NFL Player News

Benson (ankle) didn't practice Thursday, Josh Weinfuss of ESPN.com reports.

Benson injured his ankle during Sunday's win over the Patriots and never returned. He's now missed consecutive practices and likely would need to participate Friday to have a shot at playing Sunday at Carolina. With Benson in danger of missing the game and Emari Demercado (back) on injured reserve, the Cardinals may give James Conner an even larger workload than usual.

Pollard (ankle) didn't practice Thursday, Turron Davenport of ESPN.com reports.

Pollard hasn't practiced much in recent weeks while managing foot and/or ankle injuries, but he's played in every game this season and finished with no fewer than 29 snaps or nine touches in any contest. There's some extra concern this week, however, as he aggravated his ankle during Sunday's 37-27 loss to the Bengals and may thus be dealing with more discomfort relative to previous weeks. He returned to the game in short order but then took a back seat to Tyjae Spears in the fourth quarter when the Titans were chasing a multi-score deficit. In any case, a return to practice Friday presumably would put Pollard on track to play Sunday against Indianapolis.

Irving (back/hip) practiced in a limited fashion Thursday.

Irving maintained his activity level from Wednesday's session, giving him one more opportunity to get back to full participation before the Buccaneers potentially tag him with a designation for Sunday's contest at Dallas. In his last five outings in which he's earned at least a 40 percent snap share, he's averaged 19.0 touches for 124.2 yards from scrimmage per game while scoring three rushing TDs.

Mixon (ankle) doesn't have an injury designation for Saturday's game at Kansas City.

The Texans listed Mixon as a limited practice participant Tuesday through Thursday, following his brief exit from a 20-12 win over Miami on Sunday. He returned to the game and finished with 17 touches for 56 yards, playing 64 percent of snaps on offense after four straight games at 75 percent or higher. Mixon will face a tough defense Saturday and comes with slightly more workload/injury risk than usual, but he nonetheless profiles as a strong fantasy starter, averaging 107.9 total yards and 1.1 TDs in 11 games this year.

Tracy (ankle) practiced in a limited capacity Thursday, Dan Salomone of the Giants' official site reports.

Tracy has kicked off Week 16 prep with back-to-back capped sessions due to an ankle issue, giving him only more chance to log a full practice in advance of the weekend. Friday's injury report will reveal whether or not he's given a designation for Sunday's game at Atlanta. Since the Giants' Week 11 bye, Tracy has averaged 14.0 touches for 63.3 yards from scrimmage per game while scoring two rushing TDs over the last four contests.

Interim coach Darren Rizzi said Thursday that Kamara (thigh) isn't likely to play Monday at Green Bay, Nick Underhill of NewOrleans.Football reports.

Kamara exited this past Sunday's loss to the Commanders in the second half due to a groin issue and wasn't able to return. On Monday, Rizzi told Ross Jackson of WWL Louisiana that Kamara was dealing with an adductor injury. Rizzi's most recent comments indicate Kamara is poised to miss his first game of the season Monday, which would put Kendre Miller in a prime position out of the Saints backfield in Week 16. Jamaal Williams and Jordan Mims are the other running backs on the active roster, while Clyde Edwards-Helaire and Xazavian Valladay are candidates to be elevated from the practice squad.

Johnson (concussion) was a full participant at Thursday's walkthrough.

Johnson has kicked off Week 16 with back-to-back full sessions, though the Bears have yet to announce that he's fully cleared the NFL's concussion protocol. The final step Johnson will have to progress through involves consultation with an independent neurologist. Johnson seems to be trending in the right direction for Sunday's divisional contest against the Lions, but he'll require full clearance in order to retake the field.

The 49ers are not expected to have Guerendo (hamstring) available for Sunday's game against the Dolphins, Adam Schefter of ESPN reports.

Guerendo missed Wednesday's practice session due to a new hamstring injury, and Schefter's reporting makes it seem as though he'll be officially listed as a non-participant again Thursday. The rookie fourth-round pick managed to play through a foot sprain during last Thursday's 12-6 loss to the Rams, in which he rushed 16 times for 57 yards and brought in all four targets for 18 yards, handling all of San Francisco's running back touches. Head coach Kyle Shanahan hasn't yet commented on Guerendo's status for Week 16, but if he's indeed sidelined on the road against Miami, Patrick Taylor, Israel Abanikanda and practice-squad player Ke'Shawn Vaughn will be next up for backfield reps.

Ford is expected to serve as the Browns' lead running back for the final three games of the season after Nick Chubb was placed on injured reserve Wednesday, Patrick Warren of the team's official site reports.

Ford stepped in for Chubb during last week's loss to the Chiefs and contributed his best effort of the season with 84 yards on seven carries, including a 62-yard touchdown scamper. Cleveland not only will have a new lead back Sunday against the Bengals, but the offense will also feature a new starting quarterback, Dorian Thompson-Robinson. Given the relative inexperience of Thompson-Robinson, the offensive game plan may initially lean on Ford and the ground game. Ford should also see some use on passing downs, though Pierre Strong is capable of spelling him in those situations.

Charbonnet didn't practice Wednesday due to an oblique injury, Michael-Shawn Dugar of The Athletic reports.

Charbonnet joined fellow running back Kenneth Walker (calf) as a non-participant to begin Week 16 prep, placing a cloud over the Seahawks backfield ahead of Sunday's game against the Vikings. Kenny McIntosh is the only healthy player at the position on Seattle's active roster, and how Charbonnet and Walker fare in practices Thursday and Friday likely will determine who may be the team's primary rusher this weekend.