NFL Player News
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Hassan Haskins RB | LAC
Titans' Hassan Haskins: Serviceable as Henry replacement
Haskins rushed 12 times for 40 yards and brought in two of three targets for 13 yards in the Titans' 27-13 loss to the Cowboys on Thursday night.
Haskins took the reins of the backfield in place of the inactive Derrick Henry (hip), and the rookie turned in a solid performance overall versus a tough Cowboys defense. Haskins did frequently find running room at a premium -- outside his long run of 12 yards, the 2022 fourth-round pick gained only 28 yards on his other 11 totes. With Henry expected to be available for the Week 18 road matchup versus the Jaguars a week from Sunday that will determine the AFC South champion, Haskins projects to return to a No. 2 role that's afforded him very sparse opportunity even after the placement of Dontrell Hilliard (neck) on injured reserve prior to Week 15.
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Ezekiel Elliott RB | LAC
Cowboys' Ezekiel Elliott: Salvages night with TD
Elliott rushed 19 times for 37 yards and a touchdown in the Cowboys' 27-13 win over the Titans on Thursday night.
Elliott's stat line underscores how difficult running room was to come by against a Titans defense that's been elite against ground attacks all season but that was also playing very short-handed Thursday. The veteran had a path to more touches than usual with Tony Pollard (thigh) inactive, but had it not been for Elliott's one-yard scoring run late in the first quarter, his night would have been a total fantasy washout. Elliott is likely to be back to a timeshare arrangement with Pollard in a Week 18 road matchup against the Commanders a week from Sunday, although both backs could see an abbreviated workload if Dallas has nothing to gain in terms of postseason positioning.
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DeeJay Dallas RB | JAC
Seahawks' DeeJay Dallas: Remains limited Thursday
Dallas (ankle) practiced on a limited basis Thursday, John Boyle of the Seahawks' official site reports.
Dallas was joined by Seattle's No. 1 running back Kenneth Walker (ankle) as limited after the latter missed Wednesday's session, while Travis Homer (ankle) has yet to practice this week. As a result, Dallas appears to be the better bet to get work behind Walker this Sunday against the Jets, assuming both are active and Homer is inhibited or sidelined. Operating as the No. 2 RB this past Saturday in Kansas City, Dallas turned 46 percent of the snaps into eight touches for 42 yards from scrimmage, which was a distant second to Walker's 53 percent, 28 touches and 105 total yards.
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Travis Homer RB | PIT
Seahawks' Travis Homer: DNP on Thursday
Homer (ankle) was a non-participant at Thursday's practice, John Boyle of the Seahawks' official site reports.
Homer picked up a sprained ankle this past Saturday at Kansas City and has yet to practice this week as a result of the injury. Meanwhile, the Seahawks' No. 1 running back Kenneth Walker (ankle) followed up Wednesday's DNP with a limited session one day later, and fellow reserve RB DeeJay Dallas (ankle) continued to operate with a cap on his reps. Homer does have one more chance Friday to log some on-field activity, but if he ends up limited or out Sunday versus the Jets, Dallas appears poised to act as the second option out of Seattle's backfield behind Walker.
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Kenneth Walker III RB | KC
Seahawks' Kenneth Walker: Limited practice Thursday
Walker (ankle) was limited in practice Thursday, John Boyle of the Seahawks' official site reports.
Walker didn't practice last week due to a lingering ankle injury, but he was able to suit up for Saturday's eventual loss at Kansas City and turn 53 percent of the snaps into 105 yards from scrimmage on 28 touches. With an increase in activity Thursday from Wednesday's DNP, he appears to be getting healthier, while reserve running backs DeeJay Dallas (ankle) and Travis Homer (ankle) were limited and non-participants, respectively. If Walker again is able to handle the No. 1 role out of Seattle's backfield Sunday versus the Jets, Dallas seems like a better bet than Homer to earn the team's complementary reps at running back.
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Jordan Mason RB | MIN
49ers' Jordan Mason: Stays limited Thursday
Mason (hamstring) practiced in a limited fashion Thursday, Eric Branch of the San Francisco Chronicle reports.
Mason only managed 17 snaps on special teams this past Saturday versus the Commanders after his hamstring tightened up on him last Wednesday. With back-to-back capped sessions behind him this week, he doesn't appear to be in the clear on the health front just yet, but Friday's injury report could be the bearer of good news for undrafted rookie. If Mason is able to retake the No. 2 RB role behind Christian McCaffrey (knee) on Sunday in Las Vegas, the former would push fellow first-year player Tyrion Davis-Price back down the depth chart.
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Christian McCaffrey RB | SF
49ers' Christian McCaffrey: Another limited practice
McCaffrey (knee) was limited at Thursday's practice, Eric Branch of the San Francisco Chronicle reports.
The 49ers continue to place practice restrictions on McCaffrey, who has been listed on the team's injury report with a knee issue for five weeks in a row. Friday's report will clarify whether or not he enters the weekend with a designation ahead of Sunday's game at Las Vegas, but the aforementioned health concern hasn't stopped him from producing each of the last four contests, a span in which he's averaged 22.5 touches for 123.8 yards from scrimmage per game while scoring five touchdowns.
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Derrick Henry RB | BAL
Titans' Derrick Henry: Inactive Thursday
Henry (hip) is inactive for Thursday night's game against the Cowboys.
Henry, who the Titans listed as a limited practice participant Tuesday and Wednesday, approached the contest listed as doubtful, so it's not a surprise that he'll sit this one out and focus on being ready for the team's AFC South title showdown against the Jaguars in Week 18. In his absence versus Dallas, Jim Wyatt of the Titans' official site relays that Hassan Haskins figures to get the bulk of Tennessee's backfield work Thursday, with Julius Chestnut mixing in. Additionally, Jonathan Ward is up from the practice squad to provide further RB depth.
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Tony Pollard RB | TEN
Cowboys' Tony Pollard: Officially out Thursday
Pollard (thigh) is listed as inactive Thursday at Tennessee, Michael Gehlken of The Dallas Morning News reports.
With a short week to prepare between last Saturday's win against the Eagles and Thursday's game, Pollard's inability to practice Monday through Wednesday put him behind the eight ball to be available for Week 17. He began trending toward his first absence of the season after Tom Pelissero of NFL Network reported earlier Thursday that the Cowboys were likely to hold out the fourth-year pro, and indeed that has come to pass. As a result, Ezekiel Elliott is in line to handle a healthy share of Dallas' backfield reps, while Malik Davis and potentially practice-squad call-up Qadree Ollison will spell Elliott, especially if the game gets out of hand against a reeling and short-handed Titans squad. Pollard will turn his focus to getting healthier for a Week 18 road matchup with the Commanders.
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Aaron Jones RB | MIN
Packers' Aaron Jones: Another limited session
Jones (knee/ankle) practiced in a limited fashion Thursday, Rob Demovsky of ESPN.com reports.
Jones has been dealing with lower-body injuries since Week 9, with the most recent issue stemming from him getting his ankle rolled up on this past Sunday at Miami. He actually logged his lowest snap share (38 percent) of the season in that contest and matched his campaign low with eight touches for just 34 yards from scrimmage. Meanwhile, fellow Packers back AJ Dillon went for 48 total yards and a rushing TD on 13 touches and a 58 percent share of plays. Assuming Jones is active Sunday against the Vikings as he's been all year long, the breakdown of reps between him and Dillon may be contingent on Jones' health.