NFL Player News

Walton is inactive due to coach's decision for Sunday's game against Indianapolis, Geoff Hobson of the Bengals' official site reports.

Walton appeared set to play after coming off the injury report last week. With the relative health of the Bengals ahead of Week 1, Walton is one of a few healthy scratches and will need to wait another week to make his regular season debut.

Wilkins will start at running back Sunday against the Bengals with Marlon Mack (hamstring) inactive, George Bremer of The Anderson Herald Bulletin reports.

With Mack's hamstring still presenting issues for him as he warmed up, the Colts elected to rule him out for the opener, paving the way for Wilkins to fill a vital role right away in his NFL regular-season debut. Wilkins, a fifth-round pick out of Mississippi, didn't provide much noteworthy production in the preseason, but his draft status along with the underwhelming performances of Nyheim Hines and Christine Michael were likely enough to position the rookie for the start. It's still likely that head coach Frank Reich to take a committee approach to the backfield to some extent, so Wilkins won't be guaranteed an overwhelming share of the touches.

Jones (coach's decision) is inactive for Sunday's season-opening tilt against the Saints, Scott Smith of the team's official site reports.

It's the latest taste of adversity for the 2018 second-round pick, who struggled to find any running room throughout the preseason and saw Peyton Barber unequivocally take the reins of the No. 1 running back job in the process. However, Sunday's inactive status also signifies that veteran Jacquizz Rodgers is the preferred game day option to start the season, adding further disappointment to the early portion of Jones' NFL career.

Boone is a healthy inactive for Sunday's game against the 49ers, Dianna Russini of ESPN reports.

The undrafted rookie secured his spot on the team in camp, but the Vikings will stick to the duo of Dalvin Cook and Latavius Murray in Week 1. He had a solid preseason showing, profiling well on the ground and through the air.

Mack (hamstring) is inactive for Sunday's game against the Bengals,

With Mack out due to the injury, rookie Jordan Wilkins will be first in line to pick up the slack in the backfield. However, Christine Michael and Nyheim Hines could also figure into the mix as the division of touches isn't clear.

Conner is in line to start at running back for the Steelers on Sunday in place of Le'Veon Bell, ESPN's Adam Schefter reports.

Jaylen Samuels and Stevan Ridley are also on hand and could factor in on Sunday, but for however long Bell is away from the team, Conner is on track to head the Pittsburgh backfield. With Sunday's weather in Cleveland likely to include rain and some wind, the stage could be set for Conner to be busy in his anticipated starting assignment.

Vikings head coach Mike Zimmer said that Cook won't be held to a "pitch count" in terms of total snaps in the season opener Sunday against the 49ers, but the running back will be watched closely by the team throughout the contest, Dianna Russini of ESPN reports.

Cook is 100 percent healthy after an ACL tear limited him to four games during his rookie season, which was shaping up as an electric one after he racked up 444 total yards and two touchdowns in those contests. The Vikings believe the running back has recaptured the same burst and foot quickness he displayed during his inaugural season, but the team will nonetheless be careful not to overuse Cook if he's struggling to handle a heavy workload. In addition to serving as Minnesota's lead runner, Cook is in line for top pass-catching duties out of the backfield, but backup Latavius Murray is also expected to have a role in Week 1.

Mack (hamstring), who is listed as questionable for Sunday's game against the Bengals, will go through a pregame workout before a call on his status is made for the season opener, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reports.

Even if Mack's strained left hamstring doesn't prove too problematic in his workout, it appears he'll need to demonstrate significant improvement compared to earlier in the week, when he was a limited or non-participant in the Colts' three practices. If Mack is held out Sunday or faces a limited workload due to the injury, rookie Jordan Wilkins would be first in line to pick up the slack in the backfield.

Conner's teammate Le'veon Bell (contract dispute) did not travel with the Steelers and is expected to miss Sunday's game in Cleveland, Adam Schefter of ESPN reports.

The opportunity for Conner in the opener is now clear. While Jaylen Samuels and Stevan Ridley might be sprinkled in for some plays, this is Conner's big chance and he should be on the field for much of the game while perhaps seeing close to the level of volume his unhappy teammate normally receives.

Williams is being promoted from the Saints' practice squad to active roster Saturday, Joel A. Erickson of The New Orleans Advocate reports.

Despite the decision to waive Williams just last Saturday, New Orleans appears to have found a role for the 24-year-old on its 53-man roster. It seems plausible that Williams will factor into the backfield rotation while Mark Ingram serves his four-game suspension, but he'll be a long shot for fantasy value behind Alvin Kamara and Mike Gillislee.