NFL Player News

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.

Williams (ribs) isn't practicing Wednesday, Herbie Teope of The Kansas City Star reports.

Williams still has a shot to play Sunday against the Patriots, but his absence from practice to begin the week isn't a positive early sign for his status. With Darrel Williams (hamstring) also not practicing, the Chiefs' healthy backfield currently consists of LeSean McCoy, Darwin Thompson and Spencer Ware. Damien hasn't practiced in any fashion since injuring the left side of his ribs in the Week 11 win over the Chargers.

Williams (hamstring) isn't practicing Wednesday, Herbie Teope of The Kansas City Star reports.

Williams is trending in the wrong direction for Sunday's tilt against the Patriots. He would likely need to resume practicing in some capacity Thursday or Friday to have a legitimate chance of playing Week 14, and his expected absence likely factored into the Chiefs' decision to sign Spencer Ware for extra backfield depth Tuesday. With Damien Williams (ribs) also not practicing to begin the week, the Chiefs could enter the matchup with New England with only LeSean McCoy, Darwin Thompson and Ware on hand at running back.

Coach Frank Reich said that Mack (hand) will practice Wednesday and has "a chance" to return Week 14 against the Buccaneers, George Bremer of The Anderson Herald Bulletin reports.

Mack sat out the Colts' last two games while recovering from a broken right hand, but he looks like he'll be at least a limited participant in Wednesday's session, setting him up for a potential return to action over the weekend. The third-year pro will have two more chances to increase his level of activity in practice before the Colts render an official verdict on his status for the game in Tampa Bay. Jonathan Williams filled the lead role out of the backfield Week 12 versus the Texans, but those duties primarily fell to Jordan Wilkins (11 carries for 47 yards, two catches for nine yards) in the Week 13 loss to the Titans.

Williams (hamstring) isn't expected to play in Sunday's game against the Patriots, Herbie Teope of The Kansas City Star reports. "Darrel's injury, he had a hamstring and that didn't look very good," coach Andy Reid said Monday. "So, there's probably a pretty good chance he doesn't play."

Williams suffered a non-contact injury during the third quarter of Sunday's 40-9 win over Oakland, finishing with six carries for 13 yards and one catch for a three-yard touchdown. LeSean McCoy also scored shortly after Williams left the game, and Darwin Thompson then took over in garbage time with an 11-44-1 rushing line that all came on one drive in the fourth quarter. With Damien Williams (ribs) also hurting, the Chiefs signed Spencer Ware on Tuesday to add some depth behind McCoy and Thompson. It isn't clear if Damien will be available this week.

Williams (ribs) has a shot to play in Sunday's game against the Patriots, Adam Teicher of ESPN.com reports.

Williams may have a chance to suit up, but the Chiefs' recent signing of Spencer Ware suggests that's far from a sure thing. The team now has five running backs on the 53-man roster, with Darrel Williams nursing a hamstring injury while Ware joins LeSean McCoy and Darwin Thompson among the healthy group. Damien Williams injured his ribs in Week 11 and was inactive for the Week 13 win over Oakland, unable to take advantage of the extra time to recover during a Week 12 bye. Prior to the injury, Damien had re-emerged as the leader of the backfield, playing 73 percent of snaps in back-to-back games Weeks 9 and 10. The initial injury report for Week 14 will be released later Wednesday.