NFL Player News

Vaughn's teammate, Leonard Fournette (hamstring), has been activated off IR by the Buccaneers, Scott Smith of the team's official site reports.

The looming return of Fournette for his first game action since Week 15 bolsters Tampa Bay's backfield ahead of Sunday's divisional-round game against the Rams, with Ronald Jones (ankle) still out. In the team's wild-card win over the Eagles last weekend, Vaughn led the way with 17 carries, adding a pair of catches, while Giovani Bernard logged 13 rushes and five catches. As long as Fournette avoids any setbacks with his hamstring issue, however, both Vaughn and Bernard figure to see decreased volume versus Los Angeles, making them speculative fantasy lineup options.

Henry (foot), who was activated from IR on Friday, is expected to start Saturday's playoff game against the Bengals, NFL Network's Ian Rapoport reports.

The report notes that the running back, who is bouncing back from surgery that involved having a steel plate inserted into his foot, is also on track to play Saturday with a protective metal plate (described as a modified orthotic) in his shoe. Though Henry, who hasn't seen game action since Oct. 31, isn't expected to be on a snap count in his return to action per Rapoport, he will be monitored by the team, presumably with game flow and how he does with his carries early on likely to dictate his workload. D'Onta Foreman and Dontrell Hilliard -- who had been filling in for Henry of late -- are available to handle complementary/change-of-pace touches in order to take some of the load off Tennessee's star back.

Edwards-Helaire (shoulder) doesn't carry an injury designation for Sunday night's playoff game against the Bills after practicing fully this past week.

The stage is thus set for Edwards-Helaire, who last saw game action in Week 16, to be available for Sunday's contest, while fellow running back Darrel Williams (toe) is listed as questionable by Kansas City after returning to a limited practice Friday. In Edwards-Helaire's looming return, it remains to be seen how much work he'll have, given that Jerick McKinnon, who led the team's backfield in the team's wild-card win over the Steelers last weekend -- and possibly Williams -- are also candidates to take snaps against Buffalo. Edwards-Helaire finished the regular season with 119 carries for 517 yards and four TDs to go along with 19 catches (on 23 targets) for 129 yards and a pair of receiving TDs in 10 games.

Jones (ankle) won't play in Sunday's game against the Rams, Adam Schefter of ESPN reports.

Jones will miss a second consecutive playoff game. Leonard Fournette (hamstring) is still on IR, and the Buccaneers have until 4 p.m. EST on Saturday to activate him. Fournette will likely lead the Buccaneers' backfield if available. Otherwise, Ke'Shawn Vaughn and Giovani Bernard (hip/knee) will split the workload in the divisional round, just as they did with both Jones and Fournette sidelined in the wild-card round win over the Eagles. If the Buccaneers advance to the NFC Championship, Jones would have an opportunity to make his return next week.

Henry (foot) has been activated from IR ahead of Saturday's playoff game against the Bengals, Jim Wyatt of the Titans' official site reports.

The move sets the stage for Henry -- who last suited up Oct. 31 -- to return for Saturday's divisional-round contest versus Cincinnati. Considering the lengthy layoff, it remains to be seen how much work Henry will log, but ESPN's Turron Davenport indicated that the star back -- who practiced this past week without any setbacks -- is expected to start when Tennessee's offense takes the field. Game flow and how Henry fares with his carries early on figure to dictate his workload, with D'Onta Foreman and Dontrell Hilliard available to handle complementary/change-of-pace touches.

Foreman will likely play a reduced role in Saturday's divisional round against the Bengals, as Jim Wyatt of the Titans' official site reports that the Titans have activated Derrick Henry (foot) from injured reserve.

Even if Henry's not ready to return to his customary workhorse role right away, he'll likely get the majority of rushing attempts in Tennessee's backfield. Henry should usurp Foreman's early-down role, while Dontrell Hilliard's workload on passing downs will likely remain intact. After topping 20 rushing attempts in three of the past four games, Foreman will be fighting an uphill battle to even reach half that total against Cincinnati.

Williams (toe) is officially listed as questionable for Sunday night's playoff game against the Bills after returning to a limited practice Friday.

Meanwhile, Clyde Edwards-Helaire (shoulder) practiced fully all week and doesn't carry an injury designation, which sets the stage for him to suit up Sunday, barring any last-minute issues, according to Matt Derrick of ChiefsDigest.com. Per Nate Taylor of The Athletic, coach Andy Reid previously indicated that he was hopeful Williams would be available for the contest, but the running back's divisional-round status won't be confirmed until Kansas City's inactives are released prior to Sunday's 6:30 ET kickoff. If active, Williams would presumably work in a time-share with Edwards-Helaire and Jerick McKinnon, who led the team's backfield in last weekend's wild-card win over the Steelers.

Taylor finished the 2021 season with 19 carries for 37 yards and two TDs to go along with four catches (on four targets) for eight yards in five games.

Though the Patriots' running back group endured some injuries this past season, Taylor didn't see much volume in his second campaign as a pro. He's under contract with New England through 2022, so the 5-foot-6, 185-pounder is in line to reprise a depth role (behind Damien Harris and Rhamondre Stevenson) in the team's backfield next season.

The Titans plan to activate Henry (foot) from IR in advance of Saturday's divisional-round playoff game against the Bengals, Turron Davenport of ESPN reports.

A transaction to confirm such an outcome is slated to arrive later Friday. Per Davenport, Henry is expected to start when Tennessee's offense takes the field Saturday, though it's unclear how much he'll play in his first game action since Week 8 remains to be seen. With that in mind, it's plausible that D'Onta Foreman and Dontrell Hilliard -- who have been filling in for Henry of late -- will continue to be involved in the team's ground game versus Cincinnati as Henry works his way back into mix.

Jones (ankle) missed another practice Friday and thus appears unlikely to play this Sunday against the Rams, Greg Auman of The Athletic reports.

While Jones will almost certainly miss at least one more game, Bucs coach Bruce Arians said Friday that Leonard Fournette (IR/hamstring) has looked good in practice this week, avoiding setbacks as he hopes to play for the first time since Week 15. If both Jones and Fournette are out again, the Bucs likely would repeat their plan from the wild-card round, deploying Ke'Shawn Vaughn as the lead runner and Giovani Bernard as the passing-down back.