The New York Jets’ quarterback mystery is no more.

After weeks of pushing back against questions of whether he would opt for a change behind center, Jets coach Aaron Glenn is benching Justin Fields for veteran Tyrod Taylor, according to multiple reports.

New York will face the Baltimore Ravens on Sunday.

The move comes on the heels of a 27-14 loss to the New England Patriots last Thursday that dropped the Jets to 2-8 on the season. Fields threw for just 116 yards on 15-of-26 passing. It marked the fourth time in the last five games that he finished with less than 200 passing yards and a completion rate below 60%.

Through Week 11, the Jets rank last in the NFL in passing yards per game (139.9) and sack rate allowed (11.6%).

For weeks, Glenn has resisted all inquiries into the possibility of a quarterback change, saying that not divulging his plans conveys a competitive advantage. On Nov. 14, however, he seemed to open the door for a swap.

“You know what? I’m evaluating everything, to be honest with you,” Glenn said. “I’m evaluating myself, the players, schematics, coaches, I’m evaluating everything. So, I don’t want to just place everything on that, that one situation. I’m just looking at everything, because as a head coach, that’s my job, to make sure that I put this team in the best position to go win games.”

While coming to Glenn’s defense in accounting for the team’s struggles, Johnson told reporters in New York for the league’s fall meeting, ‘It’s hard when you have a quarterback with a rating that he’s got. I mean, (Fields) has ability, but something just is not jibing. … You have to play consistently at that position, and that’s what we’re going to try to do for the remainder of the season.’

Fields has a 89.5 passer rating on the season, ranking 25th among qualified players after last Thursday’s game. His tendency to hold onto the ball has been a frequent talking point, with both the quarterback and Glenn pushing back against the criticisms of his playing style. But Fields, who has taken 27 sacks on the season, acknowledged last month that he was playing ‘a little bit too conservative.’

Added Johnson last month: ‘The offense is just not clicking. You can’t run the ball if you can’t pass the ball. That’s football 101.’

Fields shrugged off Johnson’s pointed words.

‘I’m not sure how he feels about the situation at all, but, I mean, I don’t have any plans going up to press him about what he said,’ Fields said last month. ‘Everybody’s entitled to their opinion. That’s just what it is, but you just have a choice or not whether those opinions affect you or not.’

Justin Fields stats

• Completions: 128
• Passing attempts: 204
• Completion rate: 62.7%
• Passing yards: 1,259
• Touchdown passes: 7
• Interceptions: 1
• Rushing attempts: 71
• Rushing yards: 383
• Rushing touchdowns: 4

Tyrod Taylor’s turn

Taylor, 36, started for the Jets in a 29-27 loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Week 3 when Fields was sidelined by a concussion. The 15-year veteran helped New York mount a 21-point rally in the fourth quarter, but he lost a fumble and threw a pick-six to put the team in an early hole.

For the first time this season, LeBron James practiced in full with the Los Angeles Lakers, and for the first time this season, he was upgraded to questionable on the injury report.

And for the first time, James also didn’t report any setbacks from the sciatica nerve issue he has been dealing with on his right side that forced him to miss training camp and the first 14 games of the Lakers’ season.

“As expected,” James told reporters Monday, Nov. 17 after the practice session. “My lungs felt like a newborn baby. I gotta get my lungs back to a grown man and my voice is already gone. One day back and barking out calls and assignments and stuff – getting my voice working again. It will be a lot of tea and rest tonight. It feels good, feels good to be out here with the guys.”

James’ full participation in Monday’s practice points toward a return to the court soon, possibly as early as Los Angeles’ next game, Tuesday, Nov. 18, against the Utah Jazz.

Lakers coach JJ Redick said James was still “TBD” for that game, which will take place at the Crypto.com Arena in downtown Los Angeles, but the questionable designation is indication that his season debut could be iminent.

If James is unable to play then, the Lakers will then have an extended, five-day break, with their following game coming Sunday, Nov. 23 on the road, also against the Jazz. The final determination on his availability, seemingly, will come down to his response to Monday’s practice.

“We’ve been taking literally one minute, one hour, one step at a time throughout this whole process,” James said. “We’ll see how I feel this afternoon, we’ll see how I feel tonight, when I wake up in the morning – we’ll probably have shootaround, so we’ve just got to see how the body responds over the next 24 hours-plus.”

Though this was the first Lakers practice with James, he did spend most of last week in the Los Angeles area training with the South Bay Lakers, the franchise’s G League affiliate. The Lakers had been on a five-game road trip that concluded Saturday, Nov. 15 in Milwaukee.

