NFL Player News

Gillislee is inactive for Sunday's game against the Dolphins.

As a result, Dion Lewis, Rex Burkhead and James White will head the Patriots' Week 12 backfield, with fellow RB Brandon Bolden also on hand, but in line to work primarily on special teams. Injuries or future game plans may lead to Gillislee's power running skills being needed again, but for now, his lack of utility in the passing game makes him the odd man out among the team's running backs.

McCaffrey took increased snaps as a slot receiver in the Panthers' practices this week and could see more use in that role Sunday against the Jets, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reports.

The Panthers are starved for depth at wideout following Curtis Samuel's season-ending ankle injury, so having McCaffrey -- who has already hauled in 57 passes for 433 yards and three scores in 10 games -- assume some reps in the slot could help fill the void to some degree. It's still expected that McCaffrey will see the majority of his snaps out of the backfield, but head coach Ron Rivera may make a concerted effort to keep both the rookie and Jonathan Stewart on the field together more frequently. After struggling for much of the season, Stewart broke out in the Panthers' most recent game Nov. 13 against the Dolphins, rumbling for 110 yards on 17 carries.

The Cowboys will waive McFadden after the two sides mutually agreed to part ways, Todd Archer of ESPN.com reports.

McFadden has been stuck at fourth on the depth chart at running back all season, and even with starter Ezekiel Elliott (suspension) missing the Cowboys' last three contests, head coach Jason Garrett hasn't elected to keep McFadden active for the past two games. With an opportunity to play meaningful snaps unlikely to come McFadden's way barring an injury to either Alfred Morris or Rod Smith, the Cowboys elected to cut the veteran and allow him to pursue his options elsewhere.

Patterson (hip), who is listed as questionable for Sunday's game against the Broncos, is expected to play in the contest barring any complications in pregame warmups, a source informed Ian Rapoport of NFL Network.

Patterson was added to the Raiders' Week 12 injury report after tweaking his hip during Thursday's practice, which resulted in him sitting out Friday's practice. The Raiders seem to believe that two days off for rest will be all Patterson needs to get over the injury, so look for him to reprise his usual role as the team's kickoff returner while seeing a handful snaps on offense in three- or four-wideout sets.

The Steelers signed Toussaint off their practice squad Saturday, Adam Caplan of SiriusXM Radio reports.

Toussaint has shown pass-catching ability in stints with the Steelers both of the past two seasons, but he was waived in training camp after losing out on a third-string running back gig. Though he'll take the spot of fellow back Terrell Watson on the 53-man roster, Toussaint won't see many opportunities on offense while Le'Veon Bell and James Conner are both healthy. Instead, he'll likely see most of his action as a kick returner and as a member of the Steelers' kick-coverage units.

Watson was waived by the Steelers on Saturday, Adam Caplan of SiriusXM Radio reports.

Watson has just five rushing attempts this season and instead saw most of his snaps on special teams. The Steelers signed Fitzgerald Toussaint to take Watson's place as the No. 3 running back behind Le'Veon Bell and James Conner.

West (calf) has drawn a questionable designation for Monday's tilt against the Texans.

West has missed the Ravens' previous five games while recovering from a calf injury. Although he was able to log three consecutive full practices once again this week, the team still opted to list him as questionable for Week 12. With Alex Collins, Javorius Allen and Danny Woodhead ahead of him on the depth chart he could still wind up inactive Monday.

The 49ers have listed Mostert (shoulder) as questionable for their game against the Seahawks on Sunday, Curtis Crabtree of Sports Radio 950 KJR Seattle reports.

Mostert primarily plays a special teams role for the team, as he has not logged a carry since Week 6. Thus, the offense does not figure to be affected should he be unable to suit up for the contest.

Patterson (hip) is listed as questionable for Sunday's contest against the Broncos.

Patterson's usage has swung wildly on a weekly basis as a Raider. As evidence, he earned 87.7 percent of the offensive snaps in Week 8 when Seth Roberts was sidelined, but just 9.4 of those same snaps when Roberts returned one game later. With his practice reps decreasing from full Wednesday to none Friday, Patterson appears to be a true question mark in advance of Sunday's 4:25 p.m. EDT kickoff.

Zenner rushed once for six yards during Thursday's 30-23 loss to the Vikings.

Zenner was only active due to Dwayne Washington's (hip) absence. Even when he does suit up, Zenner doesn't get many opportunities.