NFL Player News

Gibson (shin) is active for Sunday's game against the Packers.

Gibson has been tending to a hairline fracture of his shin for a few weeks now, but the injury has yet to force him to miss any time. That said, Gibson's efficiency has nosedived over the last month, with the running back averaging just 3.5 yards per carry over Washington's past four games. Washington will enter Sunday's game as a heavy underdog, and if the Packers are able to establish an early lead and force the Football Team into catchup mode, Gibson's opportunities as a ball carrier could be limited.

Barkley (ankle), who will miss his second straight game Sunday against the Panthers, has an "outside chance" of returning to action Week 8 in a Nov. 1 game in Kansas City, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reports.

Based on Rapoport's report, Barkley looks to be somewhere between "doubtful" and "questionable" for Week 8, with his status for that contest likely to hinge on whether or not his sprained left ankle hinders him in practices next Thursday through Saturday. At this stage, a Week 9 game against Las Vegas on Nov. 7 looks to be a likelier target return date for Barkley. Devontae Booker should fill a three-down role out of the New York backfield for as long as Barkley is sidelined.

Gibson (shin), who is listed as questionable for Sunday's game against the Packers, is expected to play, Adam Schefter of ESPN reports.

Schefter relays that the running back spent the early part of the season playing with a hairline fracture in his shin, an injury Ben Standig of The Athletic reports that Gibson previously described as a stress fracture. Regardless, Gibson has displayed improvement of late and is feeling better as Week 7 action approaches. While Schefter notes that Gibson continues to deal with a bone bruise in his shin area, the 23-year-old -- who has played in all six of his team's games to date -- is confident that he'll be good to go in Green Bay. Official confirmation of his status will arrive prior to the first wave of contests Sunday, with Washington and the Packers kicking off at 1 p.m. ET.

Washington (neck) has been ruled out for Monday's contest against the Seahawks, John Boyle of the Seahawks' official site reports.

Washington didn't practice at all this week, so it's not a surprise to see him ruled out for Monday's contest. When healthy, he is primarily used on special teams, so his absence shouldn't affect the Saints' offensive rotations.

Hasty (ankle) was activated off of injured reserve Saturday and will be available to play in Sunday's contest against the Colts, Matt Maiocco of NBC Sports Bay Area reports.

Hasty has been sidelined since suffering a high-ankle sprain against the Eagles in Week 2. He was designated to return off IR ahead of the 49ers' first Week 7 practice Monday, and now, he has officially been activated to the 53-man roster. The 25-year-old should step back into his change-of-pace role behind Elijah Mitchell and Trey Sermon on Sunday.

Abdullah signed with the Panthers on Saturday.

Fresh off a multi-game stint with the Vikings, Abdullah jumps over to a similar situation backing up the likes of Chuba Hubbard and Royce Freeman. Christian McCaffrey (hamstring) isn't eligible to be activated off injured reserve until at least Week 9, which should afford the veteran castaway a few weeks on the Panthers' active roster.

Evans (knee) was activated off injured reserve Saturday, Jim Wyatt of the Titans' official site reports.

Evans will now slot in a backfield increasingly dominated by the impossibly successful Derrick Henry. Jeremy McNichols (ankle) has operated as the team's pass-catching back to begin the season, but he's played just 15 offensive snaps combined over the last two weeks and could yield that role to Evans given his struggles as of late.

Williams (hamstring) has been ruled out for Sunday's contest against the Dolphins, Michael Rothstein of ESPN.com reports.

Despite the bye week, Williams will miss his second straight contest with the hamstring injury. Atlanta's secondary is healthy outside of Williams, so his absence shouldn't impact its defensive rotations, but Fabian Moreau will likely once again take over punt-returning duties from the rookie.

Herbert could see his workload decrease after Damien Williams (illness) was activated off the reserve/COVID-19 list in time for Sunday's game against the Buccaneers.

The Bears haven't officially stated who will take over as the starter given Saturday's development, but it wouldn't be surprising to see both Williams and Herbert revert back to the Week 5 workload split, when the duo combined for a near even share of 34 carries. Herbert's excellence against the Packers last week could help him earn the larger share of the aforementioned split, especially if Williams has to work back into game shape after testing positive for COVID-19, but looming over the complicated situation is the fearsome Buccaneers run defense, which has held opponents to a miniscule 54.8 rushing yards per game. As a result, neither Herbert nor Williams profiles as an upper-tier fantasy play save for deeper formats.

Williams (illness) was activated from the reserve/COVID-19 list Saturday and will be eligible to play in Sunday's contest against the Buccaneers.

Williams needed to wait the mandatory 10-day period in order to be cleared off the reserve/COVID-19 list because he was not vaccinated, so it's somewhat surprising he was able to complete the turnaround so quickly. The veteran back enters a complicated situation after rookie Khalil Herbert thrived in the lead role last week, accumulating 112 total yards and a touchdown. Regardless of who ends up getting the majority of the workload, Sunday figures to be a difficult matchup with the immovable Buccaneers run defense on tap.