James called it “a blessing” that the South Bay Lakers were able to accommodate him in their practices, allowing him to run through full five-on-five action.

James described the monotony of his rehab, as he’s looking to set a new NBA record, becoming the first player in league history to play 23 seasons, breaking the tie he currently holds with Hall of Fame guard Vince Carter.

This season marked the first time in James’ career that he failed to play in a season opener for any reason at all.

“It sucked,” James said. “It definitely sucked. Never in my life since I’ve been playing the game of basketball have I ever not started a season. It has been a mind test, but I’m built for it. Putting in the work, both mentally and physically, and just trying to get myself ready to rejoin the team.”

The Lakers had done fairly well without James, going 10-4 and currently sitting in third place in the Western Conference. Luka Dončić has carried Los Angeles and leads the NBA in scoring with 34.4 points per game, but players like Austin Reaves and Deandre Ayton have also stepped up.

Whenever James does make his return, the Lakers may need to adjust slightly to incorporate him into their offense. Still, he has been one of the premier play makers of his generation, and is a player who excels in creating opportunities for others.

The biggest hurdle may be that James does best with the ball in his hands – whether in transition or driving and kicking out to teammates – and Dončić is also a ball-dominant player.

“For me, it’s just about finding ways where I can fit in organically,” James said. “Right off the top, I know ways I can help this team right away when I am put back in the lineup.

“I’m a ball player. Best thing about me and the way I built my game my whole life, I’ve never had a position. (Heat coach Erik Spoelstra) used to say: ‘positionless basketball, be positionless.’ There’s not one team, one club in the world where I can’t fit in and play. I can do everything on the floor.”

James also revealed that this is not the first time he has dealt with a sciatica issue and added that he’s not fully pain free despite his participation in practice, but that he’s undertaking exercises to manage the issue.

“I had it two years ago,” he said. “If you’ve had it, then you know what the hell it’s about. If you ain’t ever had it and people making jokes about it, I pray you never get it. It is not fun.”

By time of publication, the Lakers had not submitted an injury report for Tuesday’s game against the Jazz, though they are required to do so by Monday evening.

AI-assisted summary
• A U.S. senator is questioning the tax-exempt status of the NCAA and its member schools.
• The inquiry follows schools potentially being on the hook for $200 million in contract buyouts for fired college football coaches this season.
• The letter to the Joint Committee on Taxation also raises concerns about rising coach salaries and market dynamics.

A U.S. senator is asking questions about all the money being spent on fired college coaches and wants to know what would happen if NCAA conferences and schools no longer were allowed to operate as tax-exempt organizations.

Sen. Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.) brought up these subjects in a letter Monday to the chief of staff for the U.S. Congress Joint Committee on Taxation. The letter signals that this year’s wild spending commitments for the contract buyouts of fired football coaches has gotten the attention of Congress and could lead to new legislative proposals to crack down on it.

“Given the evolving market dynamics of college sports, coupled with changes in the legal framework affecting college athletes, legitimate questions have been raised about whether it is time to rethink the tax-exempt regime under which college sports currently operates,” Cantwell wrote in the letter.

The letter asks for information from the Joint Committee that could help her develop legislative proposals.

“Are there other measures Congress could consider with respect to addressing excessive compensation for coaches?” Cantwell asked in the letter. “Are there measures Congress could consider to address excessive compensation paid to coaches or other athletic department personnel who are fired (i.e. buy outs)?”

Schools that have fired football coaches this season potentially owed nearly $200 million in contract buyouts to those coaches. Meanwhile, spending on coaches’ compensation keeps going up with 10 head football coaches making $10 million annually this season, up from only two making at least $8 million in 2019.

An excise tax aimed at excessive compensation hasn’t been effective in that regard after being passed as part of a new tax law in 2017.  

Cantwell asked the committee for an analysis that addresses “the implications of no longer allowing the NCAA, member institutions, and their affiliated athletic conferences to operate as tax-exempt organizations.”

Cantwell is a senior member of the Senate Finance Committee and is the ranking member of the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation. She’s waded into college sports issues before, including in October, when she wrote a letter to the presidents and chancellors of the Big Ten Conference. In that letter, she warned them of the dangers of selling a part of their assets in exchange for a a big private capital investment.

In her new letter, she noted how NCAA schools benefit from their tax-exempt status as educational institutions while college sports have become ‘a multi-billion dollar industry whose growth and potential growth have attracted the attention of private equity and venture capital investors.’

