NFL Player News

Washington (coach's decision) is listed as inactive Saturday versus the Bears.

Washington will seemingly be a healthy scratch for the final seven games of the current campaign, barring a barrage of injuries to the backfield. As evidence, he didn't play the last two weeks when Ameer Abdullah was sidelined with a neck concern. With the injury behind him, Abdullah will join Theo Riddick and Tion Green as the Lions' active running backs Saturday.

Zenner (coach's decision) is inactive for Saturday's game against the Bears.

With Ameer Abdullah sidelined the last two games, Zenner was rarely used, instead ceding snaps to Tion Green behind starter Theo Riddick. The Lions have deemed Abdullah healthy enough to return Saturday, leaving Zenner on the outside looking in for the time being.

Abdullah is listed as active Saturday against the Bears, Kyle Meinke of MLive.com reports.

Abdullah was a legitimate inactive Week 13 due to a neck issue, but there were rumblings he was healthy enough to suit up last Sunday in Tampa Bay, when he logged a second consecutive DNP. Upon his return Saturday, it'll be interesting to see if he supplants Theo Riddick or even Tion Green in the pecking order. That said, Abdullah won't have to worry about Zach Zenner or Dwayne Washington poaching snaps due to both landing on the inactive list.

The Bengals have downgraded Mixon (concussion) to out for Sunday's game against the Vikings, Geoff Hobson of the Bengals' official site reports.

The Bengals were clearly anticipating this designation, as they promoted fellow rookie running back Jarveon Williams from the practice squad earlier in the day to offer additional depth at the position. Mixon's full practice participation Friday offered some hope that he would be able to return from a one-game absence, but he was unable to receive clearance from an independent neurologist in advance of the Week 15 matchup. With Mixon sidelined again, Giovani Bernard will presumably continue earning the majority of snaps in the Bengals' backfield, making him a solid option in most fantasy settings.

The Cardinals opted to waive Hill on Saturday, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reports.

Hill was promoted to the Cardinals' active roster prior to Week 13, but he has not seen any action in either of their previous two games. With a need for depth at tight end the team opted to let the 24-year-old running back go. He figures to be a likely candidate to rejoin the practice squad, assuming he clears waivers.

Mixon (concussion) practiced fully Friday and is listed as questionable for Sunday's game against the Vikings.

Mixon remains in the NFL's concussion protocol, but his advancement from non-participation in practice to begin the week to a full session Friday implies that he's made some steady progress in his recovery in recent days. The running back will likely be evaluated by an independent neurologist Friday or Saturday, at which point he could gain clearance to play Sunday. If Mixon is given the green light to suit up, the Bengals could opt to ease him back into the backfield mix following a one-game absence, in which case the rookie would likely split work with Giovani Bernard.

Ellington (knee) doesn't carry an injury designation into Sunday's game against the Jaguars after practicing fully Friday.

The same applies to fellow running back Alfred Blue (concussion), so Ellington is in line to have have some company in the Texans' backfield mix behind starter Lamar Miller (knee). In that capacity, neither Ellington nor Blue represent high-percentage fantasy plays against the Jaguars defense that has allowed just six rushing scores through 13 games.

Patterson could take on increased offensive snaps in Sunday's game against the Cowboys with Amari Cooper (ankle) ruled out for the contest, Paul Gutierrez of ESPN.com reports.

When Cooper sat out the Week 13 win over the Giants before returning to last week's loss to the Chiefs and exiting early after aggravating the ankle issue, Patterson was one of a few wideouts called upon to fill Cooper's spot. Though he found less success against Kansas City (three catches for eight yards on six targets), Patterson proved to be a big-play threat against New York, finishing that contest with a season-high 97 yards on four receptions. It's still expected that Cooper's fellow starting receiver, Michael Crabtree, will rank as quarterback Derek Carr's top target in Week 15, but Cooper's absence nonetheless creates more targets to go around for Patterson and tight end Jared Cook, and perhaps Seth Roberts and Johnny Holton to a lesser extent.

With Damien Williams (shoulder) listed as doubtful for Sunday's game against the Bills, Drake should see the bulk of the touches out of the Miami backfield, James Walker of ESPN.com reports.

Even if Williams had made more progress in his recovery this week and gained clearance to play, Drake still likely would have retained the lead-back role due to the outstanding production he's provided the past two games. In those contests, Drake has amassed 234 rushing yards, 100 receiving yards and a touchdown, showcasing both big-play ability and power between the tackles. He'll profile as a strong fantasy option once again Sunday against a Bills defense that has surrendered 354 yards on the ground over the past two weeks.

Williams (shoulder) is doubtful for Sunday's game against the Bills, James Walker of ESPN.com reports.

Williams created some optimism about a potential return this week by returning to practice on a limited basis Thursday. However, he was unable to build on that, as he was a non-participant in Friday's session, according to Armando Salguero of the Miami Herald, making it likely that Williams will miss his third consecutive game due to the dislocated left shoulder. Assuming Williams sits out, Kenyan Drake will once again handle the bulk of the touches out of the Dolphins' backfield. Considering Drake has reeled off 100-plus-yard rushing performances the last two weeks, Williams may have to settle for a limited role in the Dolphins' offense once he's cleared to play again.