NFL Player News

Barner (shoulder) didn't participate in Wednesday's practice, D. Orlando Ledbetter of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports.

Barner's offensive usage is minimal behind Davonta Freeman and Brian Hill, but he's a valuable returner on kicks and punts. If Barner's injury is serious and keeps him out of Week 16's game against the Jaguars, Kendall Sheffield and Russell Gage could fill field kicks/punts in his place.

Coach Jon Gruden said Wednesday that Jacobs (shoulder) won't play Sunday against the Chargers, Paul Gutierrez of ESPN.com reports.

Per Vic Tafur of The Athletic, the Raiders will give Jacobs a chance to rest his fractured right shoulder this week, then see if the running back can give it a go in the Dec. 29 season finale against the Broncos. With Jacobs out of the mix for the second time in three weeks, DeAndre Washington is expected to headline the Raiders' rushing attack, with Jalen Richard on hand to work in a complementary role.

Henry (hamstring) was limited at practice Wednesday, Jim Wyatt of the Titans' official site reports.

Henry didn't practice at all last week due to the injury before carrying 21 times for 86 yards in the Titans' Week 15 loss to the Texans. Based on the regimen he followed last week, the fact that he logged a limited session Wednesday is actually encouraging as the Titans begins their preparations for Sunday's contest against the Saints.

McNichols signed with the Jaguars' practice squad Wednesday, John Reid of The Florida Times-Union reports.

McNichols looked poised for a three-down role after getting picked in the fifth round of the 2017 NFL Draft by the Buccaneers. However, a rough training camp left him off the final roster, and the 23-year-old running back has spent most of his time on practice squads since. The Jaguars will give him a look now, but he likely won't be activated unless Leonard Fournette or one of the reserves sustains an injury.

Williams (ribs/illness) will participate in Wednesday's practice, BJ Kissel of the Chiefs' official site reports.

It won't be known until after the session concludes whether Williams was a limited or full participant, but the fact that he's opening Week 16 on the practice field can be viewed as a positive. The 27-year-old looked to have just about moved past his rib injury in Week 15 after practicing Wednesday and Thursday, but an illness kept him sidelined Friday and ultimately caused him to miss a third consecutive game. Assuming Williams has recovered from both the rib injury and illness ahead of Sunday's matchup with the Bears, he could head a backfield committee that also includes LeSean McCoy, Darwin Thompson and Spencer Ware.

Hill ran for 15 yards on four carries during Thursday's 42-21 win over the Jets.

Hill enjoyed as many touches Thursday as in his previous two games combined, as the Ravens jumped out to a huge lead. The rookie back might get a little more action as the No. 3 RB on a run-heavy squad that has blown out several opponents recently, but that's a pretty low bar to clear. He doesn't offer much upside down the stretch as the Ravens seek to hold onto the top spot in the AFC playoffs. Next up is a matchup against Cleveland, which held Hill to 17 total yards in Week 4.

Williams didn't record a touch in Monday's 34-7 loss to the Saints.

Williams was the main beneficiary of Marlon Mack's absence due to a fractured hand, registering two straight games with 100-plus rushing yards, although he recorded just 14 yards in Week 13 sans Mack. The 25-year-old Wiliams crashed back to earth when Mack returned, as he's played just one offensive snap over the last two weeks, ceding rotational duties to Jordan Wilkins and Nyheim Hines. Williams is droppable ahead of fantasy championships.

Hines rushed twice for 10 yards and caught both his targets for two yards in Monday's 34-7 loss to the Saints.

This is the game script that should've benefited a back like Hines, as the Colts trailed by a hefty margin early and Jacoby Brissett threw 34 times. However, Marlon Mack commanded the bulk of the team's backfield reps, rushing 11 times for 19 yards. Hines is tough to depend on now that Mack's back, but he still has pass-catching upside with 40 receptions for 296 yards this year.

Ollison tallied a one-yard touchdown run on his only carry during Sunday's 29-22 win over San Francisco.

The rookie out of Pittsburgh capitalized on his lone offensive touch Week 15, plunging across the goal line to cut the 49ers' lead to 19-17 with 5:15 to go in the fourth quarter. Ollison now has three touchdowns since garnering his first NFL carry in Week 11 against Carolina, though his 2.2 yards per carry average has been underwhelming and can't be entirely dismissed as a product of his short-yardage work. Even taking into account his limited offensive workload, Ollison has a reasonable chance of cracking the end zone again in Week 16, taking on a Jaguars defense that's tied for 22nd in red-zone scoring attempts allowed per game (3.4) and 31st in rushing TDs allowed per game (1.4).

Washington carried three times for 20 yards in the Saints' 34-7 win over the Colts on Monday.

Washington recorded his first touches since Week 8, providing some relief work in the blowout victory. As long as Alvin Kamara and Latavius Murray are healthy, Washington is unlikely to carry fantasy value outside of the deepest leagues.