NFL Player News

Jefferson will compete for touches with Godwin Igwebuike as the secondary option out of the backfield behind Jamaal Williams, who is slated to start and fill a lead role Sunday against the Vikings with D'Andre Swift (shoulder) ruled out for the game, Benjamin Raven of MLive.com reports.

For one of the few times all season, Detroit had all four running backs active in its 16-14 loss to Chicago on Thanksgiving Day. Neither Jefferson nor Igwebuike appeared likely to have a role on offense heading into the contest, but Swift's early exit due to a sprained shoulder opened up opportunities for both players to pick up a handful of snaps behind Williams. Still, Igwebuike (four snaps) and Jefferson (three snaps) were barely involved, so Williams looks like he'll be on track to serve as a three-down workhorse Week 13 with Swift out of the picture. There likely won't be enough work left over for either Jefferson or Igwebuike to make a meaningful fantasy impact.

Vikings head coach Mike Zimmer hinted that Nwangwu will have a role on offense Sunday against the Lions with top back Dalvin Cook (shoulder) ruled out for the contest, Chad Graff of The Athletic reports.

In the absence of Cook -- who could be sidelined until the Vikings' Week 15 game in Chicago due to a dislocated shoulder -- Minnesota will likely turn to Alexander Mattison as a three-down workhorse, a role he handled capably in place of an injured Cook in Weeks 3 and 5. Ameer Abdullah had served as Mattison's top understudy in those contests, but since been released and picked up by Carolina, Nwangwu is the lone healthy running back behind Mattison on the 53-man roster. Nwangwu, a rookie fourth-round draft pick, has just two carries to his name (for 16 yards) and has played only two snaps on offense through five appearances, but he's shown some playmaking abilities in space on special teams with two kickoff returns for scores in the past two weeks. Look for the Vikings to find ways to get the ball in Nwangwu's hands and take advantage of his 4.32-second 40-yard-dash speed when he's on the field, but he's still unlikely to see enough snaps and touches to make for a reliable fantasy option, even in deeper leagues.

Sermon (ankle) has been ruled out in advance of Sunday's game against the Seahawks.

For the first time all season, Sermon will be sidelined for an injury-related reason -- he was a healthy inactive in Weeks 1 and 9 -- after he sprained his right ankle in the 49ers' Week 12 win over the Vikings. Head coach Kyle Shanahan suggested that the ankle issue could be serious enough for Sermon to go on injured reserve, but a decision on that front likely won't be finalized until Saturday, the deadline for teams playing Sunday to make Week 13 transactions. Even if Sermon avoids IR and is able to return next week or Week 15, he likely won't have a role on offense so long as Elijah Mitchell, Jeff Wilson and JaMycal Hasty are all healthy.

Boone is expected to serve as the Broncos' No. 2 running back behind Javonte Williams in Sunday's game against the Chiefs with Melvin Gordon (hip/shoulder) listed as doubtful for the contest, Kyle Newman of The Denver Post reports.

Gordon wasn't able to practice in any capacity this week, making it likely that he'll be inactive for the first time all season. Through their first 11 games, the Broncos have deployed a near-even backfield timeshare of Gordon and Williams, with both receiving similar snap and touch counts in nearly every game. That has left scant work for Boone since coming off injured reserve Week 6, though he showed the ability to produce on the occasions he saw carries for the Vikings the past three seasons. Even so, rather than simply plugging Boone in for Gordon as part of a timeshare, the Broncos are more likely to prepare the Williams for his first look in a three-down bellcow role, with Boone likely mixing in when the rookie requires a breather.

Hasty (ankle) is cleared to return for Sunday's game in Seattle, with no designation on the 49ers' final Week 13 injury report, Nick Wagoner of ESPN.com reports.

