NFL Player News

Pacheco (shoulder) won't practice Wednesday, Matt McMullen of the Chiefs' official site reports.

Pacheco didn't practice in any capacity last week before sitting out Sunday's 20-17 loss to the Bills. The running back remains a spectator in practice as the Chiefs begin Week 15 prep, but Pacheco will have two more chances to get in some on-field work ahead of Sunday's game against the Patriots. If the running back is unable to play through his shoulder issue this weekend, Clyde Edwards-Helaire and Jerick McKinnon would once again lead the Kansas City backfield.

Head coach Kyle Shanahan said Mitchell (knee) will be a limited participant at practice Wednesday, Cam Inman of The San Jose Mercury News reports.

Shanahan said Monday that Mitchell has a chance to return from a one-game absence this Sunday at Arizona, according to Josh Dubow of The Associated Press. Jordan Mason took on the running-back reps that didn't go to Christian McCaffrey this past Sunday against the Seahawks, carrying four times for 20 yards and one touchdown and hauling in his only target for six yards. If Mitchell makes enough progress to suit up Week 15, he likely will push Mason back to third on the depth chart.

Mattison (ankle) isn't practicing Wednesday, Alec Lewis of The Athletic reports.

Ty Chandler took 79 percent of Minnesota's offensive snaps in the second half of Sunday's 3-0 win over the Raiders, stepping in as the lead back after Mattison left early with a right ankle sprain. The Vikings listed Mattison as a non-participant on Tuesday's practice estimate and now are holding him out of an actual practice, making him uncertain to play this Saturday against the Bengals. Kene Nwangwu is the third running back on Minnesota's active roster, but he's mostly been used on special teams throughout his career, so Myles Gaskin or DeWayne McBride may be elevated from the practice squad for the No. 2 role if Mattison doesn't end up playing Saturday.

Demercado (neck) returned to practice Wednesday, Howard Balzer of GoPHNX.com reports.

Demercado was evaluated for head and neck injuries after taking a hard hit during the first quarter of a Week 13 win over Pittsburgh. He ended up clearing concussion protocol but nonetheless missed the rest of that game, though he looks as though he's close to full health coming out of Arizona's Week 14 bye. Assuming he'll be available for this Sunday's game against the 49ers, Demercado probably won't have much of a role, considering Conner typically dominates the snaps out of the backfield when healthy, while Michael Carter is also on hand to fill in for whatever plays Conner doesn't handle.

Stevenson (ankle) didn't practice Wednesday, Zack Cox of NESN.com reports.

Stevenson was listed as a non-participant on all three of the Patriots' practice reports last week before being ruled out ahead of Thursday's win over the Steelers. His continued absence from practice for the Patriots' first session of Week 15 prep seemingly puts him at risk of missing another game Sunday versus the Chiefs. If Stevenson remains sidelined this weekend, Ezekiel Elliott would continue to headline New England's backfield.

Hunt won't participate in Wednesday's practice due to a groin injury, Mary Kay Cabot of The Cleveland Plain Dealer reports.

Hunt has tended to a groin issue in advance of three different games this season (Weeks 4, 13 and 14), but he's been able to suit up on each occasion. Fellow running back Jerome Ford emerged from this past Sunday's 31-27 win against the Jaguars with an injured wrist, but head coach Kevin Stefanski said Monday that Ford avoided a fracture. Additionally, Ford also wasn't included among the team's list of non-participants in practice Wednesday, meaning he's expected to mix into drills in some capacity. Hunt will have two more opportunities this week to join Ford for on-field work before the Browns potentially make a ruling on the availability of both running backs for Sunday's contest against the Bears.

Robinson (hamstring) isn't practicing Wednesday, John Keim of ESPN.com reports.

Robinson missed the second half of Washington's Week 13 loss to Miami and apparently is still tending to the hamstring injury after a Week 14 bye. If he can't play in Sunday's game against the Rams, the Commanders likely will deploy Antonio Gibson in a larger role and use Chris Rodriguez for some of the early down work normally handled by Robinson.

Taylor (thumb) wasn't spotted at practice Wednesday, James Boyd of The Athletic reports.

Taylor, who was listed as a non-participant on Tuesday's estimated report, has one more opportunity to practice ahead of Saturday's game against the Steelers, though the prevailing expectation remains that the running back will miss a third straight contest this weekend. If that's the case, Zack Moss would continue to lead the Colts' rushing attack.

Blackshear played four of 80 snaps on offense and carried once for four yards to go with one reception for four yards on two targets in Sunday's 28-6 loss to the Saints. He also brought back two kickoffs for 37 yards.

Though Carolina was on the wrong end of a blowout, Blackshear was worked into the backfield mix before the game devolved into garbage time. His carry came in the first quarter, and both of his targets came while the Panthers were trailing by two scores. In addition to filling his usual duties as Carolina's kickoff return man, Blackshear has started to see more involvement on offense in the second half of the season, though he's still third on the depth chart at running back behind Chuba Hubbard and Miles Sanders. Through eight appearances on the campaign, Blackshear has carried 13 times for 40 yards to go with six catches for 45 yards on seven targets.

Strong played five of 76 snaps on offense and carried once for zero yards in Sunday's 31-27 win over the Jaguars. He also returned a kickoff for 29 yards.

Strong took two carries for 20 yards in last week's 36-19 loss to the Rams, but he didn't have the opportunity to build on that performance while the Browns leaned more heavily on Jerome Ford and Kareem Hunt in a more tightly contested Week 14 game. Ford emerged from Sunday's win with a wrist injury, so if he's unable to play through the issue in the Browns' Week 15 game against the Bears, Strong could see a heightened role as a change-of-pace option behind Hunt.