NFL Player News

Sanders (ankle) wasn't present at practice Wednesday, Josh Tolentino of The Philadelphia Inquirer reports.

Sanders' absence comes as no surprise after head coach Nick Sirianni called Sanders "week to week" Monday as a result of the low-ankle sprain that knocked him out of the Eagles' Week 7 loss at Las Vegas. Sirianni also wouldn't rule Sanders out from making it all the way back to play Sunday in Detroit, leaving the running back with two practices to prove his health. In the event Sanders is sidelined this weekend, he'll yield backfield reps to some combination of Kenneth Gainwell and Boston Scott, while Jordan Howard may also be elevated from the practice squad to bolster the backfield depth.

Evans (hamstring) won't participate in Wednesday's practice, Charlie Goldsmith of The Cincinnati Enquirer reports.

Evans' absence from the Bengals' first Week 8 practice comes after he was limited exclusively to a special-teams role in Sunday's 41-17 win over the Ravens. Head coach Zac Taylor said Monday that Evans is considered day-to-day with the lingering hamstring injury, so the rookie should be in good position to suit up this weekend against the Jets if he's able to return to practice in some fashion Thursday and/or Friday.

Chubb hopes to play Sunday against the Steelers, but he needs to see how his calf injury responds in practice this week before a decision on his status is made, Nate Ulrich of the Akron Beacon Journal reports.

With that in mind, Chubb told Ulrich that his calf feels good after he put some work in Monday, but how it holds up after Wednesday's practice should give him a better idea of where's he's at in advance of the Week 8 contest. Look for the running back, who has missed the Browns' last two games, to be listed as a limited participant when Wednesday's injury report is posted.

The Steelers activated McFarland (knee) off injured reserve Wednesday.

As expected, McFarland has been added to the 53-man roster and will likely be active for Sunday's matchup with the Browns. However, the 22-year-old running back isn't expected to see much playing time, as rookie first-round pick Najee Harris has been a three-down workhorse for Pittsburgh throughout the 2021 campaign.

Barkley (ankle) is dressed for Wednesday's practice and was spotted going through stretches, Art Stapleton of The Bergen Record reports.

Barkley looks like he may participate in his first practice since suffering an ankle sprain Week 5, though the Giants won't release an official injury report until Thursday as they prepare for a Monday game in Kansas City. A report from Ian Rapoport of NFL Network this past weekend suggested Barkley would have an "outside chance" to return Week 8, but the running back's odds of playing could be closer to 50-50 if he's truly back at practice Wednesday. That said, it's possible Barkley will be limited to stretching and/or other light activities, and the Giants aren't required to provide an update beyond what the media saw in pre-practice warmups.

Homer rushed once for 14 yards in Monday's 13-10 loss to the Saints.

Homer played just 12 of the team's 56 offensive snaps, while Alex Collins (22) and Rashaad Penny (20) handily outpaced him for work out of the backfield. Though Homer provided a good chunk of yardage on his lone touch of the time, the backfield has a whole couldn't find much open room against the Saints. Going forward, Homer will likely struggle to see enough playing time to deliver meaningful fantasy value.

Ozigbo lost three yards on one carry and caught his only target for seven yards in Monday's 13-10 win over the Seahawks.

Ozigbo entered the contest as the only healthy running back on the active roster behind Alvin Kamara. Despite New Orleans' lack of depth, the 25-year-old totaled just two touches behind Alvin Kamara, who led the team with 30 total touches. For fantasy purposes, Ozigbo is nothing more than a handcuff to Kamara, and not a strong one at that with Tony Jones (ankle) likely returning from injured reserve in the near future.

Dallas didn't record a touch in Monday's 13-10 loss to the Saints. He recorded 53 yards on the kick return.

Alex Collins and Rashaad Penny handled a bulk of the workload, and Dallas logged just one offensive snap. His main usage is as a kick returner unless either Collins or Penny goes down with an injury again.

Penny (calf) rushed six times for nine yards in Monday's 13-10 loss to the Saints.

Penny handled 20 offensive snaps (36 percent) but couldn't get anything going on the ground. Penny's performance alone doesn't warrant more playing time moving forward, but Alex Collins -- who rushed 16 times for 35 yards -- failed to distinguish himself as well. Collins will likely start as the lead back in Week 8 against the Jaguars, though Penny could have a chance to take over the job if he gets the hot hand.

McKinnon compiled a pair of catches for 17 yards on four targets Sunday versus the Titans.

McKinnon didn't carry the ball once and saw just 20 snaps Sunday despite Clyde Edwards-Helaire being unavailable for the contest. With CEH's return eventually coming, it doesn't seem like McKinnon will possess much fantasy value barring Darrel Williams joining Edwards-Helaire on the sidelines.