NFL Player News

With James White (ankle), Rex Burkhead (knee) and Mike Gillislee (knee) inactive Sunday, Bolden is in line to work behind Dion Lewis in Sunday's game against the Jets.

Bolden earns his keep as a core special teams player, but he's in line to work in a complementary role behind Lewis on Sunday. It remains to be seen how extensive his workload will be, but Bolden can provide Lewis with breaks when he needs them in Week 17, plus he's a solid enough pass catcher to take on some some change-of-pace duty as well.

Zenner (coach's decision) is inactive for Sunday's Week 17 tilt against the Packers.

Zenner will thus finish off the 2017 campaign last having seen action in Week 14. The short-yardage specialist carried just 14 times overall in what was his third NFL season, while failing to record a single reception for the first time in his career. With the Lions' coaching regime potentially on the move following a disappointing season, Zenner's future remains cloudy for the moment.

Updating a previous report, Mixon (ankle) is expected to play Sunday against the Ravens unless he experiences a setback during pregame warmups, Katherine Terrell of ESPN.com reports.

Mixon wasn't able to advance to full participation in practices this week after tweaking his left ankle in the Bengals' victory over the Lions in Week 16, but it looks like he's trending toward suiting up for the finale. Even so, it's not looking promising that Mixon will handle the lead-back role he's filled for much of the season, given how well Giovani Bernard has performed in the last several weeks and the fact that the rookie likely isn't fully healthy. Those concerns -- along with a matchup against a tough Baltimore defense -- may be enough reason to avoid using Mixon in Week 17 DFS contests.

Hunt (shoulder) is expected to see extended snaps Sunday against the Broncos with lead back Kareem Hunt likely to be rested or see a restricted workload and Charcandrick West (illness) ruled out, Blair Kerkhoff of The Kansas City Star reports.

Since the two Hunts are the only available tailbacks on the roster with West out of the mix, it's likely that Kareem will dress for the contest. However, with the Chiefs locked in as the AFC's No. 4 seed, the team has little to gain by exposing the standout rookie to injury, positioning Akeem to see the bulk of the snaps out of the backfield in Week 17. With four carries for minus-2 yards and three receptions for 27 yards across 14 contests this season, Hunt doesn't offer much of a sample for fantasy players to project from, but the opportunity he has to see heavy volume might be enough to make him an interesting speculative play in DFS or season-long formats.

Toussaint is expected to handle more snaps than usual in Sunday's game against the Browns with the Steelers preparing to rest Le'Veon Bell for the contest, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reports.

Bell could still dress for the Week 17 game given that the team only has three healthy tailbacks on the roster, but the Steelers' reluctance to expose him to injury heading into the postseason will likely leave either Stevan Ridley or Toussaint on hand to absorb all of the touches out of the backfield. After earning nine carries to Toussaint's zero in the 34-6 win over the Texans in Week 16, Ridley looks positioned to see the larger portion of the workload, but Toussaint should see an enhanced opportunity nonetheless. Expect most of the snaps Toussaint receives to come on clear passing downs or when Ridley needs a breather.

Mixon plans to test out his injured ankle during pregame warmups, but the Bengals aren't expected to make him active for Sunday's game against the Ravens, a source informed Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reports.

Mixon was never able to put in anything more than a limited practice this week after tweaking his left ankle in last week's victory over the Lions. Since the rookie isn't 100 percent healthy and the non-playoff-bound Bengals have little on the line in in Week 17, the team seems inclined to shut Mixon down and let him get an early start on the offseason. Mixon's likely absence would clear the way for Giovani Bernard, who surpassed 100 rushing yards for the first time this season against Detroit, to act as the Bengals' unquestioned lead back.

Gordon (ankle) is expected to play Sunday against the Raiders, a league source told Adam Schefter of ESPN.

Gordon is listed as questionable on the Chargers' official injury report. The running back didn't appear to be too hampered while running routes during Friday's practice, so Schefter's report further bolsters Gordon's outlook for Week 17. In any case, fantasy owners will need to check back on his availability when the Chargers release their inactive list approximately 90 minutes before Sunday's 4:25 p.m. EST kickoff.

Patterson (hip) does not carry an injury designation for Sunday's game against the Chargers after practicing fully Friday.

With fellow wideout Amari Cooper (ankle) back in the mix, Patterson's path to targets is muddled heading into Week 17, making him a fantasy dart in the Raiders' season finale.

Williams (ankle) would be healthy enough to play if the 49ers hadn't already made the decision to hold him out for the season, Nick Wagoner of ESPN.com reports.

The 2017 fourth-round pick was at one point viewed as a candidate to push Carlos Hyde for the starting job, but a real competition never materialized, and undrafted rookie Matt Breida appeared to lock down the No. 2 spot on the depth chart in August. Williams then injured his ankle in the preseason finale, with the Niners subsequently opting to place him on injured reserve. He should be in the mix for a role next season, though Hyde hinted at a desire to return to San Francisco with his recent statement about the team contending for a Super Bowl next season, per Curtis Pashelka of the San Jose Mercury News. Optimism aside, Hyde will hit the open market if he doesn't agree to a new contract with the 49ers before the free-agency period opens in March. Williams should be a full participant when the offseason program begins in April.

Dayes is listed as questionable for Sunday's game against the Steelers with a knee injury, Nate Ulrich of the Akron Beacon Journal reports.

Dayes started the week not practicing but was able to string together a pair of limited sessions Thursday and Friday. The 22-year-old has had a limited offensive role this season behind Isaiah Crowell and Duke Johnson, which seems unlikely to change in Sunday's season finale.