NFL Player News

Jones (toe) participated in Thursday's practice, Rob Demovsky of ESPN.com reports.

Jones was a surprise addition to Wednesday's injury report as limited due to a toe issue. It remains to be seen whether he increased his reps or merely maintained them Thursday, but Jones still is doing more than Jamaal Williams, who hasn't practiced this week with a quad concern.

Head coach Bruce Arians confirmed Thursday that Jones (finger, reserve/COVID-19 list) won't play in the Buccaneers' Week 16 game against the Lions, Greg Auman of The Athletic reports.

Jones hasn't practiced since undergoing surgery Dec. 15 to repair a fractured left pinkie finger. He was then placed on the reserve/COVID-19 list a day later, and at this point, it's uncertain how close he might be to clearing all health-related protocols to rejoin the Buccaneers. Tampa Bay should provide another update on Jones' status early next week, but for now, the team will roll with Leonard Fournette as its lead back for a second straight game, with LeSean McCoy and Ke'Shawn Vaughn serving as depth options.

Cowboys head coach Mike McCarthy said Elliott (calf) will be in "limited-practice mode" Thursday, Michael Gehlken of The Dallas Morning News reports.

Assuming the Cowboys' official practice report matches McCarthy's comments, Elliott will be listed as a limited participant for the second day in a row. After sitting out the Cowboys' Week 15 win over the 49ers, Elliott said that his bruised calf is feeling much better this week, leaving him optimistic that he'll be ready to go for Sunday's game against the Eagles. If active for the contest, Elliott should step back into his usual starting role, though the gap in the distribution of the snaps and touches between him and Tony Pollard could become more narrow after Pollard shined as the lead back Week 15 (12 carries for 69 yards and two touchdowns, six receptions for 63 yards on nine targets).

Dallas (ankle) was a non-participant in Wednesday's practice, John Boyle of the Seahawks' official site reports.

Dallas was diagnosed with a Grade 3 ankle sprain following this past Sunday's 20-15 win over Washington, so his absence from practice isn't surprising. He should be considered a long shot to play in Week 16 against the Rams. If he's indeed out, Chris Carson (foot), Carlos Hyde and Rashaad Penny will be the only running backs suiting up.

Huntley (illness) was able to practice without limitations Wednesday.

Huntley missed Sunday's loss to the Cardinals due to an illness, but he appears to have regained his health. Even if he is able to play, the rookie out of New Mexico State may not see the field -- he has not taken a snap since Week 8 .

Johnson was a limited participant in Wednesday's practice due to a groin injury, Mary Kay Cabot of The Cleveland Plain Dealer reports.

Johnson finished out last Sunday's win over the Giants to provide Nick Chubb and Kareem Hunt with some rest, logging four carries for 24 yards. The 24-year-old appears to have gotten nicked up in the process, but he'll have two more chances to upgrade his activity in practice ahead of a Week 16 road game against the Jets.

Conner (quadriceps) practiced fully Wednesday, Teresa Varley of the Steelers' official site reports.

The full workout puts Conner -- who sat out Monday's loss to the Bengals -- on track to be available this weekend against the Colts. That said, Aditi Kinkhabwala of NFL Networkreported earlier in the week that Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin said that Benny Snell would "have the opportunity to be impactful" Week 16, after he accounted for 107 yards from scrimmage and a touchdown on 21 touches versus the Bengals. If that ends up being the case, Conner could have a much lower fantasy floor compared to previous weeks, when he's acted as the Steelers' clear lead back.

Mattison (concussion) missed practice Wednesday.

After sitting out two games due to an appendectomy, Mattison logged six snaps on offense and eight more on special teams in the Week 15 loss to the Bears, finishing with two touches for 15 yards from scrimmage. In the course of that contest, Mattison suffered a concussion, so he's now subject to the NFL's protocol for head injuries before he can suit up again. Because the Vikings are operating on a short week with a Friday matchup with the Saints on tap, Mattison seems unlikely to play Week 16, especially with no practice reps yet under his belt.

Edmonds (ankle/knee) was a non-participant at Wednesday's practice.

Last week, Edmonds was contained to one limited practice session due to an ankle injury before he was eventually deemed active ahead of the Week 15 win over the Eagles. He handed his second-highest touch count (14) of the season in the victory, scoring a touchdown and totaling 66 scrimmage yards along the way. Though Edmonds has yet to take the practice this week while he nurses two injuries, he'll have one more chance to prove his health before the Cardinals give him a designation for Saturday's game versus the 49ers.

Elliott (calf) was a limited participant at Wednesday's practice, Michael Gehlken of The Dallas Morning News reports.

According to Gehlken, Elliott said that his injured calf feels "way better than last week," leading the running back to believe that he's "looking good" for Sunday's matchup with the Eagles. In the event that Elliott were forced to miss more time, however, Tony Pollard would stand to draw another start.