NFL Player News

Sanders was a non-participant at Wednesday's walk-through practice due to a knee injury.

Sanders has mostly avoided Eagles practice reports this season, but he'll join quarterback Jalen Hurts (shoulder) as a non-participant to kick off Week 17 prep. Philadelphia has yet to clinch the NFC's No. 1 seed, so Sanders' absence Wednesday could be maintenance-related to keep him as healthy as possible ahead of Sunday's matchup with the Saints. He'll have two more opportunities to get back on the field this week ahead of that contest.

Kamara didn't practice Wednesday due to personal reasons and a quadricep injury.

Saints head coach Dennis Allen said earlier Wednesday that Kamara was a non-participant due to a "personal issue," according to Erin Summers of the Saints' official site. However, the team also listed Kamara with a health concern, so his status will be one to monitor as the week continues. Fortunately for Kamara, he'll have chances to log some drills Thursday and/or Friday before New Orleans potentially hands him a designation for Sunday's contest at Philadelphia.

Haskins could be in store for a featured role out of the Tennessee backfield Thursday against Dallas with Derrick Henry (hip) listed as doubtful for the game, Jim Wyatt of the Titans' official site reports.

Haskins, a 2022 fourth-round pick, has been the No. 2 running back for Tennessee since Dontrell Hilliard suffered a season-ending neck injury Dec. 11. It's a role that mostly entails passing-down snaps while Henry dominates the carries, though the 6-foot-2, 228-pound Haskins was known as a power runner himself coming out of Michigan last spring. Julius Chestnut, an undrafted rookie, is the other running back on the active roster and also weighs more than 220 pounds, while Jonathan Ward is available on the practice squad. All of them will face a tough Dallas defense, and in a game where the Titans are huge underdogs while missing a slew of key players due to injuries and/or rest. Still, it's a nice chance for Haskins, who has two carries and six targets over the past 11 games, with five of those eight looks coming the past two weeks sans Hilliard.

Pollard (thigh) is listed as questionable for Thursday's game at Tennessee, Jane Slater of NFL Network reports.

Despite being listed as a non-participant on practice reports Monday through Wednesday due to a thigh issue, Pollard has some positivity surrounding his status for Week 17. On Tuesday, team owner Jerry Jones relayed that Pollard "looks good for the game," and the team is "counting on him playing," according to Jon Machota of The Athletic. Ultimately, the Cowboys' inactive list will become known about 90 minutes before Thursday's 8:15 p.m. ET kickoff, at which point Pollard's availability, or lack thereof, will be confirmed. If he's able to gut through the injury, Pollard again will serve in a timeshare with Ezekiel Elliott out of Dallas' backfield.

Williams (leg) isn't listed on the Lions' Week 17 injury report ahead of Sunday's game against the Bears.

Williams suffered an apparent leg injury in the third quarter of this past Saturday's 37-23 loss to the Panthers, and though he was able to return to the contest in the fourth quarter, he didn't receive any carries or targets the rest of the way, per Evan Petzold of the Detroit Free Press. As It turns out, the leg issue wasn't serious enough for Williams to appear on the injury report four days later, suggesting he might have been in line for touches had the Lions not been down by three or more scores for most of the second half. In any case, Williams will continue to split backfield work with D'Andre Swift and Justin Jackson this weekend against the Bears.

Henry (hip) is listed as doubtful for Thursday's game against the Cowboys, Jim Wyatt of the Titans' official site reports.

Given Henry's designation, look for Hassan Haskins and Julius Chestnut to see added snaps out of the backfield snaps versus Dallas, while Jonathan Ward is a candidate to be elevated from the team's practice squad to provide additional depth. Assuming Henry is inactive this week, the Titans' top back will turn his focus to preparing for the team's key divisional showdown with the Jaguars in Week 18, when the AFC South champion will be decided.

McCaffrey (knee) will be a limited practice participant Wednesday, Jennifer Lee Chan of NBC Sports Bay Area reports.

Despite tending to a knee issue each of the previous four weeks of practice, McCaffrey has been producing on game days, recording 90 touches for 495 yards from scrimmage and five touchdowns over the last four contests. He managed just 58 total yards on 17 touches this past Saturday against the Commanders, but he salvaged his Week 16 line with a one-yard touchdown plunge late in the fourth quarter. While McCaffrey may have a cap on his reps during the entirety of Week 17 prep, there's a good chance he'll sidestep a designation ahead of Sunday's game in Las Vegas.

Ekeler was listed as a limited participant on Wednesday's estimated practice report with a knee injury.

Ekeler's reps were capped in the Chargers' first practice session since Monday's 20-3 win over the Colts. In that contest, Ekeler handled a 60 percent snap share while carrying 18 times for 67 yards and two touchdowns and catching all four of his targets for 12 yards. The extent of the knee issue isn't known, but as long as Ekeler remains a participant in practice in some capacity Thursday and Friday, he should be in good position to play Sunday against the Rams.

The Vikings activated Chandler (thumb) from injured reserve Wednesday.

Chandler was designated to return from injured reserve Dec. 7, so he was activated on the final day of his 21-day window. He hasn't suited up since Week 5 and played exclusively on special teams over his only two appearances this season, so even if he's active for Week 17, his presence shouldn't impact Minnesota's offensive game plan.

Rountree reverted to the Chargers' practice squad Tuesday.

Rountree played four snaps on offense and eight on special teams in Monday's 20-3 win over the Colts. However, he never touched the ball and failed to record any statistics. He'll be a candidate for elevation again in Week 17 against the Rams if the Chargers are in need of additional backfield depth.