NFL Player News

Ekeler (hip) remained sidelined at practice Friday, Jeff Miller of the Los Angeles Times reports.

Ekeler was added to the Chargers' Week 8 injury report Thursday after missing practice, and his absence from Friday's session clouds his status for Sunday's game against the Patriots. The team's upcoming injury report will reveal the running back's official injury designation, but if Ekeler ends up out or limited this weekend, Joshua Kelley, Justin Jackson and Larry Rountree would be in line for added snaps and touches.

Chubb (calf) was a full practice participant Friday and doesn't have an injury designation for Sunday's game versus the Steelers, Nate Ulrich of the Akron Beacon Journal reports.

Chubb was limited at practice Wednesday and Thursday after sitting out the past two games with the calf injury, but he practiced with no limitations Friday and avoided the questionable tag. The 25-year-old should operate in a workhorse role with Kareem Hunt (calf) still on injured reserve, though D'Ernest Johnson, who had 168 yards from scrimmage and a touchdown Week 7, still should be involved as a secondary option in the backfield.

Evans (hamstring) has been ruled out for Sunday's game against the Jets, Marisa Contipelli of the Bengals' official site reports.

Evans was unable to practice this week and will miss his first game of the season due to the hamstring issue. Samaje Perine will continue to work as Cincinnati's secondary backfield option behind starter Joe Mixon.

Blasingame (knee) won't play in Sunday's game against the Colts, Terry McCormick of Titans Insider reports.

Not having the fullback in there to block may be a minor setback, but Derrick Henry and the Titans' running game should be just fine in Blasingame's absence. Blasingame hasn't touched the ball this season after totaling four scrimmage yards apiece in each of his first two campaigns with Tennessee.

Gibson (shin) doesn't have an injury designation for Sunday's game in Denver, John Keim of ESPN.com reports.

Gibson will continue playing through his stress fracture and figures to continue dominating Washington's rushing volume, but he has lost a few more snaps to pass-catching specialist J.D. McKissic in recent weeks, in part because Washington regularly has been chasing deficits. While the shin injury also may be a factor, Gibson still has 12 or more touches in every game this season.

Coach Nick Sirianni said Friday that Sanders (ankle) hadn't been placed on injured reserve just yet, Mike Kaye of The Newark Star-Ledger reports.

The move still may end up happening, but Sirianni did correct earlier reports that suggested it was a foregone conclusion. Either way, Sanders will miss Sunday's game in Detroit and likely a Week 9 matchup with the Chargers. Kenneth Gainwell, Boston Scott and Jordan Howard will man the Philadelphia backfield while Sanders recovers from a low-ankle sprain.

Evans (hamstring) didn't practice again Friday, Ben Baby of ESPN.com reports.

As a result, Evans is in line to be ruled out for Sunday's game against the Jets once the Bengals release their final Week 8 injury report, per Kelsey Conway of The Cincinnati Enquirer. Though active in Week 7, Evans didn't log any snaps on offense, while Samaje Perine worked in tandem with top back Joe Mixon.

Barkley (ankle) didn't practice Friday, Jordan Raanan of ESPN.com reports.

Barkley has been limited to stretching and rehab work throughout the week, and Saturday will mark his final chance to return to practice before Monday's game in Kansas City. If the star running back is out another week, Devontae Booker and Elijhaa Penny will continue to fill in for the Giants.

Gibson (shin) is participating at Friday's practice, Nicki Jhabvala of The Washington Post reports.

Gibson has practiced as a limited participant this week due to the shin issue, and it appears he'll at least be working in that capacity again Friday. The 23-year-old played after being considered questionable for last week's loss to the Packers, though he saw action on only 41 percent of the offensive snaps. He still had 16 touches in the contest, but it's clear the hairline fracture in his shin is a limiting factor. Gibson appears on track to play Sunday at Denver, but he could continue to have similar limitations.

Sanders (ankle) is expected to be placed on injured reserve Friday, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reports.

Sanders was unable to practice this week after being declared "week-to-week" with the low-ankle sprain he suffered last weekend versus the Raiders, and he'll now be sidelined for at least the next three games. Kenneth Gainwell and Boston Scott split backfield work against Las Vegas after the injury, and the pair should continue to do so with Sanders now on the shelf. Jordan Howard also could be elevated from the practice squad to provide more depth at running back.