NFL Player News

Two tackles - one on offense and the other on defense - have been listed as questionable by the Titans for their Week 16 clash against Jacksonville. They are David Stewart (shoulder) and Mike Martin (ankle).

The Tennessee probables are headlined by running back Chris Johnson (knee). Also among them are defensive tackle Jurrell Casey (shoulder), center Brian Schwenke (ankle) and defensive back Alterraun Verner (groin).

The Dolphins have placed eight players on their Friday injury report, but only running back Daniel Thomas (ankle) has been deemed more serious than probable for the Sunday game against Miami. He is questionable. All the probables play defense.

They are secondary mates Reshad Jones (groin), Chris Clemons (knee/hamstring), Jamar Taylor (hamstring), Nolan Carroll (knee) and Brent Grimes (groin) and defensive linemen Paul Soliai (ankle) and Olivier Vernon (ankle).

Vikings running back Matt Asiata is questionable Week 16 against the Bengals.

Asiata is coming off a strong Week 15 performance in which he scored three rushing touchdowns. He tweaked his ankle during the game, and was unable to practice Wednesday and Thursday. Asiata put in a limited practice Friday.

The Colts received several encouraging signs Friday at practice, specifically the participation of running back Donald Brown (neck), cornerback Greg Toler (groin) and wide receiver T.Y. Hilton (shoulder). All had been considered iffy for Sunday at Kansas City.

Their status for that game will be clearer when the team releases its injury list later in the day.

Patriots running back Shane Vereen will be seeking a bounce back performance heading into Sunday's road game against the Ravens in Week 16.

Just a week after tallying 12 receptions, Vereen saw his role shrink against the Dolphins in Week 15. He had two carries for 13 yards and three catches for eight yards in a 24-20 defeat in Miami. Baltimore limited Vereen to only 16 yards on four carries and two receptions for 22 yards in the playoffs last season.

With that said, Baltimore's defense looks completely different compared to last year, as they have allowed only 102.4 yards per game on the ground this season. The Ravens have allowed at least four receptions to running backs in five of the last seven games played. Opposing running backs have scored 13.14 Fantasy points per game this season.

Vereen's numbers should only go up from here after a mediocre game against Miami last week. Consider him a decent starting option, especially in PPR formats heading into Week 16.

The last time the Dolphins faced the Bills, in a Week 7 loss, the team was still trying to figure out exactly how they wanted to split the workload in the backfield. That week, it was Daniel Thomas getting the bigger share of the workload, finishing with 60 yards on 12 carries. Should Fantasy owners expect him to see a similar share in Week 16?

Thomas has played a solid role recently, scoring three times in the last four games. Unfortunately, he has also topped 10 carries just once in that span, as the team has proven more willing to get Lamar Miller involved in the offense.

Though both players have dealt with injuries recently, Thomas rushed the ball just five times in Week 15, with both active. Thomas seems entrenched as the change-of-pace back in Miami's offense, limiting his Fantasy utility to weeks when he finds the end zone. The Bills have allowed six touchdowns to running backs over the last five games, but Thomas' limited role makes him a risky play for Week 16. 

Titans top back Chris Johnson was back at practice Thursday on a limited basis after being sidelined Wednesday with a knee injury.

His status for Sunday against Jacksonville has yet to be determined. Johnson has been durable throughout his career, having missed just five games in seven years. He has started every game in 2013.

Raiders embattled running back Darren McFadden said Thursday he would like to return to the team next season, but offensive coordinator Greg Olson said that might require two productive games to end 2013, per the San Francisco Chronicle.

It might come as a surprise to some that McFadden is seeking to come back. He has fallen behind Rashad Jennings and perhaps Marcel Reece as the featured back and he is eligible for free agency.

McFadden returned to practice this week after missing more than a month with an ankle injury.

Cardinals running back Andre Ellington, who bruised his thigh in the win at Tennessee, practiced on a limited basis Wednesday. He's on track to play Sunday at Seattle.

Though he has scored a touchdown in back-to-back games and has shown a knack for making big plays, Vikings wide receiver Cordarrelle Patterson could be in for a tough time Week 16 at Cincinnati. The Bengals rank seventh against the pass, allowing 219.6 yards per game, and have given up the 11th-fewest Fantasy points to wide receivers.

Patterson has proven to be risky regardless of the matchup. Though he scored a touchdown in an extremely favorable one last week against the Eagles, he had only 35 yards on five catches. Only twice this season has he exceeded 50 receiving yards in a game. It just so happens the best of those games came Week 14 at Baltimore, when he caught five passes for 141 yards.

With a more favorable matchup, maybe you roll the dice on Patterson with the Vikings' passing game performing so well in recent weeks, but with this one, it's too risky outside of points-per-reception leagues. It's not like he's the go-to guy Greg Jennings is.

Of the three CBSSports.com Fantasy Football analysts, Dave Richard is willing to rank Patterson 23rd among wide receivers for this week, but I'm inclined to agree with Jamey Eisenberg and Nathan Zegura, who rank him 31st and 35th, respectively.