NFL Player News

Stevenson (ankle), who is listed as questionable for Saturday's game against the Bengals, is likely to play in the contest, per Ian Rapoport of NFL Network.

While Stevenson appears to be trending toward being available in Week 16, Rapoport adds that Damien Harris (thigh) is viewed as more of a game-time decision. Either way, the status of the two running backs will be determined before the first wave of games Saturday, with the Patriots kicking off at 1 p.m. ET.

Head coach Kyle Shanahan said that Mitchell (knee) is on track with his recovery from an MCL sprain, according to David Lombardi of The Athletic.

Lombardi also added that Mitchell is expected to occupy the 49ers' final IR spot (with a designation to return) following Javon Kinlaw's (knee) recent activation from injured reserve. The 24-year-old's initial timetable was expected to be 6-8 weeks, so he is still likely to miss the rest of the regular season, but a return for the start of San Francisco's playoff run seems possible. Mitchell was performing well in a complementary role behind Christian McCaffrey before getting hurt, so expect him to reclaim that role when he is healthy enough to return.

Murray (foot), who is listed as questionable for Sunday's game against the Rams, indicated after returning to a limited practice Friday that he's ready to play in the contest, Parker Gabriel of the Denver Post reports.

It's still worth verifying Murray's status ahead of Sunday's 4:30 p.m. ET kickoff, but if the running back is able to play this weekend, he'd be in line to continue pace Denver's backfield on the heels of carrying 24 times for 130 yards and a touchdown and catching one pass for 12 yards in his team's Week 15 win over the Cardinals. Also in the Broncos' backfield mix versus Los Angeles will be Marlon Mack and quite possibly Chase Edmonds (ankle), who is a candidate to come off IR.

The Titans elevated Ward from their practice squad to the active roster Friday ahead of Saturday's matchup against Houston, Ben Arthur of FoxSports.com reports.

Ward was signed to the Titans' practice squad Tuesday and will be elevated to the active roster for his first game with Tennessee. He played primarily on special teams during five contests with the Jets to begin the season and figures to garner a similar role for the Titans in Week 16.

Wilson (hip) is listed as questionable for Sunday's game against the Packers after practicing in a limited fashion this week, Rob Demovsky of ESPN.com reports.

That Wilson was able to practice all week, albeit in a limited fashion, suggests the running back has a chance to return to action Sunday after being inactive this past Saturday against the Bills. If that happens, Wilson would be in line to reclaim his role in a Miami backfield that was led effectively by Raheem Mostert (17 carries for 136 yards) in Week 15, a context that would make Wilson a risky fantasy option versus Green Bay.

Gaskin (illness) is questionable for Sunday's matchup against Green Bay, Rob Demovsky of ESPN.com reports.

Gaskin landed on the injury report Friday as a non-participant due to an illness and is considered questionable for the Christmas Day matchup. Jeff Wilson (hip) is also questionable after being limited at practice throughout Week 16 prep, so Miami's backfield depth could be tested against Green Bay. However, Gaskin has rushed only 10 times for 26 yards across 37 offensive snaps in four appearances this season, so his potential absence shouldn't have a major impact on the Dolphins' offensive game plan.

Jones (knee) doesn't have a designation for Sunday's game against the Dolphins, Wes Hodkiewicz of the Packers' official site reports.

Coming off a 21-touch outing in Monday's 24-12 win over the Rams, Jones was listed as a limited participant in practices Wednesday through Friday, but the Packers never indicated that he was dealing with any sort of setback coming out of the Week 15 contest. The fact that Jones won't be carrying a designation into Christmas Day implies that his limitations were most likely maintenance-related, so he shouldn't face any major restrictions when he takes on the Dolphins. That being said, Jones may not be a safe bet to clear 20 touches for the second week in a row, as the Packers were able to find plenty of work for both him and AJ Dillon on Monday while they sat on a lead against a non-threatening Rams offense for most of the night. A road matchup with the playoff-hopeful Dolphins could result in the Packers leaning more heavily on quarterback Aaron Rodgers rather than the ground attack.

The Seahawks elevated Igwebuike to the active roster from the practice squad Friday ahead of Saturday's matchup against Kansas City, John Boyle of the team's official site reports.

Igwebuike has been elevated to the active roster for a third straight week. He played primarily on special teams in his first two appearances and figures to garner a similar role in Week 16.

Montgomery could face more competition for snaps out of the backfield Saturday against Buffalo with Chicago activating Khalil Herbert (hip) from injured reserve Friday, Larry Meyer of the Bears' official site reports. "The way guys can naturally bounce off of him I think is really cool," offensive coordinator Luke Getsy said of Herbert earlier this week. "What's nice, too, is it's a different type of back. I think there's a value in that, in having two different types of style runners like we're able to have here with [Montgomery] and him."

While Herbert was sidelined for the past four games, Montgomery averaged 14.3 carries and four targets per contest, with both figures being marginally ahead of his season-long averages (13.2 carries, 2.5 targets). Herbert shouldn't be much of a threat to poach work from Montgomery on passing downs, but he'll likely earn more carries than the five per game that Darrynton Evans and Trestan Ebner combined for over the past four weeks. Even if the arrival of Herbert results in Montgomery forking over more snaps, there's a decent chance that both backs push for double-double digit touches against the Bills. Saturday's forecast in Chicago calls for sustained winds around 20 to 25 miles per hour as well as temperatures around 10 degrees Fahrenheit, which could prompt both teams to largely eschew intermediate and deep passes and favor the ground game more heavily.

Murray (foot) is questionable for Sunday's game against the Rams, Aric DiLalla of the Broncos' official site reports.

Murray, who was limited Wednesday, sat out Thursday's practice, but he was back on the field Friday. With the Broncos kicking off at 4:30 p.m. ET on Sunday, added context with regard to Murray's Week 16 status will ideally arrive before then. If Murray sits out or is limited versus Los Angeles, Marlon Mack and potentially Chase Edmonds (ankle) would be in line to see added backfield work for Denver.