NFL Player News

Monangai (hamstring) was a limited participant at Thursday's practice.

Monangai has been a limited participant in Chicago's first two practices heading into Sunday's battle with the NFC North rival Vikings. The second-year pro no longer seems bothered by the knee injury that forced him to miss time during the preseason, and Monangai is coming off a strong season opener in which he produced a 61-yard touchdown run. D'Andre Swift (ankle/knee) also was listed as limited Thursday, so the health of Chicago's top two running backs will bear monitoring on Friday's injury report.

Swift (ankle/knee) was limited in Thursday's practice.

Swift has been limited the last two days due to a pair of lower-body injuries to his knee and ankle. Both he and Kyle Monangai (hamstring) are on the injury report, which puts the Bears' backfield outlook in question as Sunday approaches. Friday's injury report will give firmer confirmation on Swift's status going into the Week 2 divisional matchup with the Vikings.

Henderson (ankle) said Thursday that he's ready to go for Sunday's game against the Steelers, Evan Lazar of the Patriots' official site reports.

Henderson sat out the Patriots' Week 1 loss to the Seahawks but has been practicing without limitations ahead of Sunday's matchup with the Steelers. Rhamondre Stevenson handled 23 touches in Henderson's absence last week, but they figure to shift into a near-even split, leaving few, if any, touches for third-stringer Corey Kiner.

Claiborne was a healthy scratch for the Vikings' Week 1 win over the Packers, but he's in line for a larger role for at least the next four games after Jordan Mason (thumb) was placed on injured reserve, Alec Lewis of The Athletic reports.

Mason, Aaron Jones and DeeJay Dallas were Minnesota's three active running backs for Sunday's 39-22 win over Green Bay, with Claiborne observing the game in street clothes. Mason's injury means Jones is the clear RB1 on the roster while the former is sidelined, but Claiborne will be in the mix for backup duties, with Dallas -- who was signed to the Vikings' active roster from the practice squad Wednesday -- being the rookie sixth-rounder's main competition. The Vikings hit the road for a Week 2 NFC North tilt this Sunday against the Bears, whose defense gave up 478 total yards -- including 125 rushing yards -- to the Panthers in a 59-37 Week 1 win for Chicago.

Sanders will have the opportunity to work in an expanded role in the Browns' offense after Dylan Sampson (knee) was placed on injured reserve Tuesday, Scott Petrak of BrownsZone reports.

Sampson injured his knee on a kickoff return during Sunday's 34-10 loss to the Jaguars, and he'll be required to miss at least the next four games while on IR. Sanders finished that game with three catches on as many targets for 25 yards along with a one-yard carry, but moving forward, he should see more offensive snaps as the Browns' RB2 behind Quinshon Judkins, with Jaleel McLaughlin slotting in as the No. 3 backfield option. The Browns will stay on the road for a Week 2 tilt against the Buccaneers, whose defense gave up 106 rushing yards and one touchdown on 27 carries (3.9 YPC) in a 33-27 loss to the Bengals in Week 1.

Johnson (hamstring) is listed as questionable for Thursday's game against the Lions.

Johnson sat out the Week 1 victory over the Texans. He returned to a limited practice Tuesday, but he's not quite in the clear yet, and his status will probably come down to the wire for the primetime game Thursday. No Buffalo running back has much value outside of insurance behind bell-cow back James Cook, and now Frank Gore has had a chance to enter the mix as yet another option in the Buffalo backfield.

Tucker (hamstring) was a full participant in Wednesday's practice.

Tucker was inactive for Bucs' Week 1 loss to the Bengals last Sunday, allowing Bucky Irving to handle clear RB1 duties ahead of Kenny Gainwell. Irving contributed a touchdown, which should help give him a leg up on Tucker in the scoring area after Tucker siphoned some of those looks last season.

Nwangwu (back) did not participate in Wednesday's practice.

The 2021 fourth-rounder is considered week-to-week due to a back injury, so his absence from Wednesday's practice isn't a surprise. Nwangwu will have two more opportunities to practice in at least a limited capacity, which would give him a chance to return for Sunday's home game against the Packers.

Allen (hip) was limited in Wednesday's practice.

Allen played one offensive snap in the Jaguars' 34-10 win over the Browns last Sunday, suggesting he doesn't have much of a role on offense behind Bhayshul Tuten and Chris Rodriguez. Allen can be ignored in redraft fantasy leagues.

The Vikings signed Dallas from the practice squad to the active roster Wednesday.

With Jordan Mason (thumb) landing on injured reserve, Dallas will presumably jump into a prominent role behind Aaron Jones. The 2020 No. 144 overall pick has appeared in contests for the Seahawks, Cardinals, Panthers, Jaguars and Vikings during his career. In 84 regular-season games, Dallas accumulated 538 yards and four touchdowns off 124 carries, adding 64 catches for 407 yards and two touchdowns.