NFL Player News

Boone (coach's decision) is a healthy inactive for Sunday's game against the Jaguars.

Dameon Pierce (ankle) is active after missing the Texans' last three games, leaving no room in the backfield for Boone. Pierce and Devin Singletary -- the latter of whom served as Houston's lead back during Pierce's absence -- are expected to share most of the snaps on offense, while Dare Ogunbowale is active as the Texans' No. 3 back but is likely to see most of his playing time on special teams.

Evans (healthy scratch) is inactive Sunday against the Steelers.

With Chase Brown back from IR, Evans is the odd man out in the Bengals' Week 12 backfield. Also in the mix against Pittsburgh Sunday are starter Joe Mixon, as well as Trayveon Williams.

Brown (hamstring) is active for Sunday's game against the Steelers, Charlie Goldsmith of The Cincinnati Enquirer reports.

Brown was activated from IR on Saturday, and he'll be in uniform for the first time since Week 6. In five games prior to landing in IR, the 2023 fifth-rounder carried just twice for six yards and caught three passes for seven yards, so until the rookie carves out a steady role behind top back Joe Mixon in a backfield that also includes Trayveon Williams, he'll be off the fantasy radar.

Gray (calf) is active Sunday against the Patriots, Dan Salomone of the Giants' official site reports.

Gray was able to log back-to-back full practices after being designated to return from IR on Wednesday and he was added to the 53-man roster Saturday. The rookie running back should operate as the team's No. 3 option at the position, behind starter Saquon Barkley and backup Matt Breida.

Texans offensive coordinator Bobby Slowik suggested earlier in the week that Singletary will likely "share the load" Sunday against the Jaguars with Dameon Pierce (ankle), who is active after missing Houston's last three games, Jonathan M. Alexander of the Houston Chronicle reports.

Pierce served as Houston's starting running back for the first seven games of the season but was one of the NFL's least-efficient runners, averaging a paltry 3.0 yards on 109 carries. While Pierce has been out the last three games with a high-ankle sprain, Singletary has given life to Houston's ground attack, taking 65 carries for 288 yards (4.4 average) and two touchdowns while adding five catches for 17 yards. Though Pierce isn't expected to face any restrictions Sunday after practicing fully Wednesday through Friday, he could have to settle for the No. 2 role out of the backfield or work in a timeshare with Singletary. Even if that's the case, Singletary will likely lose out on some touches and snaps with Pierce back in the fold, making Singletary less appealing of a fantasy play than he had been in the past three weeks.

McFarland (coach's decision) is inactive for Sunday's game against the Bengals, Mike DeFabo of The Athletic reports.

McFarland has served as Pittsburgh's primary kick returner when healthy this season. However, he was surpassed by Godwin Igwebuike for the role in Week 11 and that has seemingly carried forward into Week 12.

Pierce (ankle) is active for Sunday's game against the Jaguars.

Pierce missed the Texans' last three games due to a high-ankle sprain and was listed as questionable heading into Sunday, but there was no real mystery with regard to his Week 12 status after he put in full practices Wednesday through Friday. Whether Pierce reclaims the lead role out of the backfield he held through the Texans' first seven games of the season is less certain, however, especially after Devin Singletary accounted for 305 total yards and two touchdowns on 70 touches (65 carries, five receptions) over the past three games while proving to be far more efficient than Pierce, who is averaging just 3.0 yards per carry on the season. Per Jonathan M. Alexander of the Houston Chronicle, offensive coordinator Bobby Slowik said Wednesday that he believes in "sharing the load" between Pierce and Singletary, but it's unclear what exactly the breakdown of work between the two backs might look like.

White (knee) is active for Sunday's game in Indianapolis, Scott Smith of the Buccaneers' official site reports.

The Buccaneers tacked on White to their practice report Saturday due to a knee injury, which left him questionable for Week 12 action. Adam Schefter of ESPN reported Saturday evening that while White's knee locked up on him for a brief spell at Friday's practice, the running back was expected to play Sunday. Indeed, that has come to fruition, and White now will be taking on a Colts defense that has given up the fifth-most touchdowns (12) to opposing running backs in 10 games this season.

Demercado (toe) is expected to suit up for Sunday's game against Los Angeles, Adam Schefter of ESPN reports.

Demercado is officially listed as questionable for Week 12, but he's expected to be available for Arizona. If so, he will stand to work as the top backup to veteran starter James Conner, while Keaontay Ingram and Michael Carter could also mix in. Official word on Demercado's status will come 90 minutes prior to Sunday's 4:05 p.m. ET kickoff.

Pierce (ankle) is expected to play in Sunday's game versus Jacksonville, Adam Schefter of ESPN reports.

Pierce has missed three straight games due to an ankle injury and came into this weekend deemed questionable to play, but he appears to have shown enough improvement to suit up against the Jaguars. That doesn't necessarily mean that he'll return to a lead-back role, however. In addition to Pierce potentially needing some time to settle back in following the injury and multi-week absence, Devin Singletary may have put himself in position to hold onto the starting job by racking up 262 rushing yards and two touchdowns over the past two weeks. Pierce had been struggling prior to going down with the injury, averaging just 3.0 yards on 109 rushes and scoring just once through seven games.