Hasty has now missed six games with ankle injuries (Weeks 3-6, 10-12) and worked as San Francisco's passing-down specialist in the five others. The role has mostly gone to Kyle Jusczyk when Hasty's been out, though Jeff Wilson is also capable. In any case, Hasty is averaging only 2.6 carries and 2.6 catches for 27.8 yards per game, with his usage topped by that of early down back Elijah Mitchell (17.9 carries, 1.8 catches per game).

Jacobs (ankle) is listed as questionable for Sunday's game against Washington after logging limited practices Thursday and Friday, Rachel Gossen of the Raiders' official site reports.

As a result, Jacobs' availability will be worth monitoring as Sunday's 4:05 p.m. ET kickoff approaches, though it's possible media reports emerge prior to the first wave of games this weekend that offer more clarity on the running back's status. If Jacobs ends up limited or sits out versus Washington, Kenyan Drake and Jalen Richard would be next up for snaps out of the Las Vegas backfield, with Peyton Barber a candidate to be made active after having been a healthy scratch Week 12 against the Cowboys.

Dallas head coach Mike McCarthy acknowledged Friday that Elliott has been on a rep count in games for the past month while the running back continues to manage a knee injury that first cropped up in Week 4, Todd Archer of ESPN.com reports. "It's part of how we want to play," McCarthy said, while also noting that he believes the Cowboys' 10-day break prior to the team's Week 14 game against Washington will be beneficial for Elliott, according to Michael Gehlken of The Dallas Morning News.

Elliott's restricted snap counts have been evident just by looking at his recent game logs. Including Thursday's 27-17 win over the Saints, Elliott hasn't played more than 70 percent of the Cowboys' offensive snaps in five straight games after topping that percentage in all but two of Dallas' first seven contests. The decline in snaps has come with a small downturn in touches (16.9 carries and 3.7 targets per game Weeks 1 through 8, 11.0 carries and 4.6 targets Weeks 9 through 13), allowing Tony Pollard to take on a more heightened role in the game plan. Though the longer turnaround for the Cowboys' Week 14 divisional matchup is welcome, McCarthy didn't promise that Elliott would be in store for an uptick in snaps and touches. In fact, given that Elliott is averaging a woeful 3.2 yards per carry over the past four games compared to Pollard's 5.7 YPC during that stretch, it wouldn't be surprising if the latter took on more volume in the weeks to come as Dallas looks to secure a playoff spot.

Penny (hamstring) is listed as questionable for Sunday's game against the 49ers, John Boyle of the Seahawks' official site reports.

Even though Penny was able to practice fully Thursday, the Seahawks evidently aren't convinced that he's fully healthy heading into Sunday's contest. However, unless he experienced a setback coming out of Friday's practice, Penny will most likely be a part of a Week 13 backfield rotation that could include lead ballcarrier Alex Collins (abdomen) and pass-catching specialist Travis Homer (calf), both of whom are listed as questionable. If Seattle has pessimism about at least one of Collins or Penny being available Sunday, the team would likely elevate the newly signed Adrian Peterson from the practice squad to provide a healthier option on early downs.

Evans (ankle) is listed as doubtful for Sunday's game against the Chargers, Bengals team reporter Marisa Contipelli reports.

With Evans expected to sit out, Samaje Perine will work as the lone backup to Joe Mixon against the porous Chargers run defense. If Evans can't play Sunday, his next opportunity to take the field would come in Week 14 against the 49ers.

Edwards-Helaire is listed as questionable for Sunday's game against the Broncos after he missed Friday's practice due to an illness.

Per Herbie Teope of The Kansas City Star, Edwards-Helaire was added to Kansas City's Week 13 injury report after he sat out Friday due to a case of the stomach flu. That said, head coach Andy Reid indicated that Edwards-Helaire "should be fine" for Sunday's game, which kicks off at 8:20 p.m. ET. In his return from injured reserve Week 11 against the Cowboys, Edwards-Helaire played fewer snaps than Darrel Williams (36 to 30), but the former handily outpaced the latter in touches (14 to 6) and yardage (76 to 26).