NFL Player News

Williams (coach's decision) is inactive for Sunday's game against the 49ers, Jourdan Rodrigue of The Athletic reports.

Head coach Sean McVay had already revealed at the beginning of Week 18 prep that Williams would be held out for rest purposes in the regular-season finale, but the Rams still opted to list the second-year running back as doubtful on their final injury report. As anticipated, Williams is inactive for the contest, leaving Ronnie Rivers, Royce Freeman and Zach Evans as the team's available options out of the backfield Sunday. Williams will reprise his role as the Rams' lead back in the wild-card round, when Los Angeles plays a road game against a yet-to-be-determined opponent.

Foreman (coach's decision) is inactive for Sunday's game against the Packers.

Foreman will thus close out his first Bears campaign as a healthy scratch on consecutive weeks and having missed the last three games overall since he also sat out Week 16 due to a personal issue. On the season, the veteran rushed 109 times for 425 yards and four touchdowns while adding 77 receptions for 77 yards and a touchdown as a receiver. Foreman is now an unrestricted free agent who should be able to secure a backfield committee role.

Pacheco (quad/shoulder) is listed as active for Sunday's game against the Chargers.

After missing practice Wednesday, Pacheco logged limited sessions Thursday and Friday before approaching the contest listed as questionable. Though the running back is not among the Chiefs' listed inactives Sunday, the team is locked into the No. 3 seed in the AFC playoffs, so it's possible that Pacheco sees little to no action in Kansas City's regular-season finale. With that in mind, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network previously suggested that Pacheco may only be used on an emergency basis versus Los Angeles. In such a scenario, Clyde Edwards-Helaire and La'Mical Perine would be in line to lead Kansas City's Week 18 backfield, with an eye toward protecting Pacheco's health ahead of the postseason.

Spiller (coach's decision) is inactive for Sunday's Week 18 game against the Chiefs.

Spiller had seen his role increase a bit over the past four weeks after regularly logging DNP-CDs earlier in the campaign, but he's back to being held out for the Chargers' final game of the campaign. The running back will thus finish his second NFL season with 37 carries for 96 yards and six catches on six targets for 34 yards over nine contests. Austin Ekeler and Joshua Kelley will man the backfield for Los Angeles on Sunday.

Swift (illness) is inactive for Sunday's game against the Giants.

Swift was a surprise addition to the injury report Friday, when he was listed as questionable for the Week 18 contest after he was a limited participant in the Eagles' final practice of the week due to the illness. The running back had still been hopeful to play in the regular-season finale, but Swift ultimately didn't make enough progress in his recovery from the ailment to gain clearance to play. With Swift out of the mix for Sunday's game, the Eagles are likely to lean on Kenneth Gainwell as their primary running back, though reserves Boston Scott and Rashaad Penny could have roles in the offensive game plan as well.

Herbert (back/personal) is active for Sunday's game against the Packers.

Reports earlier Sunday indicated Herbert was strongly trending toward active status, and that is now official. With D'Onta Foreman a healthy scratch for a second consecutive week, Herbert should once again serve as the clear lead back for Chicago, with rookie Roschon Johnson holding down his usual complementary role.

Pierce returned one kickoff for 30 yards and did not play on offense in Saturday's 23-19 win over the Colts in Week 18.

A week after he inched back to relevance with nine touches, a healthy Pierce failed to play on offense for the first time this season. He's operated as the backup to Devin Singletary the last several weeks, but Week 18 was a new low for Houston's former lead back. If Pierce is going to make an impact in the playoffs, it may have to be on special teams. He leads Houston with 225 kickoff return yards (32.1 yards per return) and one touchdown.

Strong was spotted warming up with the starting offense prior to Sunday's game against the Bengals, Zac Jackson of The Athletic reports.

Strong has been the No. 3 option on the depth chart for much of the season, but he looks as though he could get a look in a lead role out of the backfield in the regular-season finale. Though Cleveland is keeping both Jerome Ford and Kareem Hunt active, the team's top two running backs may only handle light roles Sunday while the team is already locked in as the No. 5 seed in the AFC playoffs. The Browns' main goal is to escape Week 18 with the health of its key players intact, creating plenty of opportunities for depth options like Strong to see their most extensive work of the season. Strong has carried 49 times for 226 yards and a touchdown to go with five catches for 47 yards on seven targets through Cleveland's first 16 games.

Ford isn't expected to play Sunday against the Bengals, despite being in uniform for pregame warmups, Tony Grossi of 850 ESPN Cleveland reports.

Ford is active for the game, but with the Browns locked in as the No. 5 seed in the AFC playoffs, he looks to be one of several Cleveland starters who will get little or no playing time as the team prioritizes his health ahead of the wild-card round. Pierre Strong -- typically the third man on the depth chart -- was spotted working out with the first-team offense in warmups and could end up serving as Cleveland's lead back, while Kareem Hunt may stick as the No. 2 option ahead of Ford.

Miller (ankle/illness) is listed available for Sunday's tilt against the Falcons.

After limited participation in back-to-back practices earlier in the week, Miller logged a DNP Friday due to an illness on top of his ankle issue. However, he is seemingly feeling better and will suit up for the first time since Week 9. With Alvin Kamara (ankle) inactive, Miller and Jordan Mims will be the depth options behind Jamaal Williams in the backfield.