NFL Player News

Mitchell profiles as the next man up to lead the San Francisco backfield in Sunday's game against the Rams with Christian McCaffrey (calf) having been ruled out for Week 18, Nick Wagoner of ESPN.com reports.

Though head coach Kyle Shanahan has classified the injury McCaffrey suffered in the Week 17 win over the Commanders as a "mild" right calf strain, the 49ers won't take any chances with their star tailback in a regular-season finale that has no implications with San Francisco having already clinched a first-round bye and homefield advantage throughout the NFC playoffs. Mitchell is thus in the line to draw the Week 18 start, though given his own history of knee concerns, he may not necessarily handle the near-every-down, high-volume role out of the backfield that McCaffrey typically takes on. To that end, Matt Barrows of The Athletic suggests that Jordan Mason -- and perhaps even practice-squad member Tyrion Davis-Price -- could see heavy workloads Week 18, meaning that Mitchell may not represent as appealing of a DFS option as he may seem on the surface if the 49ers elect to be cautious with his usage.

Mason could get significant playing time at running back Sunday against the Rams, Matt Barrows of The Athletic reports.

Mason has mostly played special teams this season,, sitting behind Christian McCaffrey (calf) and Elijah Mitchell on the depth chart for offense when the latter two backs have both been healthy. Week 18 may be another story, however, as the Niners have locked up the top playoff seed in the NFC and won't have McCaffrey available for their final regular-season game. The calf injury McCaffrey suffered Week 17 might also make the team more cautious with his top backup, Mitchell, who has a lengthy injury history of his own. It thus won't come as any surprise if Mason and/or practice-squad member Tyrion Davis-Price ends up leading the ground attack this Sunday against the Rams.

Brown rushed three times for five yards and caught both of his targets for 23 yards in Sunday's 25-17 loss to the Chiefs.

Brown continued to operate as the Cincinnati's No. 2 running back, playing 11 of the Bengals' 74 offensive snaps Sunday. With limited usage behind veteran Joe Mixon, the rookie's fantasy utility is suppressed within the Cincinnati offense. The Bengals are eliminated from playoff contention heading into Sunday's season finale versus the Browns, so it's possible the coaching staff could look to deploy Brown in more of an even timeshare with Mixon in an attempt to get a glimpse into the future.

Johnson rushed five times for 22 yards in Sunday's 27-21 win over the Patriots.

Johnson played 13 of the Bills' 69 offensive snaps Sunday, operating as the No. 3 running back behind James Cook and Latavius Murray. In nine games this season, Johnson has now recorded just 29 carries for 127 yards with six catches for 53 yards and a touchdown. He's not seeing enough work in Buffalo's offense to be a consideration for fantasy purposes as the Bills wrap up their regular season against the Dolphins in Week 18.

Murray had one carry for zero yards and failed to reel in his only target during Sunday's 27-21 win over the Patriots.

Murray has just the one carry over the past two games and hasn't exceeded 32 percent of the offensive snaps in any of the past four games. With James Cook thriving in the bellcow role and quarterback Josh Allen tied for second in the league with 15 rushing touchdowns, it's only scraps left for Murray and Ty Johnson, and now practice-squad member Leonard Fournette is even an option. All of this makes Murray a role player, not a fantasy target.

Demercado hauled in one of three targets for nine yards but didn't record a carry during Sunday's 35-31 victory at Philadelphia.

In a Cardinals backfield paced by James Conner, Demercado appeared to be making some headway, with 14 touches for 120 yards from scrimmage and a rushing touchdown in the previous two contests. Instead, Michael Carter was the main backup to Conner on Sunday, producing 67 total yards and a receiving TD catch on eight touches. Neither Demercado (12 percent) nor Carter (17 percent) had big snap shares. After another huge Conner performance (133 yards from scrimmage, two TDs on 27 touches), Demercado and Carter are vying for scraps on a weekly basis ahead of Sunday's game against the Seahawks.

Carter compiled 61 rushing yards on seven carries and caught a six-yard touchdown on his only target during Sunday's 35-31 win in Philadelphia.

Carter accounted for three of the Cardinals' six longest plays of Week 17, all of them runs (21, 18 and 16 yards). He has been alternating with Emari Demercado as Arizona's primary backup to James Conner, who again dominated the backfield with 27 touches for 133 total yards and two TDs on Sunday. Given the lack of consistent work, Carter will be tough to trust in the team's season finale Sunday versus the Seahawks.

The Panthers signed Boone to their practice squad Tuesday, Mike Kaye of The Charlotte Observer reports.

The 28-year-old veteran running back appeared in nine games for the Texans earlier this season, rushing five times for 23 scoreless yards and adding 7-40-0 receiving on nine targets as a deep reserve. He was let go by Houston last month and will be depth for the Panthers for the final game of the season.

Harris (knee) is listed as limited on Tuesday's practice estimate, Brooke Pryor of ESPN.com reports.

Harris now has been impacted by a knee injury for five consecutive weeks, but he's still been able to suit up for each of the Steelers' past four games on his way to 73 touches for 281 yards from scrimmage and three rushing TDs. Meanwhile, fellow RB Jaylen Warren has managed 260 total yards and one score on the ground on 56 touches during that same span. Assuming Harris gets through the week unscathed and is able to play Saturday in Baltimore, a similar breakdown of reps between him and Warren likely will follow.

Moss (forearm) was limited at Tuesday's walkthrough.

Moss hasn't logged much on-field work and also missed the Colts' last two games due to a right forearm injury. For a second week in a row, though, he's being listed as limited on the first practice report of the week. During Week 17 prep, he ended it with a DNP before the team ruled him out for this past Sunday's game against the Raiders. As a result, Moss may need to maintain limited listings all of this week or even log a full session in order to put himself in a position to play in Saturday's season finale versus the Texans.