NFL Player News

The Jets signed Ward to a practice-squad deal Tuesday, Aaron Wilson of ProFootballNetwork.com reports.

Ward was recently waived from injured reserve by the Cardinals, but his hamstring injury doesn't appear to be serious enough to prevent him from signing with the Jets. New York already has Breece Hall (knee) on IR, and Michael Carter (ankle) is considered day-to-day, so Ward will operate as an emergency depth option on the practice squad.

Brightwell is dealing with an illness Tuesday, Dan Duggan of The Athletic reports.

Brightwell is coming off a season-high five carries for 31 yards, as well as two catches on two targets for 18 yards in Week 12's loss to the Cowboys. With no one behind Brightwell on the team's positional depth chart, a promotion from the team's practice squad may be in order, if he is unable to suit up Sunday against the Commanders.

Strong is a candidate to see extra work Thursday against the Bills, Mark Daniels reports.

With Damien Harris (thigh) unlikely to play Week 13, Strong could find himself as Rhamondre Stevenson's backup against Buffalo. The rookie running back has seen the majority of his work on special teams, with just one carry on the year, which came Week 6 against Cleveland for five yards. Fellow rookie Kevin Harris could also be an option, but he's only been active one game this season. J.J. Taylor, who is currently on the practice squad, could also see himself elevated to the main roster and be a threat to Strong's ability to move up the team's depth chart for the contest. The situation will be worth monitoring for single-game DFS contests, as whoever were to have the inside track as the No. 2 to Stevenson could certainly be worth a dart throw if Harris does indeed miss the game.

Spiller carried the ball two times for three yards while catching his only target for two yards Sunday in the 25-24 win against the Cardinals.

Spiller saw his usage drop compared to the past three weeks, as he was outplayed by Joshua Kelley who made his return to action after missing four games with a sprained MCL. Kelley seemed to reestablish himself as the primary backup behind Austin Ekeler, playing 14 snaps compared to just eight snaps from the rookie running back. Even with a favorable matchup against the Raiders next week, Spiller doesn't have much fantasy value save for the deepest of leagues.

Kelley carried the ball two times for four yards and caught two of his three targets for 16 yards during Sunday's 25-24 win versus the Cardinals.

Kelley made his return to action after spending the past four games on injured reserve with a sprained MCL. Kelley saw both the second most snaps and touches amongst the Los Angeles running backs, but the third-year back still had less touches and yards than he had in all but one other game in which he's played the entirety. As long as Austin Ekeler remains healthy, Kelley's usage should not be expected to increase, but he is still worth holding onto in case the star running back gets hurt.

McFarland rushed six times for 30 yards while securing both of his targets for 11 yards during the Steelers' 24-17 win over the Colts on Monday.

McFarland was elevated from Pittsburgh's practice squad ahead of Monday night's matchup since Jaylen Warren (hamstring) was unavailable. The team found ways to get McFarland on the field early in the game, and he saw increased work after Najee Harris (abdomen) exited the matchup in the second quarter. McFarland played 30 percent of the Steelers' offensive snaps but isn't guaranteed to be on the active roster if Harris and Warren are healthy going forward.

Harris (thigh) wasn't present for Tuesday's practice and is set to be listed as a non-participant on the Patriots' official report, Zack Cox of NESN.com reports.

Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reported Monday that Harris is viewed as week-to-week due to the thigh injury he suffered in the Patriots' Thanksgiving Day loss to the Vikings, so the running back's absence from practice isn't overly surprising. Barring a surprise return to the practice field Wednesday, Harris will likely be officially ruled out for Thursday's game against the Bills. Assuming Harris is inactive for the contest, starter Rhamondre Stevenson would likely handle a higher volume of touches than usual as the Patriots' top option on both early downs and passing downs.

Jones compiled four rushes for 12 yards and caught his only target for 22 yards during Sunday's 26-10 win versus the Rams.

Jones hadn't appeared in a game all season but looks set to join the mix with Clyde Edwards-Helaire (ankle) on injured reserve. He can be a factor both as a runner, and a receiver and likely slots in as the direct backup to Isiah Pacheco, while Jerick McKinnon serves as the Chiefs' primary receiving back.

Davis-Price, who has been a healthy inactive for the 49ers' last three games, could serve as the No. 2 running back behind Christian McCaffrey (knee) in Sunday's game against the Dolphins, Eric Branch of the San Francisco Chronicle reports.

The last time Davis-Price saw action was in Week 7, when McCaffrey was on a limited snap count in his San Francisco debut. Davis-Price served as McCaffrey's main backup for that contest, as Jeff Wilson was sent out to Miami in a trade a few days earlier and Elijah Mitchell was still on injured reserve. Mitchell returned to action following the Niners' Week 9 bye but is now set to go back on IR after suffering an MCL sprain to his left knee in this past Sunday's win over the Saints. Meanwhile, McCaffrey was able to finish the game while battling knee irritation, temporarily clouding the star back's status for Week 13. Even if McCaffrey ends up being able to play, the 49ers could look to manage his workload by incorporating Davis-Price, who has logged 16 carries for 37 yards and has yet to record a reception this season. Fellow rookie Jordan Mason has dressed ahead of Davis-Price the last three weeks and even picked up five carries this past Sunday, but Mason has mostly been active due to his status as a core special-teams contributor and may not be ahead in the pecking order for touches out of the backfield.

McKinnon didn't carry the ball but hauled in three of six targets for 26 yards during Sunday's 26-10 win against the Rams.

McKinnon remains in a rotational backfield role with Isiah Pacheco. Instead of it becoming a two-man backfield committee with Clyde Edwards-Helaire (ankle) sidelined, Ronald Jones has joined the mix and saw more rushing attempts (four) than McKinnon. McKinnon should remain the primary receiving threat out of the backfield, but it doesn't appear he will benefit much from CEH's absence.