NFL Player News

Vikings head coach Kevin O'Connell indicated that Chandler will serve as the team's lead back Saturday against the Bengals with Alexander Mattison (ankle) ruled out for the contest, Kevin Seifert of ESPN.com reports.

After spraining his ankle early in the second half of Sunday's 3-0 win over the Raiders, Mattison was unable to practice in any fashion during Week 15. Chandler should be in store for his first NFL start this weekend as a result, and he likely won't face much of a challenge for snaps from the remaining backfield options currently on the roster. Kene Nwangwu is the No. 3 back on the depth chart but is valued mainly for his contributions as the Vikings' kickoff returner and is relied upon on offense for the occasional gadget play, while fullback C.J. Ham primarily operates as a blocker rather than a runner or receiver. The Vikings are likely to promote one or both of Myles Gaskin and DeWayne McBride from the practice squad to offer an additional rushing threat behind Chandler, but the second-year back out of North Carolina could still have a path to a three-down role. Chandler hasn't been overly efficient with his limited opportunities through his first 16 career NFL games, averaging 4.1 yards on 55 carries and 6.0 yards over 15 targets.

Ford (wrist) remained limited at practice Thursday, Mary Kay Cabot of The Cleveland Plain Dealer reports.

Following back-to-back capped sessions, Ford probably will need to practice fully Friday in order to avoid an injury designation for Sunday's game against the Bears. The same applies to fellow RB Kareem Hunt (groin), who returned to a limited practice Thursday after logging a DNP on Wednesday.

Hunt (groin) was a limited participant in Thursday's practice, Mary Kay Cabot of The Cleveland Plain Dealer reports.

Hunt wasn't able to participate in Wednesday's session, but his return to practice Thursday puts the veteran back on track for Sunday's date with the Bears. Hunt snapped his three-game scoreless drought with a short touchdown last week against Jacksonville. He's seen double-digit carries in eight of the Browns' last nine games and is up to seven touchdowns through 11 contests.

Dowdle (ankle) was a limited practice participant Thursday, Jon Machota of The Athletic reports.

Dowdle also was listed as limited on Wednesday's practice estimate, giving him just one more opportunity to get back to all activity this week before the Cowboys potentially tag him with a designation ahead of Sunday's game at Buffalo. He's been able to play through his ankle injury in each of Dallas' previous four contests, combining for 33 touches for 120 yards from scrimmage and two TDs during that span while working behind starting running back Tony Pollard.

Williams (groin) was a limited participant in Thursday's practice, Katherine Terrell of ESPN.com reports.

Williams had his reps capped in practice for the second day in a row, but if he's able to maintain that level of activity Friday or upgrade to full participation, he should be in good position to play this weekend versus the Giants. After scoring 17 touchdowns in 17 games with the Lions in 2022, Williams has yet to find the end zone through his nine appearances with the Saints and is averaging a career-low 3.0 yards per carry.

Coach Matt LaFleur said Thursday, "We'll see," regarding Dillon's (thumb) ability to play Sunday against the Buccaneers, Ryan Wood of USA Today reports.

Dillon has focused on rehab instead of practice so far this week due to a thumb injury, but LaFleur wouldn't specify its nature Thursday, saying, "I'm not getting into the details of that." Lafleur did tell Wes Hodkiewicz of the Packers' official site that Dillon got hurt on the team's final offensive possession this past Sunday but gutted through it as Green Bay took a brief 22-21 lead at the Giants with less than two minutes remaining. As the Packers backfield stands, Aaron Jones appears to be in a far better spot, health wise, than Dillon as he progresses through the later stages of his recovery from the sprained MCL that he suffered back in Week 11.

Mattison (ankle) has been ruled out for Saturday's game in Cincinnati.

Mattison sustained a sprained right ankle on the Vikings' first offensive play of the second half this past Sunday in Las Vegas. The severity of the issue hasn't been revealed, but he was unable to practice this week and thus will miss his first game of the season. Mattison will yield Minnesota's backfield to Ty Chandler in Week 15 and potentially beyond that point.

Stevenson (ankle) remained sidelined at practice Thursday, Evan Lazar of the Patriots' official site reports.

Stevenson, who missed the team's Week 14 win over the Steelers, also missed Wednesday's session, which clouds his availability for Sunday's game against the Chiefs. If Stevenson is deemed unavailable this weekend, Ezekiel Elliott once again would be in line to lead the Patriots backfield, as he did versus Pittsburgh.

Jones (knee) participated in Thursday's practice, Kassidy Hill of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports.

As of Wednesday's estimated injury report, Jones had strung together four straight limited listings as he draws closer to recovering from the sprained MCL that he suffered Week 11 against the Chargers. So far, he's missed three games in a row as a result of the issue, which allowed AJ Dillon to lead the Packers backfield during that stretch. Having said that, Dillon has yet to practice this week due to a thumb concern, so Jones could have RB reps to himself Sunday versus the Buccaneers if he's able to return and the former is limited or sidelined.

With Jonathan Taylor (thumb) ruled out by coach Shane Steichen, per JJ Stankevitz of the Colts' official site, Moss once again is slated to lead the team's backfield Saturday against the Steelers.

Moss thus is in line to start at running back for the third consecutive week in place of Taylor, a context that gives the 2020 third-rounder continued fantasy utility Week 15. In the Colts' 34-14 loss to the Bengals this past Sunday, Moss carried 13 times for 28 yards and caught four of his eight targets for 28 yards, but a bounce-back effort could be in store against the 7-6 Steelers, who have lost back-to-back contests.