NFL Player News

Jones and Travis Homer are both expected to take more prominent roles out of the Seattle backfield Sunday against Carolina with Kenneth Walker (ankle) and DeeJay Dallas (ankle) both listed as questionable but not expected to play, Adam Schefter of ESPN reports.

While Homer was inactive for last week's 27-23 win over the Rams, Jones suited up for Seattle for just the third time all season as the team's third running back behind Walker and Dallas. With both Walker and Dallas suffering injuries during the contest, Jones saw his first snaps on offense for Seattle, finishing with seven carries for 14 yards and two catches for 18 yards on four targets across 23 plays. Homer returned to full practice activity Thursday and is good to go for Sunday's contest, but because Seattle has rarely used him as much more than a change-of-pace option during his time with the team, it's possible that he shares snaps out of the backfield with Jones. Though both Homer and Jones look like better fantasy options than usual because of the absences of Walker and Dallas, the uncertainty of how head coach Pete Carroll may divide up the backfield work makes it tough to bank on either player to produce a useful line. Seattle also added a third running back, Godwin Igwebuike, from the practice squad Saturday to further gum up the works.

Barkley (neck), who is listed as questionable for Sunday's game against the Eagles, is considered a true game-time call, and the Giants are expected to wait up until the release of their inactive list 90 minutes ahead of the 1 p.m. ET kickoff before reaching a decision on his status, Mike Garafolo of NFL Network reports.

Barkley took a designation into the weekend after the neck issue resulted in his practice reps being capped Thursday and Friday. Though Ian Rapoport of NFL Network noted that Barkley took part in the Giants' walk-through Saturday, the running back will be put through a warmup Sunday morning before the team has a better feel for his Week 14 status. Notably, the Giants didn't elevate another running back from the practice squad Saturday, so the team would be left with Matt Breida and Gary Brightwell as its options out of the backfield if Barkley is inactive or available only in an emergency.

The Giants deem Barkley (neck) to be "50-50" to play Sunday against the Eagles, with his availability coming down to pregame warmups, Adam Schefter of ESPN reports.

Barkley made a mid-week appearance on the Giants' injury report due to a neck issue, which limited his practice reps Thursday and Friday. The team tabbed him with a questionable designation for Week 14, but Art Stapleton of The Bergen Record reported earlier Saturday that the Giants won't risk Barkley potentially aggravating of the injury if he's not ready to suit up. As such, Barkley is a true game-time decision in advance of Sunday's game, with his status to be revealed about 90 minutes before a 1 p.m. ET kickoff. Matt Breida and Gary Brightwell are the next running backs up for New York in the event Barkley ends up sidelined.

Dallas (ankle) isn't in line to play Sunday versus the Panthers, Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.com reports.

The same can be said for the Seahawks' top running back, Kenneth Walker (ankle), according to Fowler. While both are game-time decisions, Sunday's 4:25 p.m. ET kickoff isn't exactly appealing for managers looking for alternatives. Assuming Walker and Dallas are included among the team's inactives, Seattle will be down to Travis Homer, Tony Jones and practice-squad member Godwin Igwebuike in Week 14.

Walker (ankle) isn't in line to play Sunday against the Panthers, Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.com reports.

Walker and DeeJay Dallas are the question marks in the Seahawks backfield for Week 14 action due to their respective ankle injuries, and both are trending toward DNPs on Sunday, per Fowler. Walker himself is dealing with a strain that stems from getting his right ankle jammed last Sunday at the Rams, which didn't allow him to practice Wednesday through Friday. Despite the likely upcoming inactive status, Seattle is hopeful that the rookie second-round pick will be available for Week 15 against the 49ers on Thursday. The team's running backs that are slated to be active Sunday are Travis Homer, Tony Jones and practice-squad call-up Godwin Igwebuike.

Seattle elevated Igwebuike from its practice squad Saturday, Adam Schefter of ESPN reports.

With both Kenneth Walker (ankle) and DeeJay Dallas (ankle) listed as questionable for Sunday's game against the Panthers, the Seahawks will bring aboard Igwebuike to add some depth at running back. The transaction likely indicates that the Seahawks are anticipating at least one of Walker or Dallas to be inactive. If that's the case, Igwebuike would likely dress Sunday, though he may only be in store for a limited role. During the 2021 season, Igwebuike took 18 carries for 118 yards and a touchdown and added seven receptions for 60 yards on 10 targets.

Dallas (ankle) is listed as questionable for Sunday's game versus Carolina, Adam Schefter of ESPN reports.

Coach Pete Carroll said Friday that Dallas and fellow tailback Kenneth Walker were both considered to be game-day decisions, John Boyle of the Seahawks' official site reports. Seattle also activated Godwin Igwebuike from its practice squad to the active roster Saturday, signaling that the team believes there's a good chance one of either Walker or Dallas won't be available Sunday. If both sit out, Travis Homer would figure to take up workhorse duties in Week 14 against an exploitable Panthers run defense. If available with Walker out, Dallas would figure to start at running back.

Saquon Barkley (neck) is expected to be a game-time decision for Sunday's contest against the Eagles, which could mean more opportunities for Breida, Art Stapleton of The Bergen Record reports.

The Giants opted not to elevate a running back from the practice squad, meaning Breida and Gary Brightwell would be the two lone running backs available if Barkley was ultimately ruled inactive. Expect more clarity on the backfield situation well before the team's 1:00 p.m. ET kickoff, but at the very minimum Breida appears to be a valuable pickup for fantasy managers desperate for low-rostered running back production.

Barkley (neck) is expected to be a true game-time decision Sunday and his status will likely depend on how he feels following a pre-game workout, Art Stapleton of The Bergen Record reports.

The Giants did not elevate a running back from the practice squad Saturday, a sign typically across the NFL that the positional depth chart is essentially solidified for the upcoming matchup. Various reports from Giants beat writers confirmed that may not be the case in this particular instance, as Ryan Dunleavy of the New York Post suggested it's entirely possible the star running back may still be unavailable even with just Matt Breida and Gary Brightwell set to back up Barkley. Expect more clarity regarding the situation to occur well before the 1:00 p.m. ET kickoff.

Harris (thigh) is listed as doubtful for Monday's prime-time matchup against the Cardinals, Mike Reiss of ESPN.com reports.

It's interesting the Patriots didn't outright rule Harris out despite the running back failing to practice all week, but it certainly seems to be trending in that direction. If the 25-year-old is unable to play, Rhamondre Stevenson should repeat a similar workload to Week 13, when the multi-faceted back saw all but one offensive snap against the Bills.