NFL Player News

McKinnon won't practice Thursday due to a groin injury, Matt McMullen of the Chiefs' official site reports.

McKinnon had previously missed games in Weeks 12 and 13 due to a groin issue, but his absence Thursday could be a case of load management rather than the result of a setback coming out of Sunday's 27-17 win over the Patriots. In any case, with Isiah Pacheco (shoulder) trending toward a return to action Monday against the Raiders, McKinnon may be headed for a lesser role in Kansas City's backfield.

Achane (toe) was on the field for practice Thursday, Cameron Wolfe of NFL Network reports.

Achane's presence at practice Thursday perhaps suggests that the running back's absence Wednesday may have been maintenance-related. The extent of Achane's participation in Thursday's session will be known when Miami releases its second Week 16 injury report later in the day.

Miller (ankle) remains listed as questionable but is likely to be available for Thursday's game against the Rams, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reports.

Miller was gauged as a limited participant for walk-through practices Tuesday and Wednesday, but the Saints evidently came away encouraged enough with the health of the rookie's ankle. Official confirmation on Miller's status for the Week 16 contest won't arrive until New Orleans releases its inactive list 90 minutes prior to the game's 8:15 p.m. ET kickoff, but the running back looks poised to be available for the first time since Week 9. However, Miller will likely be in store for only a bit role Thursday with Alvin Kamara and Jamaal Williams both healthy.

Cook (illness) was back on the field for practice Thursday, Alaina Getzenberg of ESPN.com reports.

Cook sat out Wednesday's session, but the running back's return to the field a day later seemingly has him on a path to being available Saturday against the Chargers. Later Thursday, the Bills will post their final Week 16 injury report, which will reveal whether Cook carries a questionable tag into Saturday's contest or if he avoids a designation entirely.

Bills head coach Sean McDermott expects Cook (illness) to practice Thursday and play in Saturday's game against the Chargers, Joe Buscaglia of The Athletic reports.

Cook didn't practice Wednesday, but his anticipated return to the field Thursday has him trending in the right direction for the Week 16 contest. The Bills will release their final injury report of the week later Thursday, when the extent of Cook's practice participation will be known.

Head coach Kevin O'Connell hinted Wednesday that Chandler could remain the Vikings' lead back, regardless of Alexander Mattison's (ankle) status for Sunday's game against the Lions, Kevin Seifert of ESPN.com reports. "Ty is absolutely a guy that is going to continue to see a feature role in our offense," O'Connell said. "What that looks like moving forward, as far as who gets the first touch of the game and all those things, we'll continue to work through based upon what we are attempting to do scheme-wise."

While Mattison was sidelined for this past Saturday's 27-24 overtime loss to the Bengals, Chandler stepped into the starting role and turned in the best performance of the season by a Vikings running back, finishing with 23 carries for 132 yards and a touchdown to go with three receptions for 25 yards on four targets. Though O'Connell stopped short of naming Chandler the Vikings' new No. 1 back, the coach's comments suggest that the second-year player has at the very least earned himself a larger share of the snaps and touches out of the backfield. Mattison remained sidelined Wednesday for the Vikings' first Week 16 practice, and even if he puts himself in a position to play Sunday, his lacking production on the ground (3.9 yards per carry, no touchdowns on 168 carries) and ball-security concerns (three total fumbles, two lost) could force him to settle for a secondary role behind Chandler.

Bawden was waived by the Jets on Wednesday, Eric Allen of the team's official website reports.

Bawden has played in all 14 of New York's contests this season, but he'll now look for his next opportunity. The transaction opened a spot for quarterback Aaron Rodgers (Achilles) on the 53-man roster.

Rivers (knee) doesn't have a designation for Thursday's game versus the Saints, Stu Jackson of the Rams' official site reports.

After the Rams designated him for return from injured reserve Tuesday, Rivers turned in two consecutive full walkthroughs to conclude Week 16 prep. If he's activated from IR by 4 p.m. ET on Thursday, Rivers would be available to fill a reserve role out of the Los Angeles backfield against New Orleans along with Royce Freeman behind starter Kyren Williams. In six appearances this season, Rivers averaged 4.4 yards on his 13 carries and gathered in all four targets for 18 yards.

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.