‘It is important that the Congress be proactive in determining the tax rules that should apply as stakeholders adapt to these changing market dynamics, especially given that so much of this activity currently is tax advantaged,’ the letter stated.

Follow reporter Brent Schrotenboer @Schrotenboer. Email: bschrotenb@usatoday.com

Week 11 of the 2025 fantasy football season was a nauseating rollercoaster.

While Bryce Young, Jacoby Brissett, and Justin Fields rank inside the top four with ‘Monday Night Football’ pending, Lamar Jackson (QB27) and Justin Herbert (QB29) both failed to reach seven fantasy points. At running back, Sean Tucker is the RB1, while Rico Dowdle, Jaylen Warren (ankle injury), Breece Hall and Josh Jacobs (knee injury) finished outside the top 20.

Michael Wilson, Christian Watson, Tyrell Shavers, Xavier Legette, and Greg Dortch rank inside the top 10 at wide receiver, while Rashee Rice, Jaylen Waddle, Davante Adams, Emeka Egbuka, Amon-Ra St. Brown, Rome Odunze, Ja’Marr Chase, Ladd McConkey and DeVonta Smith all finished outside the top 30. In a bizarre turn of events, tight end might have been the most predictable position, with Trey McBride, George Kittle, Travis Kelce and Mark Andrews ranking as the top four entering MNF.

Here’s a look at Week 12 fantasy football rankings. Toggle between standard, half PPR (point per reception) and full PPR to see where players rank in your league’s format. Scroll to the bottom to view the complete rankings.

Our team at USA TODAY Sports has you covered with plenty of content to help with your Week 12 waiver wire and roster decisions. Looking for up-to-date player news? We’ve got it. Don’t forget to check out the rest of our content:

Waiver wire and trades: 8 players to add | 8 buy low, sell high candidates

Please note: These rankings will change significantly as the week goes on. Check back on Sunday morning for final updates.

(The risers and sleepers sections will focus on players available in at least half of Yahoo leagues. All snap and target data from PFF.)

Week 12 fantasy football quarterback rankings: Risers and sleepers

• Cardinals QB Jacoby Brissett (34% rostered) – Since Week 6, Brissett is the fantasy QB4 in points per game. Amazingly, the veteran eclipsed 19 fantasy points in each of his five starts during that stretch. In Week 12, he’ll go up against a Jaguars defense that’s allowing the fifth-most fantasy points to the position, even after shutting down Justin Herbert.
• Panthers QB Bryce Young (13%) – Young is currently the QB2 on the week. He gets a mouthwatering matchup in Week 12, as the Panthers will be taking on the 49ers, who have allowed the most passing yards and fourth-most fantasy points to quarterbacks since Week 5.
• Other QB streaming options – Jaguars QB Trevor Lawrence (41%), Falcons QB Kirk Cousins (1%), Jets QB Tyrod Taylor (1%).

Week 12 fantasy football running back rankings: Risers and sleepers

• Buccaneers RB Sean Tucker (27%) – With one game to play, the current RB1 in fantasy for Week 11 is Tucker. While the 24-year-old finished with fewer snaps and routes than backfield mate Rachaad White, he did have the edge in carries (19 to 10) and red zone attempts (4 to 1). Tucker will be on the streaming radar in Week 12 if Bucky Irving misses another game, but he will be going up against a Rams defense that’s allowing the third-fewest fantasy points to the position.
• Packers RB Emanuel Wilson (8%) – While Josh Jacobs seems to have avoided a serious injury, his status for Week 12 against the Vikings is in doubt. Enter Wilson. The 23-year-old dominated snaps after Jacobs went down against the Giants, turning his 12 touches into 49 yards and a score. He’ll be an RB2 in a below-average matchup.
• Steelers RB Kenneth Gainwell (33%) – In Week 11, Jaylen Warren went down with an ankle injury and didn’t return. While he claims he could have returned, there’s no guarantee that he’ll play next week. In his absence, Gainwell racked up 105 yards and two scores. The 26-year-old will easily be a top-20 play if Warren has to miss Week 12.
• Giants RB Devin Singletary (21%) – Week 12 saw a near-even split between Singletary and Tyrone Tracy Jr. Tracy had the smallest of edges in snaps (37 to 35) and carries (19 to 16), but the two finished tied in routes run (15). Singletary turned his 17 touches into 47 yards and two tuddies. He’s on the streaming radar against a tough Lions defense.
• Other RB streaming options – Cardinals RB Bam Knight (18%), Titans RB Tyjae Spears (38%), Cardinals RB Michael Carter (3%), Ravens RB Keaton Mitchell (3%)

