduled to have additional exams on Sunday.

Roethlisberger said he was in "a lot" of pain on that final drive. He told coaches he couldn't take any deep shots to the end zone because he couldn't throw the ball that far.

"I'm going to give everything I can," said Roethlisberger about playing in the AFC divisional round on Sunday at Denver.

Fantasy Impact:

Roethlisberger's status will be one of the biggest storylines of the week heading into the divisional round of the playoffs. If he can't play, Landry Jones would get the start.

yesterday

Broncos waive TE Greg Dulcich

Pro Football Talk

yesterday · 6:46 PM EST

The NFL’s transaction report for Monday shows that the Broncos have waived Greg Dulcich off the 53-man roster.

Fantasy Impact:

Dulcich was a 2022 third-round pick and he caught 33 passes for 411 yards and two touchdowns in 10 games during his rookie season, the story pointed out. Those numbers made him a hot prospect for a while, however, hamstring injuries have caused him to fall off the fantasy radar. He's been inactive for the team's last eight games, the story added.

49ers QB Brock Purdy does light throwing with no issues

Pro Football Talk

yesterday · 5:18 PM EST

49ers quarterback Brock Purdy did some light throwing without issue Monday, coach Kyle Shanahan said.

Purdy, who missed Sunday’s game with right shoulder soreness, will rest Tuesday.

“We’ll see how it feels on Wednesday,” Shanahan said, via KNBR. “Hopefully, it responds better this week than it did last week with the rest.”

Fantasy Impact:

Purdy appeared to injure the shoulder when his hand hit the arm of Seahawks cornerback Devon Witherspoon as he released a pass early in the fourth quarter in Week 11, the story said. The story added the 49ers, though, don’t know specifically when Purdy injured it as he not miss time in that game with the injury.
An MRI showed no damage but after experiencing soreness Purdy got a second MRI last week. The Niners will need Purdy in Week 13 when they travel to the Bills in a Sunday night game. Those counting on Purdy may need to have a backup plan in place this week.

QB Daniel Jones clears waivers and is a free agent

Pro Football Talk

yesterday · 4:33 PM EST

Quarterback Daniel Jones cleared waivers as expected Monday, making him a free agent.

Jones now is free to sign with any team.

Fantasy Impact:

The story said a team claiming him off waivers would have had to pay Jones $11.83 million for the rest of the year and assume $23 million in injury guarantees. The Giants now are responsible for the $11.83 million. The story also added, 10 teams reportedly already have reached out to Jones. The story suggested Jones' best move would be to sign to a contender’s practice squad because it would allow Jones to sign to the active roster of a different team if a starter gets injured. The Ravens, Vikings and Raiders have been rumored to be interested in Jones.