NFL Player News

Swift (illness) practiced fully Thursday.

Swift didn't show up on the Eagles' Week 18 injury report until Friday as limited due to an illness and entered last weekend as questionable. He proceeded to be inactive this past Sunday at the Giants, allowing the trio of Kenneth Gainwell, Boston Scott and Rashaad Penny to man the team's backfield in that contest. With three more days to recover from his ailment, Swift was able to handle every rep to begin the week and thus is in line to resume his standing as Philadelphia's lead runner in Monday's wild-card game in Tampa Bay.

Harris (knee) returned to a full practice Thursday, Teresa Varley of the Steelers' official site reports.

Harris, who has been managing a knee issue of late, didn't practice Wednesday, but the running back's return to an uncapped session a day later indicates that his initial absence was maintenance related and paves the way for him to lead the Steelers backfield Sunday on the road against Buffalo in potentially inclement conditions. In that context, Harris could be busy in his team's playoff opener on the heels of carrying 26 times for 112 yards and a touchdown while adding five catches on as many targets for 21 yards in Pittsburgh's Week 18 win over the Ravens.

Dillon (neck/thumb) took part in the Packers' team stretch before joining the rehab group during Thursday's practice, Wes Hodkiewicz of the Packers' official site reports.

Dillon appears as if he'll go down as a non-participant for a second day in a row as the team prepares for Sunday's wild-card game at Dallas. A neck stinger is to blame and also something that sidelined the running back for this past Sunday's win against the Bears. Ultimately, Thursday's injury report will reveal what, if anything, Dillon was able to handle.

Strong (back) is listed as questionable for Cleveland's wild-card matchup against Houston on Saturday, Mary Kay Cabot of Celveland.com reports.

Strong suffered a back injury during the team's season finale, which has cast doubt on his availability for Saturday's playoff game. If the 2022 fourth-round pick ends up being unable to play, James Proche should handle Cleveland's kick-return duties.

Harris finished the 2023 season with 16 carries for 65 yards and a touchdown and three catches for 58 yards in four games with the Patriots.

Harris spent the bulk of his second year as a pro on the Patriots' practice squad, but he ended up working in a complementary role for the team down the stretch behind Ezekiel Elliott due to Rhamondre Stevenson being sidelined by an ankle injury. The 2022 sixth-rounder remains under contract with New England through the 2024 campaign, per Evan Lazar of the team's official site, and Harris thus will have an opportunity to carve out a role next season as an early-down power back option behind Stevenson. Whether such a gig translates into fantasy relevance hinges on where Harris lands on the depth chart in the wake of the Patriots' looming offseason moves in free agency and the draft.

Brooks played seven snaps on special teams during Sunday's 21-14 loss to Buffalo. Across nine appearances as a rookie this season, he rushed 19 times for 106 yards (5.6 YPC).

Brooks only handled offensive snaps in four of nine appearances as a rookie, but he looked competent in Miami's rushing scheme in limited action. A stint on IR due to an ankle injury suffered Week 6 briefly halted Brooks' progress, but he'll remain available as a depth option for Miami's hopeful playoff run. In deeper dynasty formats, the age of Raheem Mostert (knee) and Jeff Wilson ahead of Brooks on the depth chart makes him an interesting long-term stash.

Corbin saw action in six games during the regular season, carrying once for one yard and catching all three of his targets for 12 yards.

All of Corbin's action on offense came during a blowout loss to Dallas in Week 10. The third-year back was otherwise relegated to special-teams work, and he spent the first six weeks of the campaign on Carolina's practice squad. Corbin is one of three Giants running backs (along with Eric Gray and Gary Brightwell) under contract for next season, while Saquon Barkley and Matt Breida are slated to be free agents. It remains to be seen, however, if New York has seen enough from Corbin to consider him a part of its future plans.

Brightwell (hamstring) played in seven games during the regular season, rushing nine times for 19 yards and adding five catches on seven targets for 47 yards.

Most of Brightwell's work came on special teams, though he did get four carries in both Week 3 and Week 4 while Saquon Barkley was out with an injury. Brightwell didn't do much with those opportunities, and he had only one carry over his other five contests combined. The third-year pro's campaign came to a halt after he suffered an ankle injury that eventually landed him on IR, and though he was designated to return ahead of Week 16, New York didn't end up activating him. The Giants' running-back room is in flux heading into the offseason, with Barkley and veteran Matt Breida set to be free agents. Brightwell, 2023 rookie Eric Gray and Jashaun Corbin are New York's three RBs currently under contract for next year, with Gray the most likely of the three to take on a lead-back role if Barkley doesn't return and the team doesn't add a starting-caliber replacement.

Breida went without a carry while playing five snaps on offense in Sunday's 27-10 win over the Eagles.

Breida ended the regular season with 55 carries for 151 yards and a touchdown while catching 17 of 21 targets for 88 yards over 17 games. He played second fiddle behind workhorse Saquon Barkley for most of the season, but even when Barkley was sidelined from Weeks 3 through 5 due to injury, Breida couldn't get much going on the ground as the fill-in starting running back. The seventh-year veteran's role decreased as the campaign wound down, and he played only eight offensive snaps without logging any stats over the final two weeks. That drop in opportunity came as New York gave rookie Eric Gray a longer look, perhaps signaling the team's desire to use him more as a ball carrier next season. Meanwhile, Breida is set to hit free agency and is far from a certainty to return to New York in 2024. He has durability going for him, having played all 34 regular-season games for the Giants over the past two season, but after averaging a meager 2.7 yards per carry in 2023, he'll likely be looking at a backup role regardless of where he lands.

Sanders carried three times for 18 yards across six snaps in Sunday's 9-0 loss to the Buccaneers.

Sanders was a major disappointment in his first season in Carolina after inking a four-year, $25.4 million contract in the offseason. After producing a career-best 1,347 yards from scrimmage yards and 11 touchdowns for the Eagles in 2022, Sanders' numbers took a big step back while he moved to a dreadful Carolina offense. He finished the campaign with a career-low 129 carries for 432 yards (3.3 average) and one touchdown to go with 27 catches for 154 scoreless yards on 41 targets over his 16 appearances. Sanders' poor efficiency as a rusher eventually resulted in him falling behind Chuba Hubbard on the depth chart, with Sanders failing to log double-digit targets in any of his final four contests. With Sanders and Hubbard under contract next season, the two could be thrust into a competition for the starting role heading into 2024 while the Panthers bring in a new coaching staff.