NFL Player News

Cook (shoulder) is optimistic he'll play this weekend after sitting out the last two games. "I've been putting the time in and I feel good" he said Tuesday, Kevin Patra of NFL.com reports.

The 24-year-old went through warmup drills prior to a Week 17 loss to the Bears, so it's not a major surprise he's still upbeat a couple days later. The Vikings will release their first injury report of the week Wednesday, which should clarify Cook's status, but for now the star running back appears on track to retake the field Sunday at New Orleans.

Thompson collected 17 yards on four carries and reeled in his only target for a loss of four yards in the regular-season finale Sunday versus the Chargers.

Thompson's 12 offensive snaps Sunday represent an increase compared to the six he logged against Chicago, but it doesn't exactly position him as a fantasy threat during the postseason. The rookie finished the 2019 regular season with 37 carries for 128 yards and a touchdown, and recorded just nine grabs for 43 yards over the 12 games in which he appeared. With Damien Williams under contract again in 2020, Thompson's immediate fantasy future doesn't appear bright.

Abdullah ran for 22 yards on six carries and added 14 yards on three catches during Sunday's 21-19 loss to Chicago.

Abdullah took on the RB2 role, again, with both Dalvin Cook (shoulder) and Alexander Mattison (ankle) resting in what was a meaningless game for the Vikings. Not that 36 yards is too much to get excited about, but it'd be foolish to expect even that Sunday against the Saints. Abdullah has had 24 touches in the past three games with the top of the depth chart dinged up, but only 14 touches prior to that this season. Assuming Cook and/or Mattison are ready to play, Abdullah's role should be very limited.

Sanders underwent an MRI this week that revealed a low-grade ankle sprain, leaving coach Doug Pederson optimistic that the rookie is "going to be OK" for Sunday's wild-card matchup with the Seahawks, Tom Pelissero of NFL Network reports.

According to Pelissero, the inflammation in Sanders' ankle is a greater worry at this stage than the sprain itself, so the running back should be ready to go by the weekend if the swelling subsides as the Eagles anticipate. While Sanders should retain a leading role in the Philadelphia backfield if active Sunday, Pederson suggested that Jordan Howard could be included in the game plan after returning from a six-game absence due to a shoulder stinger in Sunday's win over the Giants, but not seeing any action. Boston Scott, who scored three touchdowns in the division-clinching Week 17 victory, also remains on hand.

Thomas worked out with the Seahawks on Monday, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reports.

The Seahawks continue to explore options at running back with a handful of their own backs landing on injured reserve last week. Thomas last played for the Vikings in 2018, where he recorded 30 rushing yards on eight attempts across five games.

Ozigbo had nine carries for 27 yards and caught three of five targets for 23 yards in Sunday's win over the Colts.

The 23-year-old worked as the Jaguars' No. 2 running back behind Ryquell Armstead with Leonard Fournette (neck/illness) sidelined, but he only ended up receiving three fewer touches than Armstead. Ozigbo appeared in 10 games in 2019 but didn't touch the ball prior to Sunday. Fournette and Armstead should enter 2020 in the starting and backup roles, respectively, likely leaving Ozigbo with zero fantasy relevance without injury or a change of scenery.

Reynolds signed a reserve/future contract with Atlanta on Monday, Will McFadden of the team's official site reports.

Reynolds suited up in three games for the Redskins this season before he was signed to the practice squad by the Falcons. He'll add depth to an already deep running back depth chart.

Williams (shoulder) relayed that he would've played in this past Sunday's 23-20 win over the Lions if it were a playoff game, Matt Schneidman of The Athletic reports.

Williams will take the extra week of rest after the Packers secured the No. 2 seed, and there's little doubt that he'll be ready for whichever team is coming to town Jan. 12. The third-year back continues to work as the No. 2 behind Aaron Jones, and Williams averaged 10.4 touches per game during the regular season. While he's slated to be ready, Williams' status will be confirmed when the Packers release their practice reports leading up to the divisional-round game.

Hills (coach's decision) was not active for Sunday's 23-20 loss to Green Bay.

Hills wasn't needed with Kerryon Johnson and Bo Scarbrough healthy and he thus took a seat for the third consecutive game. However, it's still been a relatively successful year considering his spot start in Week 15 was Hills' first career appearance in a regular-season game since going undrafted in 2017. In that outing, Hills rushed 10 times for 21 yards and two touchdowns while catching one of two passes for a single yard. The Slippery Rock product will now be an exclusive-rights free agent at the end of the league year.

Breida had four carries for 16 yards in Sunday's 26-21 win over the Seahawks.

Breida got reintegrated into the offensive game plan after essentially being a healthy scratch last week. Raheem Mostert has been on a tear of late, and coach Kyle Shanahan has been known to roll with the hot hand at running back during his tenure with San Francisco. Injuries slowed Breida down in the second half of the season, but the speedy back still managed to average over five yards per carry for the second consecutive season, finishing with 623 rushing yards and a touchdown while adding another 120 yards and a score as a receiver. The 24-year-old will be a restricted free agent this upcoming offseason, but the 49ers figure to attempt to keep Breida around due to the team's familiarity with the back and its need for depth in Shanahan's power-run scheme.