NFL Player News
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Justice Hill RB | BAL
Ravens' Justice Hill: Unlikely to play Week 17
Ravens coach John Harbaugh was not optimistic when asked following Sunday's 34-17 win against the Steelers if Hill (concussion) would be available versus Houston on Wednesday, Jonas Shaffer of TheBaltimoreBanner.com reports.
Hill exited with a concussion during the second quarter, and he'll have just three days to clear the league's concussion protocol before the game against Houston on Christmas Day. The 27-year-old running back has been a productive receiver for Baltimore this season, tallying a 42-383-3 receiving line over the first 14 games of the season. Meanwhile, fellow running back Keaton Mitchell was ruled a healthy scratch for the third game in a row Sunday. Therefore, it's likely that rookie Rasheen Ali will step up as the primary backup for Wednesday's game versus Houston, though bell-cow Derrick Henry should continue to shoulder the vast majority of Baltimore's rushing workload.
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Tyrone Tracy Jr. RB | NYG
Giants' Tyrone Tracy: Expected to go Sunday
Tracy (ankle) is expected to play in Sunday's game versus Atlanta, Adam Schefter of ESPN reports.
Tracy logged three limited practice sessions before being listed as questionable on Friday's injury report. The rookie first popped up with this ankle issue Wednesday, but it doesn't look like this will keep him from suiting up for this 15th game of the season. Tracy has totaled 151 carries and 30 catches for 915 total yards this season, and he's been the Giants' clear RB1 since taking over Week 5. His ultimate availability will be come out 90 minutes prior to Sunday's 1 p.m. ET kickoff. If Tracy is active but still limited in some capacity, then Devin Singletary could see increased usage in New York's backfield.
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Tony Pollard RB | TEN
Titans' Tony Pollard: Trending toward playing Week 16
Pollard (ankle) is expected to play Sunday against the Colts, Adam Schefter of ESPN reports.
Pollard has played in every game for the Titans this season despite dealing with lingering foot and/or ankle injuries for over a month. The 27-year-old has been in and out of practice for much of this time period, and he did not practice Wednesday or Thursday before logging a limited session Friday. Pollard is still listed as questionable, so his official availability will be revealed 90 minutes prior to kickoff at 1 p.m. ET on Sunday.
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Najee Harris RB | PIT
Steelers' Najee Harris: Role decreases against Ravens
Harris rushed the ball nine times for 42 yards in Sunday's 34-17 loss to the Ravens. He did not record a catch on one target.
Harris took a surprising secondary role to Jaylen Warren in the contest, as he had nine touches compared to Warren's 17. It's unclear whether that was due to his recent ineffectiveness -- he's averaged only 3.2 yards per carry since Week 10 -- or because of a miscue in Pittsburgh's Week 15 loss to the Eagles. Regardless of the explanation, Harris has 16 total touches in his last two games, making it difficult to trust his role in a Week 17 showdown with the Chiefs.
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Jaylen Warren RB | PIT
Steelers' Jaylen Warren: Works as lead back in Week 16
Warren rushed the ball 12 times for 48 yards in Saturday's 34-17 loss to the Ravens. He added five receptions on five targets for 44 yards.
Warren has had inconsistent usage throughout the season, almost always working behind Najee Harris and even behind Cordarrelle Patterson on occasion. However, Warren led the backfield in Saturday's loss, totaling 17 touches compared to nine for Harris. He was particularly effective as a pass catcher, tallying long gains of 13 and 12 yards. It's unclear whether this usage will carry forward, though Harris has struggled with inefficiency for the last several weeks.
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Derrick Henry RB | BAL
Ravens' Derrick Henry: Steamrolls Steelers
Henry carried the ball 24 times for 162 yards and caught both his targets for 27 yards in Saturday's 34-17 win over Pittsburgh.
The 189 scrimmage yards were Henry's highest single-game total since Week 4, when he trampled the Bills for 199 yards on the ground and 10 more through the air. The veteran RB blew past the 1,500-yard milestone on the season in the process, and his 1,636 yards represents his best showing since his career-high 2,027 yards in 2020. Henry will look to keep rolling in Week 17 on the road against the Texans.
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Mike Boone RB | CAR
Panthers' Mike Boone: Elevated for Week 16
The Panthers elevated Boone from their practice squad Saturday.
The veteran back has now been elevated in back-to-back weeks. Boone played three offensive snaps last Sunday against Dallas, rushing two times for 14 yards. With both Miles Sanders (ankle) and Jonathon Brooks (knee) on injured reserve, Boone slots in as Carolina's RB3 behind Chuba Hubbard and Raheem Blackshear.
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Ke'Shawn Vaughn RB | SF
49ers' Ke'Shawn Vaughn: Elevated to active roster
The 49ers elevated Vaughn from the practice squad Saturday ahead of Sunday's game at Miami, Matt Barrows of The Athletic reports.
Vaughn was elevated from the practice squad for the third week in a row. The fifth-year running back totaled two carries over this span, and, while he didn't see any action on offense last week, he'll likely have to serve as RB3 or RB2 versus the Dolphins. Last week's starter Isaac Guerendo has been ruled out with a hamstring injury, leaving Patrick Taylor and Israel Abanikanda as the top candidates to step up as RB1.
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Kareem Hunt RB | KC
Chiefs' Kareem Hunt: Far more productive than Pacheco
Hunt had 11 carries for 55 yards and a touchdown while catching two of three targets for 24 yards in Saturday's 27-19 win over the Texans.
Hunt outplayed Isiah Pacheco, who turned nine carries and two targets into just 25 scrimmage yards. The former scored a three-yard touchdown in the second quarter and probably could have scored a 33-yard touchdown on his final carry in the fourth but slid down after 20 yards so Kansas City could run out the clock. Pacheco has struggled in his four games back from a fractured fibula, so Hunt's likely to see significant usage again Wednesday against the Steelers.
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Isiah Pacheco RB | KC
Chiefs' Isiah Pacheco: Outplayed by Hunt in Week 16
Pacheco had nine carries for 26 yards while catching one of two targets for minus-1 yard in Saturday's 27-19 win over the Texans.
Pacheco got the majority of touches in Kansas City's backfield early on but didn't find much success, so Kareem Hunt got more involved as the game went along. Hunt was far more effective, producing 79 scrimmage yards and a touchdown on 11 carries and three targets. Pacheco's still searching for his first score since Week 1, though a fractured fibula suffered in Week 2 has limited him to only six appearances this season. Hunt and Pacheco will likely continue to split carries against the Steelers on Christmas.