NFL Player News

McNichols (concussion) is out for Sunday's game in New England, Turron Davenport of ESPN.com reports.

McNichols still hasn't returned to practice and now will miss a second straight game. Last week, Dontrell Hilliard stepped in as the passing-down back and caught eight of 10 targets for 47 yards in a 22-13 loss to the Texans, adding seven rushes for 35 yards while playing 63 percent of snaps on offense. That's a bigger workload than McNichols has seen all year, and while a repeat isn't likely, Hilliard does have less competition for playing time with both McNichols and Adrian Peterson (released) out of the lineup. It appears the injury-ravaged Tennessee offense will have D'Onta Foreman as the lead runner and Hilliard as the substitute and passing-down back this Sunday against a red-hot Patriots defense, though the Titans also have RB Rodney Smith as a backfield option from the practice squad.

Jones (knee) will be listed as questionable for Sunday's game against the Rams, Matt Schneidman of The Athletic reports.

A limited practice participant the past two days, Jones likely will get the same designation Friday when the Packers release their final injury report. He seems to be progressing as expected from a minor MCL sprain, as initial reports suggested he'd miss one or two games after suffering the injury Week 10. An upcoming bye in Week 13 might impact the Packers' decision, though perhaps less so than usual given that they're facing a potential competitor for NFC playoff seeding this Sunday at 4:25 p.m. ET.

Robinson (heel/knee) practiced in full Friday and doesn't have a designation for Sunday's game against the Falcons, Adam Caplan of SiriusXM NFL Radio reports.

Robinson initially suffered a bruised heel Week 8 at Seattle and missed a Week 9 game against the Bills, but he's been able to suit up in back-to-back contests, logging at least 58 percent of offensive snaps both times and totaling 30 touches for 122 yards from scrimmage and two rushing touchdowns. For the first time since picking up the injury, though, he's clear of a designation ahead of game day. Robinson will aim for a bounce-back effort versus an Atlanta defense that has conceded 147.2 total yards per game and 11 TDs to running backs in 10 outings this season.

Gibson (shin) was a limited participant in Friday's practice, Nicki Jhabvala of The Washington Post reports.

This has been the norm since October with Gibson playing through a stress fracture in his shin. He should be fine for his usual role as Washington's lead runner Monday night against Seattle, though rookie Jaret Patterson has mixed in a bit more recently, including during the second quarter of last week's win over Carolina after Gibson lost a fumble.

Patterson (ankle) remained limited at Friday's practice and is listed as questionable for Sunday's game in Jacksonville, Tori McElhaney of the Falcons' official site reports.

The Falcons listed Patterson as limited in every practice for a second straight week, though he'll now have the benefit of more time/rest after missing last Thursday's shutout loss to New England. The Falcons recalled Qadree Ollison from their practice squad and ended up using him as their lead runner in the contest, while Mike Davis saw only three carries and four targets on 48 percent of offensive snaps. It could be a similar plan this week if Patterson is out again, though multiple reporters have mentioned not seeing Ollison at practice this week (he's technically still on the practice squad, and therefore not listed on injury reports). In any case, it might be a moot point if Patterson is able to play, which certainly seems possible heading into the weekend. A 1:00 p.m. ET kickoff will make things easier on fantasy managers if there aren't any definitive updates on Patterson's status before Sunday.

Patterson (ankle) is participating at Friday's practice, Michael Rothstein of ESPN.com reports.

Patterson was listed as limited Wednesday and Thursday, and it appears he'll at least be working in that capacity again Friday. It's unclear if the 30-year-old has shown enough to avoid an injury designation for Sunday's matchup with the Jaguars, but he should have a chance to return from his one-game absence this weekend because he's been on the practice field all week.

Freeman is likely to serve as Houston's third running back Sunday against the Jets, Brooks Kubena of the Houston Chronicle reports.

Freeman was claimed off waivers Nov. 9 and inactive for Week 11 against the Titans. However, after the Texans released Phillip Lindsay on Wednesday, there's an opening for a third back behind Rex Burkhead and David Johnson. That spot might normally go to Scottie Phillips (ankle), but he's on injured reserve and ineligible to return until Dec. 12 at the earliest. As a newcomer to the offense, Freeman is not expected to have a significant role Week 12.

Breida carried nine times for 26 yards and caught both targets for 29 yards and a TD reception in Thursday's 31-6 win over New Orleans.

Breida had only seen 12 carries all season prior to Thursday, but the Bills wanted to shake up a listless running attack and benched Zack Moss for the contest, giving Breida the opportunity he'd been waiting for. It looked like he was going to be the main ballcarrier for the night, but teammate Devin Singletary got hot, and the two ended up splitting work in an easy win. Singletary finished with 16 touches and 62 percent of the snaps, while Breida had 11 touches and 38 percent. We'll see if the Bills keep Moss on the bench for the team's Week 12 tilt against the rival Patriots, but our guess is this will be a fluid situation the rest of the way.

Pollard carried the ball 10 times for 36 yards, caught all four of his targets for 32 yards, and returned three kickoffs for 129 yards including a 100-yard touchdown in a 36-33 overtime loss to the Raiders on Thanksgiving.

With Ezekiel Elliott's knee clearly bothering him, Pollard wound up leading the Cowboys in carries and rushing yards in a nearly even workload split with Zeke. Pollard also just missed scoring a TD in the second quarter on a swing pass from Dak Prescott, but he was ruled down just short of the goal line and had to watch from the sidelines as Elliott punched the ball into the end zone on the next play. Not to be deterred, Pollard returned a kickoff to the house in the third quarter to spur a Dallas comeback from a 24-13 deficit. Elliott will have some extra time to heal up before a Week 13 clash with the Saints, but Pollard's explosiveness should keep him in a prominent role in the offense even if the Cowboys' No. 1 RB is able to handle his usual volume.

Elliott carried the ball nine times for 25 yards and a touchdown and caught six of eight targets for 24 yards in a 36-33 overtime loss to the Raiders on Thanksgiving.

The running back's knee clearly wasn't 100 percent, and Tony Pollard wound up seeing more carries and leading the Cowboys in rushing yards, but Elliott vultured a one-yard TD from his backup just before halftime after Pollard did most of the work on the drive that got the offense to the goal line. With extra time to rest up before a Week 13 clash with the Saints, Elliott could be able to handle something closer to his usual workload, but Pollard's performance -- which included a 100-yard kickoff return for a touchdown -- should keep him involved in the game plan.