NFL Player News

Sermon (illness) is inactive for Sunday's matchup against the Giants.

Sermon dealt with an illness during Week 14 prep and will ultimately be sidelined. However, the second-year running back hasn't played in a game since Week 5, so his absence shouldn't impact Philadelphia's game plan.

Carter (ankle) is officially active for Sunday's game against the Bills.

Carter is back in action following a one-game absence, and with James Robinson a healthy scratch, the former will be part of a Week 14 backfield that also includes Zonovan Knight and Ty Johnson. When healthy, Carter had been serving as the Jets' top back since Breece Hall suffered a season-ending knee injury Week 7, but Rich Cimini of ESPN.com suggests that Knight could claim a larger portion of the team's carries versus Buffalo on the heels of two straight strong efforts in relief of injured Carter.

Robinson (coach's decision) is inactive for Sunday's game against the Bills, Rich Cimini of ESPN.com reports.

Robinson is the odd man out Sunday, with Michael Carter back in the mix after a one-game absence. Also in line to see work in the Jets' Week 14 backfield will be Zonovan Knight and Ty Johnson.

Barkley (neck) is listed as active Sunday against the Eagles.

Barkley's status for Week 14 action was among the biggest question marks after his practice reps were capped Thursday and Friday due to a neck injury. Considered a game-time decision for this contest, his availability seemingly was up in the air until coach Brian Daboll spoke to the media Sunday morning. Per Mike Garafolo of NFL Network, Daboll said Barkley will "be a go. ... We'll keep an eye on him, see how he's doing, but he came in early, got treatment (on his neck)." While he may yield reps out of the Giants backfield to backups Matt Breida and Gary Brightwell, Barkley is in line to be a part of New York's offensive game plan.

Barkley (neck) is in line to play Sunday against the Eagles, Mike Garafolo of NFL Network and Jordan Raanan of ESPN.com report.

Barkley, who logged limited practices Thursday and Friday, had been viewed as a game-time decision for the contest, but he's slated give it a go Sunday, per coach Brian Daboll. Official confirmation of Barkley's Week 14 status will arrive upon the release of the Giants' inactives ahead of Sunday's 1:00 ET kickoff.

Chestnut was elevated to the active roster Saturday, Ben Arthur of FoxSports.com reports.

Chestnut will be on the field with the Titans for a second consecutive game. Hassan Haskins (hip) has yet to be ruled out as he was last week, although Chestnut's elevation would seem to foreshadow that he will be.

Homer is expected to step into a larger role on offense with fellow running backs Kenneth Walker (ankle) and DeeJay Dallas (ankle) both listed as questionable but not expected to play Sunday against the Panthers, Adam Schefter of ESPN reports.

Homer was inactive for last week's 27-23 win over the Rams due to a knee sprain and an illness, but he's good to go for Sunday after practicing fully Thursday and Friday. Meanwhile, Walker and Dallas weren't able to practice in any fashion this week due to the injuries they sustained in the win last Sunday, when Tony Jones (seven carries for 14 yards, two catches for 18 yards) finished the day as the team's lone healthy back. Jones, who had been a healthy inactive for the previous four games, should continue to have a role on offense, but given that Homer has consistently played ahead of him when healthy this season, Homer likely represents the more appealing fantasy option of the two. At the very least, Homer should rank as the preferred option on passing downs, given that he had served as the top change-of-pace option behind Walker when both were last available for the same game in Week 12. Through four NFL seasons, Homer has averaged a robust 5.8 yards per carry and 9.4 yards per reception.

Jones and Travis Homer are both expected to take more prominent roles out of the Seattle backfield Sunday against Carolina with Kenneth Walker (ankle) and DeeJay Dallas (ankle) both listed as questionable but not expected to play, Adam Schefter of ESPN reports.

While Homer was inactive for last week's 27-23 win over the Rams, Jones suited up for Seattle for just the third time all season as the team's third running back behind Walker and Dallas. With both Walker and Dallas suffering injuries during the contest, Jones saw his first snaps on offense for Seattle, finishing with seven carries for 14 yards and two catches for 18 yards on four targets across 23 plays. Homer returned to full practice activity Thursday and is good to go for Sunday's contest, but because Seattle has rarely used him as much more than a change-of-pace option during his time with the team, it's possible that he shares snaps out of the backfield with Jones. Though both Homer and Jones look like better fantasy options than usual because of the absences of Walker and Dallas, the uncertainty of how head coach Pete Carroll may divide up the backfield work makes it tough to bank on either player to produce a useful line. Seattle also added a third running back, Godwin Igwebuike, from the practice squad Saturday to further gum up the works.

Barkley (neck), who is listed as questionable for Sunday's game against the Eagles, is considered a true game-time call, and the Giants are expected to wait up until the release of their inactive list 90 minutes ahead of the 1 p.m. ET kickoff before reaching a decision on his status, Mike Garafolo of NFL Network reports.

Barkley took a designation into the weekend after the neck issue resulted in his practice reps being capped Thursday and Friday. Though Ian Rapoport of NFL Network noted that Barkley took part in the Giants' walk-through Saturday, the running back will be put through a warmup Sunday morning before the team has a better feel for his Week 14 status. Notably, the Giants didn't elevate another running back from the practice squad Saturday, so the team would be left with Matt Breida and Gary Brightwell as its options out of the backfield if Barkley is inactive or available only in an emergency.

The Giants deem Barkley (neck) to be "50-50" to play Sunday against the Eagles, with his availability coming down to pregame warmups, Adam Schefter of ESPN reports.

Barkley made a mid-week appearance on the Giants' injury report due to a neck issue, which limited his practice reps Thursday and Friday. The team tabbed him with a questionable designation for Week 14, but Art Stapleton of The Bergen Record reported earlier Saturday that the Giants won't risk Barkley potentially aggravating of the injury if he's not ready to suit up. As such, Barkley is a true game-time decision in advance of Sunday's game, with his status to be revealed about 90 minutes before a 1 p.m. ET kickoff. Matt Breida and Gary Brightwell are the next running backs up for New York in the event Barkley ends up sidelined.