NFL Player News

Herbert is listed as questionable for Sunday's game against the Packers due to a back injury as well as a personal matter.

Herbert was added to the Bears' injury report Thursday after he was a limited participant in practice that day on account of the back issue, but the personal matter might have been the cause of his absence from Friday's practice. Whatever the case, Herbert is now uncertain to be available for the Bears' season finale, with a final word on his status set to arrive when Chicago posts its inactive list 90 minutes prior to Sunday's 4:25 p.m. ET kickoff. Roschon Johnson and D'Onta Foreman -- who was a healthy inactive for the Week 17 win over Atlanta -- would likely see expanded profiles out of the backfield if the Bears are without the services of Herbert, a late-season fantasy standout with 38 carries for 236 yards and two touchdowns over the last two weeks.

Kamara (ankle) is listed as questionable for Sunday's game against Atlanta, with head coach Dennis Allen suggesting Friday that the running back will be a game-time decision, Matthew Paras of The New Orleans Times-Picayune reports. "Alvin is one of the guys so valuable to our team, we'll take it all the way up to game time," Allen said.

Kamara wasn't able to return for the second half of last week's win over Tampa Bay after spraining in his ankle in the second quarter, and he didn't practice Thursday or Friday. His chances of playing Sunday don't appear great at the moment, but Kamara will at least be given a shot to suit up heading into the weekend, shaping up as a potential game-time call ahead of the 1 p.m. ET kickoff. Jamaal Williams will fill in as the lead back if Kamara isn't healthy enough to give it a go with a playoff spot on the line.

Jones (knee/finger) doesn't have an injury designation for Sunday's game against the Bears, Rob Demovsky of ESPN.com reports.

AJ Dillon (neck/thumb) has been ruled out, further cementing Jones for a large workload in an all-important Week 18 matchup for the Packers. Jones typically plays less than two-thirds of the snaps on offense yet often gets more than two-thirds of the team's backfield touches, and it wouldn't be any surprise if he took on larger workload shares in this situation even if Dillon were available. Patrick Taylor also figures to get some of the snaps/touches that might otherwise go to Dillon.

Dillon (neck/thumb) has been ruled out for Sunday's game against the Bears, Ryan Wood of USA Today reports.

Dillon missed Week 15 with a broken thumb and then suffered a stinger Week 17. It would seem to be the latter injury that's preventing him from playing this week, though it's also worth noting that he hasn't been targeted with a pass in two appearances since he broke his thumb. Dillon's next chance to play will be in the wild-card round if the Packers can beat Chicago without him this Sunday while using Patrick Taylor off the bench behind Aaron Jones.

Mixon (illness) doesn't carry an injury designation for Sunday's game against the Browns.

Mixon sat out Thursday's practice after coming down with an illness, but he returned to the field Friday as a full participant to clear up any concern about his status heading into the season finale. The veteran back has played more than 60 percent of the offensive snaps in all but one of Cincinnati's 16 games to date, but given that the 8-8 Bengals are eliminated from the playoffs and have little at stake in Week 18, it's possible the coaching staff looks to lighten Mixon's workload heading into the offseason. If that's the case, rookie fifth-round pick Chase Brown could take on a heightened role as Cincinnati's No. 2 option out of the backfield.

Mostert (knee/ankle) returned to practice Friday, Daniel Oyefusi of the Miami Herald reports.

Mostert -- who was inactive for Miami's Week 17 loss to Baltimore -- missed practices Wednesday and Thursday, but the running back's participation in Friday's session suggests that he could be available Sunday against the Bills. The Dolphins' upcoming injury report will be released later Friday and will add further context with regard to Mostert's status for Miami's regular-season finale.

Dillon (neck/thumb) isn't practicing Friday, Rob Demovsky of ESPN.com reports.

A third straight missed practice suggests Dillon isn't likely to play Sunday against the Bears. Even if Dillon suits up, Aaron Jones figures to take a comfortable majority of the RB touches in a crucial game for the Packers.

Miller (ankle) was a limited participant in practice for the second straight day Thursday.

The running back has missed seven straight games with the ankle injury. Miller has 28 carries for 83 yards and no touchdowns this season, and he remains behind Alvin Kamara and Jamaal Williams on the depth chart.

Mitchell (illness) was limited at practice Thursday, Nick Wagoner of ESPN.com reports.

Mitchell wasn't able to mix into drills Wednesday due to an illness, so his return in some capacity one day later is a step in the right direction as the 49ers prepare for Sunday's game against the Rams. The team will be without at least quarterback Brock Purdy (coach's decision) and running back Christian McCaffrey (calf) in that contest, which may lead to a more run-based focus with backup Sam Darnold under center. A healthy Mitchell would be a candidate to be the primary beneficiary, and if he's able to suit up he could be San Francisco's lead runner over Jordan Mason and practice-squad member Tyrion Davis-Price, if the latter is elevated. In five appearances since the team's Week 9 bye, Mitchell has averaged 4.6 yards on his 39 carries.

Walker (shoulder) practiced in a limited capacity Thursday, Michael-Shawn Dugar of The Athletic reports.

After missing Wednesday's session due to a lingering shoulder injury, Walker was able to get back on the practice field one day later, which didn't happen until last Friday ahead of this past Sunday's game against the Steelers. This seems to confirm coach Pete Carroll's comments to Bob Condotta of The Seattle Times on Wednesday that Walker is in a better spot this week as opposed to last week. Walker has one more chance to get back to full Friday before the Seahawks potentially give him a designation for Sunday's regular-season finale at Arizona. That said, if he's able to suit up for that contest, he should resume his role as the team's top running back, which has resulted in 131 yards from scrimmage and one rushing TD on 30 touches in the two games in which he's played through his current health concern.