NFL Player News

Scott will serve as the Vikings' RB2 behind Aaron Jones against the Lions on Thursday after Jordan Mason (ankle) was ruled out.

Scott has served mostly on special teams this season, but he did play a larger role on offense from Weeks 3 to 5, which coincided with Jones' absence due to a hamstring injury. With Mason sidelined, Jones and Scott will lead the Vikings' rushing attack Christmas Day, and Ty Chandler is also available to provide depth in the backfield.

Edwards (glute) did not participate in Wednesday's practice.

Edwards had a double-digit tackle game last Saturday against the Packers. At the same time, he played 100 percent of the team's defensive snaps, so it is unclear when the linebacker sustained his current injury. The 29-year-old will have two more chances to increase his practice participation in hopes of dodging an injury designation before Sunday night's prime-time game against the 49ers.

Brewer (neck) didn't participate in Miami's practice Wednesday, David Furones of the South Florida Sun Sentinel reports.

Brewer is currently dealing with a neck injury, making his status for Sunday's game versus the Patriots uncertain. Daniel Brunskill will likely get the start at center if Brewer ends up missing his first game of the season.

Hockenson (shoulder) has been ruled out for Thursday's game against Detroit.

Hockenson was held out of practice all week due to a shoulder injury that he likely picked up against the Giants on Sunday, and the injury has been deemed severe enough for the veteran tight end to be sidelined for Christmas Day. Josh Oliver, Ben Yurosek and Ben Sims will step into larger roles in Week 17, though their fantasy floors will be far lower given that Max Brosmer is under center for the Vikings due to J.J. McCarthy (hand) being ruled out. Hockenson's next and final opportunity to play this season is Week 18 against the Packers on Sunday, Jan. 4.

Coach Kyle Shanahan said Pearsall (knee/ankle) will be limited at practice Wednesday, Matt Maiocco of NBC Sports Bay Area reports.

The 49ers have a few question marks in their receiving corps as TE George Kittle won't practice to kick off Week 17 prep due to the sprained ankle he suffered Monday at Indianapolis. Pearsall himself sat out that contest due to a low-ankle sprain and also an aggravation of the sprained PCL that sidelined him Weeks 5-10. He'll have two more chances to get back to full this week before San Francisco may make a decision on his status ahead of Sunday's game versus the Bears.

Mason (ankle) has been ruled out for Thursday's game against the Lions.

Mason was unable to practice all week due to an ankle injury he sustained during the Vikings' 16-13 win over the Giants on Sunday. That leaves Aaron Jones as Minnesota's clear RB1 for Christmas Day, and Zavier Scott and Ty Chandler will step into larger rotational roles in the backfield in Mason's absence. Week 18 against the Packers on Sunday, Jan. 4 is Mason's last opportunity to play this season, given that the Vikings have been eliminated from playoff contention.

Herbig (hamstring) was a limited participant in Wednesday's practice, Teresa Varley of the Steelers' official site reports.

Herbig was able to start his week of practice with a limited session, a strong sign for the linebacker's playing chances for Sunday's game against the Browns. Every front-seven player will be key for a Steelers defense that may be without T.J. Watt (lung) yet again. Herbig will have two more chances to upgrade his practice participation in the hopes of dodging an injury designation ahead of Sunday's divisional matchup.

Coach Kyle Shanahan said Kittle (ankle) won't practice Wednesday but "has a chance" to play Sunday against the Bears, Nick Wagoner of ESPN.com reports.

Kittle was tackled awkwardly on his seventh and final catch in the middle of the third quarter of Monday's win at Indianapolis and wasn't able to return. Shanahan told Wagoner afterward that it was too early to touch on the severity of Kittle's ankle injury before Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.com reported Tuesday that Kittle was tending to a mid-to-low ankle sprain. Kittle doesn't necessarily need to practice in order to be active Sunday against the Bears, but his chances to play Week 17 would increase if he's able to mix into drills at some point Thursday or Friday. Jake Tonges likely would step into the pass-catching role in the 49ers offense if Kittle isn't able to suit up this weekend.

Hargrave (thigh) doesn't have an injury designation ahead of Thursday's game against the Lions.

Hargrave logged limited practices all week with a thigh injury, and the partial participation was clearly enough to clear the defensive lineman of any injury designation. The 32-year-old is all set to suit up alongside Jalen Redmond and Jonathan Allen in the hopes of crushing the Lions' dreams of the postseason.

Warren (hip) was limited at practice Wednesday, Teresa Varley of the Steelers' official site reports.

Coach Mike Tomlin noted Wednesday that "Warren should be limited at the early portions of the week," which suggests that the running back may not practice fully Thursday either. That said, at this stage there's nothing to suggest that Warren will miss Sunday's game against the Browns, with the 9-6 Steelers firmly in the playoff hunt. In the team's Week 16 win over the Lions, Warren logged a 49 percent offensive snap share while working in tandem with fellow RB Kenneth Gainwell en route to rushing 14 times for 143 yards and two TDs to go along with logging two catches on two targets for eight yards.