NFL Player News

Carter (concussion) doesn't carry an injury designation for Sunday's game against the Bills after practicing fully Thursday and Friday, Rich Cimini of ESPN.com reports.

With Carter, who was forced out of last Sunday's game against the Buccaneers due to a concussion, having been cleared for Week 18 action, he's in line to head the Jets' backfield this weekend against the Bills, with Tevin Coleman, Ty Johnson and Austin Walter also candidates to mix in. The 2021 fourth-rounder will look to finish his rookie season on a high note while facing a Buffalo defense that's allowing an average of 113.6 rushing yards per game.

Pollard (foot) will not play Saturday against the Eagles, Jon Machota of The Athletic reports.

Pollard was downgraded from 'questionable' to 'out' and won't travel with his teammates to Philadelphia. This isn't necessarily indicative of a setback, with the Cowboys perhaps just being cautious given that there isn't a ton on the line this weekend but will be shortly thereafter. Pollard's absence leaves Corey Clement to handle backfield snaps behind Ezekiel Elliott, who won't necessarily take on his usual workload (the Cowboys haven't commented on expectations there).

Jones (knee) is listed as questionable for Sunday's game against the Lions, Rob Demovsky of ESPN.com reports.

Coach Matt LaFleur said he'll play his starters, including QB Aaron Rodgers, who has dealt with an injury of his own throughout the second half of the season. Jones, of course, plays a more physically demanding position, and the Packers have a well established history of being careful with his workloads. It thus seems unlikely that he'd see more than a dozen or so touches this week, but it shouldn't be shocking if he suits up and takes some snaps, given that he's played in each game since Week 11. The Packers and Lions are part of the early slate of games this Sunday, scheduled for a 1:00 p.m. ET kickoff.

Chubb (ribs/chest) doesn't carry an injury designation for Sunday's game against the Bengals, Nate Ulrich of the Akron Beacon Journal reports.

Chubb was limited at practice this week, but he'll be available for the Browns' season finale. Meanwhile, Kareem Hunt (ankle) is listed as questionable for the contest and D'Ernest Johnson is currently on the reserve/COVID-19 list. While Chubb is slated to be out there this weekend, it remains to be seen if he'll log his customary workload with Cleveland out of the playoff picture. In that context, the team could give Demetric Felton added backfield touches in Week 18.

Barkley (ankle) has been cleared to play Sunday against Washington, with no designation on the final injury report.

Barkley had his first 100-yard rushing game of the season last week, albeit in a 29-3 loss where the Giants attempted only 11 passes. Similar volume is far from guaranteed as Barkley closes out the year sharing work with Devontae Booker, but it is a safe bet the Giants try to get him the ball with Jake Fromm unlikely to be any better than Mike Glennon at quarterback.

Ollison (quadriceps) is questionable for Sunday's game against the Saints, Michael Rothstein of ESPN.com reports.

Ollison suffered the injury during last week's loss against the Bills and was able to practice in a limited fashion Thursday after sitting out Wednesday's session. He had three carries for 19 yards before exiting Week 17 and could see limited work behind Mike Davis and Cordarrelle Patterson if available Sunday.

Coach Kliff Kingsbury said Friday that Edmonds (ribs) will not play Sunday against the Seahawks, Darren Urban of the Cardinals' official site reports.

James Conner missed the past two games with a heel injury and may thus be limited if he makes it back for Sunday's. Eno Benjamin and Jonathan Ward are the backfield alternatives for an Arizona team that's playing for the win Week 18, hoping to avoid a slide from a top-three seed to a wild-card spot. Either way, Edmonds will try to make it back next weekend for the opening round of the tournament.

Gibson (hip) doesn't have an injury designation for Sunday's game against the Giants, Sam Fortier of The Washington Post reports.

It is possible Washington scales back his workload in a game without playoff implications, especially after Jaret Patterson's solid showing last week when Gibson was on the COVID list, but it's also possible the second-year pro simply returns to his usual dominance of the rushing workload. Whatever the case, Gibson will be out there this Sunday, presumably starting and working as the lead back in a matchup of disappointed division rivals. He's 109 rushing yards away from 1,000 on the year, and he needs one more TD to reach double digits for a second time in two seasons.

Jones (ankle) was ruled out Friday for Sunday's game against the Panthers, Scott Smith of the Buccaneers' official site reports.

Jones had a big opportunity with Leonard Fournette (hamstring) on IR for the final three weeks of the regular season, but RoJo was mediocre in his first start (81 yards on 22 touches) and then injured his ankle in the second. The Bucs now have Ke'Shawn Vaughn and Le'Veon Bell as their top backs for Week 18, with Darwin Thompson and Kenjon Barner potential call-ups from the practice squad, while passing-down specialist Giovani Bernard (IR/hip) doesn't appear likely to be ready. Bruce Arians expects Fournette back for the first round of the playoffs, but the Bucs coach admitted Friday that he's less sure about Jones, who isn't yet able to cut on his sprained ankle, Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

Conner (heel) was limited at practice Thursday, Darren Urban of the Cardinals' official site reports.

While Conner maintained his activity level from Wednesday, fellow running back Chase Edmonds (ribs/toe) did, too, only he remained sidelined from practice. Conner has missed the last two games due to a heel injury, but considering he's healthier than Edmonds at the moment he seems to have a better shot to play Sunday against the Seahawks. Friday's injury report may provide some insight into the state of the Cardinals backfield heading into the weekend.