NFL Player News

Mattison (ankle) was a limited participant in Wednesday's walk-through practice.

While it's encouraging in some sense that Mattison wasn't deemed a non-participant to begin the week, the Vikings probably won't have a better feel for his status for the Week 17 matchup with the Bears until getting a look at him in more traditional practices Thursday and Friday. Given that the Vikings are locked in as the NFC's No. 6 seed in the playoffs, it wouldn't be surprising if the team acted conservatively with Mattison and top back Dalvin Cook (shoulder) -- who was also limited Wednesday -- and withheld both from the regular-season finale to preserve their health for the postseason.

Cook (shoulder) was a limited participant in Wednesday's walk-through session.

Since the Vikings didn't hold a traditional practice on account of the Christmas Day holiday and the quick turnaround from a Monday night loss to the Packers, Cook's "limited" listing is merely an estimate for his activity. As such, it's difficult at this stage to gauge Cook's chances of playing Week 17 versus the Bears, though the fact that the Vikings are locked in as the NFC's No. 6 seed in the playoffs could prompt the team to err on the side of caution and hold him out Sunday.

Henry (hamstring) was listed as full participant on Wednesday's estimated practice report, Turron Davenport of ESPN.com reports.

Henry sat out the Titans' Week 16 loss to the Saints, but it looks like he'll return to action Sunday against the Texans. Another full practice Thursday when the Titans reconvene would solidify Henry's availability for the regular-season finale.

Barner (shoulder/hip) was listed as a limited participant on Wednesday's practice's estimation.

Barner seemingly picked up a pair of injuries Week 15 against the Niners, but he was able to play through the issues during Atlanta's Week 16 date with Jacksonville last weekend. Unless he suffers a setback of some sort, Barner probably will be good to go again for this weekend's season finale against Tampa Bay.

Jacobs (shoulder/illness) was listed as a non-participant on Wednesday's estimated practice report, Matt Kawahara of the San Francisco Chronicle reports.

Jacobs, who sat out the Week 16 win over the Chargers due to a shoulder injury, is also tending to a second concern heading into Sunday's season finale against the Broncos. Once the Raiders return to the field Thursday, fantasy managers should have a better sense of Jacobs' chances of returning to action this weekend.

Sanders is expected to remain the Eagles' lead option out of the backfield Sunday against the Giants with Jordan Howard (shoulder) trending toward a return, Dave Zangaro of NBC Sports Philadelphia reports.

Over the Eagles' first nine games, Howard led the team's ground attack with 525 yards and six touchdowns on 119 attempts, with Sanders operating in more of a change-of-pace capacity. With a shoulder stinger keeping Howard out for the subsequent six games, however, Sanders has been thrust into a larger role and has responded well, amassing 635 total yards from scrimmage and four touchdowns. Though Howard has received clearance to take contact and should be available in the regular-season finale, the Eagles are expected to ease him back in as a complementary option out of the backfield. Such an arrangement should allow Sanders to retain the top spot on the depth chart, though he might have to sacrifice slightly more touches and snaps compared to recent weeks.

Abdullah caught six of seven targets for 31 yards and added 27 yards on four carries during Monday's 23-10 loss to Green Bay.

With Dalvin Cook (chest) and Alexander Mattison (ankle) both on the shelf, Abdullah played 32 snaps on offense Monday, 14 more than fellow reserve back Mike Boone. He ended up leading the Vikings in targets and catches along the way. The Vikings will be the NFC's No. 6 seed in the playoffs regardless of Sunday's result against the Bears, so it wouldn't be a surprise if the team rested Cook and Mattison again. Abdullah caught two passes for 14 yards in limited action against Chicago in Week 4.

Pollard carried the ball twice for zero yards, returned two kicks for 41 yards and lost a fumble during Sunday's loss to the Eagles.

Pollard's fumble during the third quarter ended a 10-play drive for the Cowboys, and he didn't touch the ball again on offense. The 22-year-old had 12 rushes for 131 yards and one touchdown Week 15, illustrating his volatility as a low-volume fantasy option.

Williams said Tuesday that he doesn't believe the shoulder issue he suffered Monday at Minnesota will be a long-term issue, Rob Demovsky of ESPN.com reports.

This season, Williams previously sat out Week 5 with a concussion and missed some practice time Week 14 due to a knee injury. He picked up the current concern when he landed on his shoulder Monday, resulting in his second-lowest offensive snap share (27 percent) of the year. Wednesday's injury report will provide an estimate of how much activity he was able to handle as Green Bay begins preparations for the regular-season finale in Detroit.

Ogunbowale secured three of five targets for 34 yards in the Buccaneers' 23-20 loss to the Texans on Saturday. He also returned five kickoffs for 74 yards.

Ogunbowale filled his usual complementary role, notching multiple receptions for the third time in the last four games and seeing five targets for the second time in three contests. The story with Ogunbowale is largely unchanged -- he'll log the occasional carry or two but sees a consistent, albeit modest, workload in the passing game.