NFL Player News

Ward (knee) is inactive Monday against the Rams. Darren Urban of the Cardinals official site reports.

Ward was able to log a limited practice Saturday after sitting out Thursday and Friday, but he's still unable to suit up. With James Conner (ribs) and Chase Edmonds (ribs/toe) both active and Eno Benjamin also available, Ward's absence shouldn't have an impact on the Cardinals offense.

Conner (ribs) is listed as active for Monday's wild-card game against the Rams, Darren Urban of the Cardinals' official site reports.

Conner managed just one limited practice this week in advance of the contest due to a rib injury suffered during a Week 18 loss to the Seahawks. While his status is confirmed for Arizona's playoff opener, it remains to be seen what kind of workload he'll be able to handle. In the 10 games in which both he and Chase Edmonds (ribs/toe) were available this season, Conner earned 135 touches to Edmonds' 112, but it should be noted that Edmonds appears to be healthier than Conner after going limited, limited and full on the practice field Thursday through Saturday.

Mattison ran five times for 18 yards and caught his only target for three yards during the Vikings 31-17 win over the Bears in Week 18.

'With Dalvin Cook healthy, Mattison once again took a back seat in Week 18. He finished the 2021 campaign with 134 rushing attempts for 491 yards and three touchdowns while adding 32 receptions for 228 yards and one score through the air. However, the majority of that production came when Cook was sidelined. In four games as the primary running back, Mattison totaled 356 rushing yards, 162 receiving yards and three touchdowns. The 2019 third-round pick is under contract for the 2022 season, so he'll likely garner a similar backup role to Dalvin Cook again next year.

The Patriots signed Ozigbo to a reserve/future contract Monday.

Ozigbo spent time with the Jaguars and Saints to begin the 2021 campaign but joined the Patriots for the final month of the regular season. He served mainly on practice squads and had minimal work across three regular-season appearances with Jacksonville and New Orleans. The 25-year-old will now attempt to carve out a role with New England heading into the offseason.

The Titans restored Wilkins to the practice squad from the practice squad COVID-19 list Monday, Jim Wyatt of the Titans' official site reports.

Wilkins was elevated from the Titans' practice squad and appeared on 13 special-teams snaps in Week 18 versus the Texans. This was the first game Wilkins appeared in for the Titans this season, as the running back has not recorded a carry since Week 14 of 2020.

Scott rushed once for 34 yards and a touchdown while securing his lone target for one yard in Sunday's 31-15 loss to the Buccaneers.

Scott took on a backup role during Sunday's playoff matchup since Miles Sanders was available, but he still scored one of the Eagles' two touchdowns in the loss. The 26-year-old didn't have much fantasy value when Sanders was on the field, and he totaled 87 carries for 373 yards and seven touchdowns while securing 13 of 16 targets for 83 yards during the regular season. Scott is slated to become a restricted free agent during the offseason but will likely remain in a secondary role if he stays with the Eagles.

Williams (toe) had just one carry for four yards, was charged with a fumble, and didn't draw a target in the passing game in a 42-21 win over the Steelers.

Clyde Edwards-Helaire (shoulder) missed his third straight contest, but it was Jerick McKinnon who drew the start took over lead-back duties instead of Williams. Perhaps the 26-year-old -- who was listed as questionable heading into the contest -- was not as ready to play as pregame reports indicated, resulting in a underwhelming usage and a poor fantasy showing. He was effectively benched for the remainder of the contest after he was involved in a sloppy handoff from Mecole Hardman that resulted in a fumble that was scooped up by T.J. Watt and returned for a Steelers touchdown. The status of Edwards-Helaire is still uncertain for next round's tilt against the Bills, but McKinnon looks like the hot hand among Kansas City's remaining backfield options for the time being.

McKinnon rushed 12 times for 61 yards and caught all six of his targets for 81 yards and a touchdown in Sunday's 42-21 win over the Steelers.

The Chiefs' three-headed offensive monster shone in the finale of Sunday's meaty playoff schedule, but McKinnon was the surprising fourth standout fantasy performer for Kansas City. The veteran backup jumped from fourth on the depth chart up to primary rushing and receiving option out of the backfield with Clyde Edwards-Helaire (shoulder) still sidelined and Darrel Williams (toe) not at 100 percent. Head coach Andy Reid simply rode the hottest hand, and McKinnon was certainly the hottest and freshest option available after recording just 12 rushing attempts over the course of the regular season. The 29-year-old could find himself taking on another large workload against the Bills next weekend if CEH is forced to miss another game. For those gambling on a potential Edwards-Helaire return, it may be a savvy strategy to lock in the unders on McKinnon's single-stat categories in over/under parlay DFS formats early in the week.

Harris (elbow) rushed 12 times for 29 yards while catching both of his targets for a loss of one yard and losing a fumble in Sunday's 42-21 loss to the Chiefs.

Harris was able to suit up after injuring his elbow in the Steelers' regular-season finale, but a balky elbow can't explain away being stonewalled by the defense as a runner. Onlookers can probably attribute the lost fumble to the rookie's injury, as he safely secured every single touch during his first turn in the pros. The 2021 first-round pick finished the regular season with 1,667 combined yards and 10 combined touchdowns as the Steelers' workhorse over 17 games, giving him starter's appeal across all formats based on volume alone. However, a sub-par 3.9 yards-per-carry mark left much to be desired in terms of his abilities as a runner. Perhaps the spread nature of Pittsburgh's offensive scheme with Ben Roethlisberger under center handicapped the young back. Either way, we will see how Harris responds to potentially becoming the focal point of a new-look Steelers squad that will likely be without its leader of the past two decades.

Evans had only one carry for nine yards in Saturday's playoff win over the Raiders, but he also had 103 kick-return yards.

Evans showed some of his offensive versatility in Week 18 against the Browns, but with Joe Mixon back in the driver's seat, Evans' biggest impact is on special teams.