NFL Player News

Gordon (knee) is officially inactive for Thursday night's game against the Chiefs.

With Austin Ekeler (neck/concussion) also out, Justin Jackson is in line to head the Chargers' Week 15 backfield, with Detrez Newsome and Troymaine Pope available to work in complementary/reserve duties.

Gordon (knee) will not play Thursday against the Chiefs, Adam Schefter of ESPN reports.

Gordon's status for Week 15 still has not been officially revealed, but this report provides even more proof that he will not return to action Thursday night. With Austin Ekeler (neck/concussion) already ruled out, Justin Jackson is in line to start at running back for the Chargers.

Gordon (knee) appears likely to sit out Thursday night's game against the Chiefs, Omar Ruiz of NFL Network reports.

We'll get confirmation of such an outcome, either way, upon the release of the Chargers' inactives in advance of Thursday's 8:20 ET kickoff. If Gordon is made inactive, Justin Jackson would head the team's Week 15 running attack, given that Austin Ekeler (neck/concussion) is out.

When asked by Omar Ruiz of NFL Network if he was going to play Thursday against the Chiefs, Gordon (knee) "shook his head sideways, indicating a no."

Gordon's status for Thursday's contest will not be official until the Chargers' inactives are released, and there is certainly still a chance he could play, but given that he himself answered the question in regards to his availability, the arrow for him playing is pointing down. Gordon's status will be revealed shortly before 6:00 PM (ET), but the early indication is it will be Justin Jackson starting at running back for the Chargers on Thursday night.

Breida (ankle) remained limited at Thursday's practice, Jennifer Lee Chan of NBC Sports Bay Area reports.

After taking a week off to give his left ankle a rest, Breida has logged back-to-back limited showings. The activity level doesn't exactly shed light on his availability for Sunday's game against the Seahawks, but Cam Inman of The San Jose Mercury News suggests the 49ers will make a decision Friday. If coach Kyle Shanahan and company continue to exercise caution with Breida, the backfield would be headed by Jeff Wilson, who has accumulated 47 touches for 230 yards from scrimmage the last two contests.

Drake (shoulder) was a limited participant in Thursday's practice, Armando Salguero of the Miami Herald reports.

Drake's back-to-back limited practices shouldn't provide cause for concern regarding his status for Sunday's game in Minnesota. The Dolphins have simply been exercising caution in restricting the running back's exposure to unnecessary contact leading up to gamedays the last couple of weeks, which has thus far helped Drake avoid any setbacks with his shoulder. Expect him to split work out of the backfield with Frank Gore this weekend, as per usual.

Elliott (shoulder) practiced in full Thursday, Rob Phillips of the Cowboys' official site reports.

This week, Elliott dealt with the aftereffects of a lowering the helmet penalty call that forced him to the sideline for a spell Week 14 against the Eagles, kicking it off with a limited showing at Wednesday's practice. After elevating to a full participant Thursday, Elliott is ready to follow up a 40-touch, 192-yard-from-scrimmage performance, though Sunday's matchup at Indianapolis brings with it the eighth-ranked run defense (102.9 yards per game).

Conner (ankle) isn't participating in Thursday's practice, Aditi Kinkhabwala of NFL Network reports.

Conner's lack of involvement in the Steelers' first two practices of Week 15 wouldn't seem to offer much optimism for his chances of returning to action Sunday against the Patriots. It's worth noting, however, that offensive coordinator Randy Fichtner told Kinkhabwala that Conner doesn't necessarily need to practice beforehand in order to play. Regardless, unless Conner unexpectedly returns to practice in a full capacity Friday, he appears destined to carry a designation into Sunday's game if he's not ruled out in advance of the weekend. Jaylen Samuels and Stevan Ridley would head the Steelers' backfield for the second straight contest in the event Conner isn't available.

Elliott (shoulder) will participate in Thursday's practice, Jon Machota of The Dallas Morning News reports.

Elliott appeared on the Cowboys' initial Week 15 injury report with a sore shoulder, but his absence from Wednesday's practice was characterized as more of a maintenance day than anything. The running back's presence at practice a day later supports that notion, though it won't be known until after the session concludes whether Elliott was a limited or full participant. Either way, Elliott is in no danger of missing Sunday's game against the Colts and should again be on tap for a sizable workload after logging a season-high 40 touches in the Week 14 win over the Eagles.

According to Adam Schefter of ESPN, "it will be challenging" for Gordon (knee) to suit up Thursday night at Kansas City.

Gordon was initially given a 2-to-4 week timetable for his return from a Grade 2 MCL sprain, and the Thursday night matchup lies 18 days from that original diagnosis. Schefter notes that a final determination will be made on Gordon during pregame warmups, but his tone did not appear to be overly optimistic. In any case, anyone considering rostering Gordon this week will need to pay careful attention to the inactives announcement that will occur approximately 90 minutes prior to the 8:20 p.m. EST kickoff. Should Gordon be forced to miss his third game in a row, Justin Jackson would earn immediate consideration as the projected lead back, given that Austin Ekeler (neck/concussion) has already been ruled out. Whether it's Gordon or Jackson, the Chargers will be facing a defense that is surrendering the third-most fantasy points per game to opposing running backs in standard formats.