NFL Player News

Walker didn't participate in Wednesday's walk-through session due to a shoulder injury, Bob Condotta of The Seattle Times reports.

Walker previously sat out Weeks 12 and 13 with a strained oblique, but he's emerged from Monday's 20-17 win over the Eagles with a new health concern. In that contest, he notched 34 of 61 offensive snaps while reserve running back Zach Charbonnet logged 27. The close gap in usage wasn't reflected in the box score, though, as Walker turned 22 touches into 112 yards from scrimmage and a rushing score, and Charbonnet had four carries for 16 yards. Walker's lack of activity to kick off Week 16 prep may be a precautionary measure after the recent heavy workload he's taken on, but his status nonetheless will be watched to get a sense of his availability ahead of Sunday's game at Tennessee.

Achane (toe) was listed as a non-participant on Wednesday's practice report, Marcel Louis-Jacques of ESPN.com reports.

Achane approached this past Sunday's 30-0 win over the Jets listed as questionable after having practice in a limited fashion Friday, but he suited up and finished with nine carries for 32 yards and three catches for 30 yards in the contest. With no reported setbacks to any Miami running backs since Sunday's game, the absences of both Achane and Raheem Mostert's (knee/ankle/veteran rest) to begin Week 16 prep look to be mostly precautionary.

Dowdle (ankle) practiced in a limited fashion Wednesday, Jon Machota of The Athletic reports.

As has been the case in advance of each of the Cowboys' previous five games, Dowdle is again tending to an ankle injury. The health concern hasn't stopped him from playing a regular, albeit small, role in the Dallas offense, as evidenced by 31 carries and seven catches (on eight targets) for 132 yards from scrimmage and two total touchdowns that he's generated during that stretch. Even if he has practice restrictions through Friday, Dowdle could still enter the weekend without a designation for Sunday's contest at Miami.

Mostert (knee/ankle/veteran rest) was listed as a non-participant for Wednesday's practice, Marcel Louis-Jacques of ESPN.com reports.

Mostert has kicked off the last three weeks of prep with absences while managing knee and ankle issues, but he has entered all three of those ensuing games without an injury designation. He'll most likely repeat that pattern this week and be fully cleared ahead of Sunday's game against the Cowboys.

Hunt (groin) was listed as a limited participant on Wednesday's estimated practice report, Scott Petrak of the Elyria Chronicle-Telegram reports.

Hunt has been a fixture on Browns injury reports for several weeks due to the groin issue, but he has yet to miss a game since signing with the team in September. In the Browns' 20-17 win over the Bears this past Sunday, Hunt logged eight yards on seven carries and caught his lone target for 12 yards. Assuming he can shake off the groin injury ahead of this Sunday's game in Houston, Hunt will likely work in tandem with Jerome Ford (wrist) out of the backfield.

Ford (wrist) is listed as a limited participant on Wednesday's estimated practice report, Scott Petrak of the Elyria Chronicle-Telegram reports.

Ford injured his wrist Week 14 against Jacksonville but returned to the game and then avoided an injury designation ahead of the Browns' Week 15 win over Chicago. He should be ready to go for Sunday's game in Houston, reprising his role as the leader of Cleveland's three-man backfield.

Mattison (ankle) was held out of practice Wednesday.

Mattison hasn't practiced since spraining his right ankle in the middle of the Vikings' 3-0 win in Las Vegas in Week 14, which sidelined him for this past Saturday's 27-24 overtime loss in Cincinnati. Head coach Kevin O'Connell told Kevin Seifert of ESPN.com on Wednesday that he hasn't ruled Mattison out for Sunday's game versus the Lions, but Minnesota likely will lean more on Ty Chandler at running back, even if the former is available. Mattison's listing on the team's last two Week 16 injury reports could reveal whether he has a chance to play this weekend.

Abanikanda was listed as limited participant Wednesday on the Jets' estimated injury report due to an ankle issue, Rich Cimini of ESPN.com reports.

Abanikanda totaled a season-high six touches in Sunday's 30-0 loss to the Dolphins, but he also appears to have sustained an ankle injury at some point along the way. With the Jets out of playoff contention, the rookie running back could see extra work during the final three weeks of the season, as long as he can prove healthy enough to suit up. He'll work to ramp up his activity level in practice Thursday in anticipation of playing Sunday against the Commanders.

Brown (sternum) was a full participant in practice Wednesday, Jay Morrison of ProFootballNetwork.com reports.

Brown thus is set to reprise his role as the Bengals' No. 2 back Saturday against Pittsburgh, following three straight games with at least nine touches on 18 or fewer snaps. Joe Mixon is still dominating the playing time in Cincinnati's backfield, but Brown also has emerged as a significant piece of the offense, remarkably touching the ball on 71.4 percent of his snaps over the past three weeks. The rookie out of Illinois should stay involved Saturday, though the limited playing time implies a rather low floor for fantasy production.

Dillon (thumb) was a limited practice participant Wednesday.

Prior to missing the first game of his four-year career this past Sunday versus the Buccaneers, Dillon was contained to one limited practice Friday in which he was seen wearing a large wrap to protect his broken right thumb. Ultimately, the Packers determined that ball security was too much of a concern to risk keeping Dillon active for Week 15, and he may be in a similar boat as Green Bay begins preparations for Week 16. Fellow running back Aaron Jones also had a cap on his reps Wednesday, so the statuses of the pair will need to be watched as Sunday's contest at Carolina approaches.