NFL Player News

Freeman was limited in Wednesday's practice due to a rib injury, Nicki Jhabvala of The Athletic reports.

Freeman may have picked up the injury in the Broncos' Week 13 win over the Chargers, but there's little reason to worry yet that he'll miss Sunday's game against the Texans. The second-year back has been held under 30 scrimmage yards in four straight games and hasn't scored a touchdown since Week 8.

Henry (hamstring) didn't practice Wednesday.

At this point, it's unclear if the Titans are simply managing Henry's practice reps or if the hamstring issue that limited him in two practices last week is something that might impact his status for Sunday's game in Oakland. A return to practice Thursday -- in any capacity -- would no doubt ease the concerns of fantasy managers who have been relying on Tennessee's top back, who has been on a tear of late.

Cook was limited in Wednesday's practice due to a chest injury.

Cook was forced out of Monday's loss to the Seahawks in the third quarter due to what was initially believed to be a right shoulder injury, but follow-up reports have clarified that he's dealing with a chest issue. The star running back said prior to practice Wednesday that he's confident he'll be ready to play Sunday against the Lions, with his ability to play through the injury likely coming down to a matter of pain tolerance. The early optimism surrounding Cook's situation is encouraging, but if he were ultimately limited or forced to miss any time, rookie third-round pick Alexander Mattison would be in store for an expanded role in the Vikings' backfield.

Breida (ankle) practiced in full Wednesday, Jennifer Lee Chan of NBC Sports Bay Area reports.

With no cap on his practices for the first time since he picked up a low-ankle sprain Week 10, Breida will end a three-game absence Sunday in New Orleans. He'll rejoin a backfield that flipped on its head in the Week 13 loss at Baltimore, when Raheem Mostert received most of the running-back reps over Tevin Coleman. In that contest, Mostert handled 74 percent of the offensive snaps on his way to 21 touches for 154 yards from scrimmage and a score. As for Coleman, he got an 18-percent share, ending his day with six touches and 15 yards from scrimmage.

Conner (shoulder) was limited at practice Wednesday.

Conner, who last suited up Week 11, is making progress, but his status for Sunday's game against the Cardinals remains uncertain. If he's limited or out this weekend, added snaps would be available for Benny Snell, who headed the team's backfield the last two games. Extra work would also be available for Jaylen Samuels and Kerrith Whyte, to lesser degrees.

Mack (hand) was a limited participant in practice Wednesday, Andrew Walker of the Colts' official site reports.

Mack, who's bouncing back from a fractured right hand that he suffered Week 11, has a chance to play Sunday against the Buccaneers, per coach Frank Reich. In Mack's absence, Jordan Wilkins and Jonathan Williams have see added opportunities in the run game, while Nyheim Hines has remained the team's top pass-catching threat out of the backfield. Once he's up to speed, Mack should immediately reclaim his status as the Colts' top back and render the three others less useful for fantasy purposes.

Coach Bruce Arians said Wednesday that Jones is still the Buccaneers' starting running back, Eduardo A. Encina of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

Arians' vote of confidence comes after Jones was benched during the third quarter of the Week 13 win over the Jaguars after the running back failed to pick up a blitz. Though Jones retains the top spot on the depth chart, the task of predicting whether he or Peyton Barber will receive the bulk of carries in a given week has proven confounding for fantasy managers all season. The 2018 second-round pick could realistically garner a more sizable workload Sunday versus the Colts, but his ability to lose significant carries due to a single mistake makes him difficult to completely trust for fantasy purposes.

Pollard (ankle) is listed as questionable for Thursday's game in Chicago, Calvin Watkins of The Dallas Morning News reports.

Pollard didn't make an appearance on the Cowboys' Week 14 injury report until Tuesday, capping it with back-to-back absences from practice. After Ezekiel Elliott, fullback Jamize Olawale is the only other backfield option on the Cowboys' 53-man roster, so the team would show its hand with Pollard if it makes an addition to the backfield before Thursday's kickoff.

Gaskin is expected to see increased involvement out of the Miami backfield after Kalen Ballage (Achilles) was placed on injured reserve Tuesday, Cameron Wolfe of ESPN.com reports.

Gaskin stands to duke it out with Patrick Laird and Zach Zenner for backfield work to close out the season, while De'Lance Turner looms as more of a special-teams contributor. Laird has shown well as a pass catcher in recent weeks, and he outpaced Gaskin in the Week 13 win over the Eagles, playing 43 offensive snaps (60 percent) to the latter's 16 (20 percent). Still, Gaskin could still see enough opportunities to push for a larger role if he impresses. In four games this season, the rookie seventh-round pick has rushed seven times for 30 yards and has caught three of four targets for 13 yards.

Breida (ankle) was present at Wednesday's practice, Matt Barrows of The Athletic reports.

It'll be interesting to see if Breida increases his practice reps this week after being listed as a limited participant on every Week 13 injury report in advance of a third straight absence this past Sunday in Baltimore. Assuming he makes the requisite progress through his low-ankle sprain and gets the all-clear from the 49ers' training staff, he'll join a somewhat unsettled backfield Sunday at New Orleans. In the aforementioned showdown with the Ravens, Raheem Mostert received 74 percent of the offensive snaps en route to 21 touches for 154 yards from scrimmage and one touchdown. Meanwhile, Tevin Coleman had a meager 18-percent snap share, finishing with six touches and 15 yards from scrimmage.