Week 12 fantasy football wide receiver rankings: Risers and sleepers

• Colts WR Alec Pierce (49%) – Over the last five weeks, only four wideouts have more receiving yards than Pierce’s 316. The 25-year-old has racked up at least 67 yards in six of his last seven games. The production has come with an increased role of late, as Pierce is averaging 8.8 targets per game over his last four after generating just 4.3 in the first four contests. While the Chiefs are a below-average matchup for wideouts, Pierce is a top-30 play.
• Packers WR Christian Watson (34%) – With Tucker Kraft out for the year and Jayden Reed on IR, Watson has become crucial to the Packers offense. While he only generated five targets in Week 11, he was one of two players with multiple red zone touchdowns. He’ll be a WR3 against the Vikings.
• Cardinals WR Michael Wilson (47%) – With Marvin Harrison Jr. out last week, Wilson racked up an astonishing line of 18 targets, 15 receptions, and 185 yards. If Harrison were absent from the lineup in Week 12, Wilson would be a borderline WR2 against a Jaguars defense that ranks 20th against receivers.
• Falcons WR Darnell Mooney (31%) – With Drake London out at least one week, Mooney should be in for a healthy target share in Week 12. The Falcons will face a Saints secondary that’s surrendered more than 14 half-PPR points to nine different receivers this season. Mooney is a high-upside streamer.
• Other WR streaming options – Buccaneers WR Chris Godwin (46%), Texans WR Jayden Higgins (16%), Bears WR Luther Burden (8%), Patriots WR Mack Hollins (5%), Titans WR Van Jefferson (0%), Cardinals WR Greg Dortch (3%), Bills WR Tyrell Shavers (0%)

Week 12 fantasy football tight end rankings: Risers and sleepers

• Saints TE Juwan Johnson (46%) – Johnson continues to be a relatively consistent option at a frustrating position. The 29-year-old has recorded double-digit half-PPR games in five of 10 contests, and has only posted fewer than 7.8 points on three occasions. Johnson’s three worst outings came at a time when he was clearly banged up.
• Texans TE Dalton Schultz (49%) – Over the last three weeks, only Trey McBride has more targets than Schultz. As a result, Schultz finished as a top-eight fantasy tight end in each of those contests. The Bills have been the toughest matchup for tight ends, but the volume puts him in the TE1 conversation.
• Other TE streaming options – Jets TE Mason Taylor (17%), Seahawks TE AJ Barner (9%), Lions TE Brock Wright (1%), Jaguars TE Brenton Strange (12%)

Week 12 fantasy football rankings: PPR and non-PPR

The Pittsburgh Steelers were able to earn a resounding 34-12 win over the Cincinnati Bengals in Week 11. They did so despite being without starting quarterback Aaron Rodgers for the second half of Sunday’s game.

Rodgers suffered an apparent injury to his left wrist at the end of the half. The 41-year-old was seen flexing his non-throwing hand and cradling it after taking a hit from a Bengals defender, but he remained in the game.

Rodgers was seen warming up ahead of the second half. At that time, he had been deemed ‘questionable’ to return.

Mike Tomlin said the following when asked about the quarterback’s second-half availability.

‘We’re hopeful but we better get Mason Rudolph ready to go,’ Tomlin said.

Here’s what Tomlin said about Rodgers’ injury and when fans might know more about the veteran’s status moving forward.

What happened to Aaron Rodgers?

The good news? NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport and Tom Pelissero report the belief is the injury ‘is nothing long term’ despite in-stadium X-rays showing a small fracture.

The NFL insider reports come after Tomlin confirmed during his postgame news conference that Rodgers had suffered an injury to his left wrist. The 53-year-old coach did not provide an update on the severity of Rodgers’ injury.

‘He’ll be evaluated in the morning,’ Tomlin told reporters. ‘I’ll give you guys more information there.’

Tomlin was not asked during his availability what the team would do if Rodgers were out long-term. However, he praised backup quarterback Mason Rudolph for his performance in relief of Rodgers.

‘Mason’s proven in the past what he showed today,’ Tomlin said. ‘That’s why we value him as a member of this collective. Appreciative of his play.’

Rudolph completed 12 of 16 passes for 127 yards and a touchdown against the Bengals. His numbers were similar to those of Rodgers, who completed 9 of 15 passes for 116 yards and one score.