NFL Player News

Akers (ankle) is active for Sunday's contest against the Cardinals, Jourdan Rodrigue of The Athletic reports.

Just two weeks removed from suffering a high-ankle sprain, Akers will be available as the Rams vie for slotting in the NFC playoff picture. With Darrell Henderson (ankle) on IR, the Rams may have been swayed by Akers practicing in a limited capacity Friday and not suffering an aggravation in the aftermath of the session. There's a chance Akers merely is available in case of an emergency, but if he serves beyond that capacity, he also could play second fiddle to a healthier Malcolm Brown out of L.A.'s backfield.

Patterson (knee) is listed as active heading into Sunday's game against the Packers.

Given Sunday's injury report, the special-teams guru will remain without a regular-season absence for the seventh time in eight pro campaigns. He's enjoying yet another prolific season on returns, resulting in his second straight Pro Bowl nod. Patterson has also taken on a role as Chicago's No. 2 back, garnering 10-plus carries on two separate occasions since Week 10.

McCaffrey (thigh) is listed as inactive Sunday against the Saints, Bill Voth of the Panthers' official site reports.

As expected, both McCaffrey and Mike Davis (ankle) are unavailable, leaving backfield reps available for some combination of Rodney Smith, Trenton Cannon, Alex Armah and even Curtis Samuel. McCaffrey will conclude an injury-marred campaign with 59 carries for 225 yards (3.8 YPC) and five touchdowns while hauling in 17 of 19 targets for 149 yards and another TD in three appearances.

Edmonds (hip) is active for Sunday's road game versus the Rams, Darren Urban of the Cardinals' official site reports.

When available and serving as Kenyan Drake's direct backup this season, Edmonds has averaged 8.8 touches for 56.1 yards from scrimmage while scoring five TDs across 13 games. The potential exists for Edmonds to be inhibited by the hip injury that kept him off the practice field during the week. If that happens, whatever he's unable to handle likely will shift to Drake and (to a lesser extent) D.J. Foster.

Wilkins was placed on the reserve/COVID-19 list Sunday and will be unavailable for Sunday's game against the Jaguars, Kevin Bowen of 107.5 The Fan Indianapolis reports.

This development seemingly comes out of the blue, as the 26-year-old back was able to participate throughout the practice week with no restrictions. Wilkins will have a chance to make another appearance if the Colts reach the playoffs, but he'll have to clear league COVID-19 protocols before doing so. He closes out the regular season with 308 yards and a touchdown over 84 carries, plus a total of 12 receptions for 105 yards in 15 appearances. As a symbol of his reliability, Wilkins also went without a fumble for a second straight season.

Ollison (coach's decision) is inactive for Sunday's game against the Buccaneers.

Ollison cashed in with four rushing touchdowns during his 2019 rookie season despite receiving a total of just 22 carries. His offensive role this season was almost nonexistent, as the 24-year-old ends his sophomore campaign with one rush for three yards (and zero TDs) over three game appearances.

Edwards (back) is active for Sunday's game against the Bengals.

The 25-year-old was considered questionable with the back issue, but it won't prevent him from suiting up Week 17. Edwards is poised to split backfield work with J.K. Dobbins in the final game of the regular season.

Akers (ankle), who is listed as questionable for Sunday's game against the Cardinals, is likely to try and play, Adam Schefter of ESPN reports.

After sitting out the Rams' Week 16 loss to the Seahawks with a high-ankle sprain, Akers sat out the team's first two Week 17 practices before he turned in a limited workout Friday. That was enough for Akers to garner the questionable tag heading into the weekend, and the rookie now appears to be gaining confidence that he'll be able to contribute in some capacity in the regular-season finale. Prior to getting hurt, Akers had been serving as the Rams' lead back, but he may only be in store for a limited role if active Week 17 since he'll be playing at less than 100 percent health. With Darrell Henderson (ankle) moving to injured reserve this week, Malcolm Brown now appears to be the top candidate to head the Los Angeles backfield Week 17.

Gibson (toe), who is listed as questionable for Sunday's game against the Eagles, is expected to be "good to go" for the regular-season finale, Field Yates of ESPN reports.

Gibson's availability won't be locked in until Washington releases its inactive list 90 minutes prior to the game's 8:20 p.m. ET kickoff, but the rookie looks like he'll be ready to go as the Football Team looks to punch its ticket to the postseason. After missing Weeks 14 and 15 while battling turf toe, Gibson returned to action for the Week 16 loss to Carolina, playing 21 snaps and carrying 10 times for 61 yards while hauling in three of four targets for eight yards. Gibson didn't practice in any fashion this week, but head coach Ron Rivera indicated that the Football Team was merely taking a cautious approach with the running back leading up to the all-important season finale. Assuming he's active, Gibson should serve as Washington's lead ball carrier while splitting work on passing downs with J.D. McKissic.

Though Le'Veon Bell (knee) is expected to suit up Sunday against the Chargers, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network suggests that Thompson "is slated to get the bulk" of Kansas City's carries.

The report suggests that if Bell does play Sunday, "it'll be very little." With Clyde Edwards-Helaire (ankle) already ruled out and Bell seemingly on track to be limited, it looks like Thompson will see expanded opportunities in Week 17, with Kansas City having clinched the AFC's No. 1 playoff seed. Darrel Williams is also on hand, but look for Thompson -- who's been used sparingly of late -- to get his share of work in Sunday's 4:25 ET contest, with the team expected to rest or limit multiple key players.