NFL Player News

Anderson didn't practice Thursday due to an illness.

Fortunately, Anderson has fallen ill during the lull before the Super Bowl. He's fared quite well since joining the Rams in late December, compiling 488 yards from scrimmage and four touchdowns in four games. In two postseason outings with Todd Gurley back in action, Anderson has superseded the former at times, including picking up 37 snaps on offense to Gurley's 32 in the NFC Championship Game. Whether that's the case in the Super Bowl remains to be seen, but the Rams may keep both consistently involved, especially if Anderson's illness becomes a long-term concern.

Williams played 20 snaps -- all on special teams -- Sunday in the Chiefs' 37-31 overtime loss to the Patriots in the AFC Championship Game.

The undrafted rookie out of LSU had been acting as the top backup to Damien Williams since Week 15 against the Chargers but dropped to third on the depth chart Sunday with Spencer Ware cleared to return from a hamstring injury. Ware will become an unrestricted free agent in March and is no lock to be re-signed, potentially paving the way for Darrel Williams to reclaim a more prominent role behind Damien in 2019. Even if Ware isn't retained, however, there's still a decent likelihood that the Chiefs will address their running-back room via trade, free agency or the draft.

Newsome played in nine games with the Chargers during his rookie campaign, carrying the ball 11 times for 49 yards and also tallying two catches for 19 yards.

The undrafted rookie free agent was primarily a special teams player after re-joining the team in late October, contributing slightly on offense when the likes of Melvin Gordon and Austin Ekeler went down with injuries. It seems likely the Chargers will bring in competition for the No. 3 and 4 spots on their running back depth chart, but Newsome figures to be a part of the competition given his impressive preseason performance in which he carried the ball 42 times for 150 yards and two touchdowns.

The Eagles still haven't provided any details on the nature of the season-ending knee injury Clement suffered in Week 14, Andrew Kulp of NBC Sports Philadelphia reports.

Clement was placed on injured reserve two days after sustaining the injury, with one report suggesting the issue could be serious enough to impact his offseason routine. There haven't been any updates on a diagnosis, but Clement seems to be facing a significant hurdle in his attempt to bounce back from a sophomore slump. The rest of the Philadelphia backfield is equally unsettled, with Darren Sproles presumably contemplating retirement and Jay Ajayi (knee) potentially headed for free agency while rehabbing a torn ACL. The Eagles have Wendell Smallwood and Josh Adams under contract for 2019, but neither player inspires much confidence in a lead role. The team likely will look for an external upgrade even if Sproles and/or Ajayi stick around.

Breida (ankle) is expected to face more competition out of the backfield in 2019 with Jerick McKinnon (knee) returning from injury, Joe Fann of the 49ers' official site reports.

Breida was expected to handle the smaller portion of a timeshare before McKinnon suffered a torn ACL eight days before the start of the regular season. The second-year pro responded with a monstrously efficient campaign, averaging 5.3 yards on 153 carries and 9.7 yards on 27 catches (31 targets) despite playing through an ankle sprain for most of the year. Breida finally landed on injured reserve for Week 17, but there hasn't been any report of offseason surgery being in the works. He'll likely return to health long before McKinnon and have the benefit of two seasons of experience under coach Kyle Shanahan. The San Francisco backfield will require close monitoring throughout the offseason and into training camp, as the team presumably hopes to carve out major roles for both Breida and McKinnon, assuming the latter makes a full recovery.

Mack (hip) topped the 100-yard rushing mark four times in 12 contests in 2018, finishing with 195 carries for 908 yards and nine scores. He also added 17 receptions for 103 yards and another touchdown.

The 2017 fourth-round pick saw his yards-per-carry average improve from 3.8 to 4.7 in his second NFL season, a mark aided by the Colts' much-improved offensive line. Though a hip injury forced Mack out of team's divisional-round loss to the Chiefs late in the fourth quarter, there has been nothing to suggest that the issue will impact his availability for 2019. With quarterback Andrew Luck having proved he's healthy again and the Colts' run blocking having taken a step forward, Mack's fantasy prospects are on the rise. He'll continue to head a solid young backfield that returns change-of-pace option Nyheim Hines and Jordan Wilkins.

Jones (knee) said he will focus on improving his pass-catching skills during the offseason, Mike Spofford of Packers.com reports.

Jones proved capable of handling passing downs in 2018, hauling in 26 of 35 targets for 206 yards and a touchdown while also taking a big step forward as a blocker. He now hopes to become a true three-down weapon, though he also acknowledged that Jamaal Williams has a place in the Green Bay backfield. Jones doesn't sound too worried about his season-ending knee injury, which is believed to be the third MCL sprain of his young career. With his explosiveness as a runner now well established, Jones can focus his offseason work on durability and receiving skills once he recovers from the aforementioned injury. The typical rehab timeline for an MCL sprain would see him return to full health long before the start of Green Bay's offseason program.

Washington rushed for 173 yards on 27 carries across 13 games for the Saints in 2018.

Washington averaged an impressive 5.7 yards per carry but couldn't work his way into a larger role behind Alvin Kamara and Mark Ingram. His most impressive game was in Week 17, when he rushed for 108 yards on 11 carries. He'll look to carve out a larger role for himself with New Orleans in 2019.

McKinnon (knee) caught passes from Jimmy Garoppolo (knee) recently, SiriusXM NFL Radio reports.

Both players are working back from ACL tears, with McKinnon suffering his injury Sept. 1 and Garoppolo suffering his Sept. 23. The 26-year-old running back seems to be on schedule in his recovery, but he still figures to be absent or limited throughout the offseason program and into OTAs/minicamp. Once he returns to full participation in practice, McKinnnon will face stiff competition for playing time from Matt Breida, who averaged 5.3 yards on 153 carries despite battling through an ankle injury for most of the 2018 campaign. For what it's worth, there hasn't been any report of Breida requiring offseason surgery.

Williams carried 10 times for 30 yards and a touchdown during Sunday's 37-31 AFC Championship Game overtime loss to the Patriots. He also caught five of eight targets for 66 yards and two more touchdowns.

Williams managed just 3.0 yards per carry against a respectable New England front, but he was utilized often as a receiver and nearly reached 100 scrimmage yards. He enjoyed a tremendous fourth quarter, scoring on a one-yard reception, a 23-yard grab and a two-yard run to help his team climb all the way back into the game. Williams was outstanding during the postseason, piling up 154 scrimmage yards and four touchdowns in two games. He signed an extension with Kansas City in December and will head into the offseason as the team's top tailback, although it remains to be seen if competition will be brought in via the draft and/or free agency.