Posted by Mike Florio on November 21, 2011, 4:27 PM EST
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The Bills may be regretting the decision to give quarterback Ryan Fitzpatick a six-year, $59 million deal.
If they are, they can walk away from nearly $49 million of it after the season.
Per a league source, the Bills could trade or cut Fitzpatrick before the seventh day of the 2012 league year and owe him nothing further than the $3.22 million base salary he was already due to earn in 2011 and the $10 million signing bonus he was paid upon inking the new deal last month.
Andre Johnson (hamstring) practiced on Monday, and is "all systems go" for Week 12, according to coach Gary Kubiak.
Johnson has all but guaranteed he'll play against the Jaguars, and as long as he is able to turn in a full practice Wednesday and wake up without any unusual discomfort on Thursday, he should be good to go. Coming off a seven-week layoff and adjusting to life with Matt Leinart, Johnson likely won't be in for a blockbuster Sunday, but needs to be back in your lineup in all formats.
The St. Paul Pioneer Press' Jeremy Fowler reports Adrian Peterson has been diagnosed with a high-ankle spain.
Peterson is one of the league's most durable players and a noted quick healer, but he's still likely to be sidelined for a minimum of 2-4 weeks. That means the running load in Minnesota will fall on Toby Gerhart, and fantasy players can expect to be without this season's fourth most productive running back through at least mid-December. Gerhart struggled against the Raiders on Sunday and has a tough Week 12 matchup in the Falcons, but is still a must add in all formats. Lorenzo Booker is third on the depth chart for the Vikings.
The NFL had previously announced, to the surprise of no one, that the winless Colts’ game with the Patriots would not remain in the Week 13 prime time slot. Who would have thought when the schedule came out that Lions-Saints would be a marquee game, and Colts-Patriots would be a stinker?
Between the Lions’ Thanksgiving game against the Packers and the Saints game the following week, this will be the first time the Lions have played consecutive nationally televised games since 2000, when they beat the Patriots on Thanksgiving and then lost to the Vikings on ESPN the following week.
With both teams at 7-3 right now, Lions-Saints will have major NFC playoff implications. The Saints are in first place in the NFC South, while the Lions are the leaders in the NFC wild card race.
Posted by Gregg Rosenthal on November 21, 2011, 10:14 AM EST
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Dolphins quarterback Matt Moore is the newKyle Orton. I mean that as a compliment.
He’s the guy no franchise fully wants starting in Week One, but he’s proven that he belongs in the NFL. Moore probably has a higher ceiling than Orton, who has won 33 games as a starter and is earning $9 million this year.
Moore would be getting even more attention if he didn’t play for a 3-7 team. Consider Moore’s numbers the last three weeks:
He’s completed 51-of-73 passes (69.8%) for 613 yards (8.39 yards-per-attempt) with six touchdowns and one interception. The Dolphins have won three straight games by a combined score of 86-20.
Posted by Gregg Rosenthal on November 21, 2011, 8:26 AM EST
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Tom Brady has been seen wearing a band below his elbow of late, and was spotting icing his elbow after the Patriots beat the Cowboys.
That, in addition to some uncharacteristic inaccuracy, has led to a lot of speculation in Boston about Brady’s injury.
Greg A. Bedard of the Boston Globe reports via two sources that Brady has a bone bruise in his right arm near the elbow. It’s considered a minor injury and should improve or clear up as the season wears on.
The bruise could have caused some tendinitis, which would explain the band on his arm. Either way, this seems more like the usual “bumps and bruises” a lot of players deal with in the season rather than a serious concern.
Said Texans WR Andre Johnson, “I have to come back and play at a high level. This team has been playing at a high level since I’ve been gone, so I have to catch up and play at the level those guys are playing.”
The Broncos’ pass rush has been a big reason for their winning streak.
Said Chiefs offensive coordinator Bill Muir of switching quarterbacks, “It’s like a pair of shoes you wear every day, your favorite shoes. Then all of a sudden the heel falls off and you have to wear another pair of shoes. Maybe the new shoes are of equal value, but they just don’t seem to have the same fit. Eventually, they will.”
Posted by Gregg Rosenthal on November 21, 2011, 12:00 AM EST
AP
Vince Young was the unorthodox, polarizing running quarterback that “just wins” before it was all the rage.
For one drive Sunday night, VY reminded everyone what made him so special when he was ripping off victories in Tennessee as a rookie.
The Giants tied the Eagles 10-10 early in the fourth quarter. Young hadn’t moved the ball well all night. It looked like the Eagles were set for another collapse.
18 plays, eight minutes, 51 seconds, and six third down conversions later, Philadelphia was back in front to stay.
Posted by Gregg Rosenthal on November 20, 2011, 10:49 PM EST
AP
We get the biggest injury news in the rumor throughout the day. The smaller stuff we missed goes right here:
1. Packers coach Mike McCarthy announced running back James Starks has a knee sprain. It’s hard to imagine him being ready for Thanksgiving. Greg Jennings has an unclear lower leg injury. It may be a calf injury or a shin problem. Hard to tell if its serious.
2. Cardinals defensive tackle Dan Williams willmiss the rest of the season with a broken arm, according to Kent Somers of theArizona Republic. The 2010 first round pick has made very little impact in two seasons. Tackle Brandon Keith suffered a concussion.
