NFL Player News

Perine (ankle) will not be activated from injured reserve Saturday, Rich Cimini of ESPN.com reports.

Perine will miss a fourth straight game due to his high-ankle sprain, setting the stage for Frank Gore, Ty Johnson and Josh Adams to handle New York's backfield reps against the Rams. If Perine can return Week 16, coach Adam Gase will likely deploy him in a committee.

McCaffrey (thigh), who is still officially listed as doubtful, will not play Saturday against the Packers, Adam Schefter of ESPN reports.

This was hardly a surprise to anyone, but it reaffirms the lead role will once again belong to Mike Davis, this time in a juicy matchup against the susceptible Packers run defense. It's worth noting the Panthers have not officially downgraded McCaffrey, but it certainly appears to be trending in that direction. Schefter suggested McCaffrey still wants to play at some point this season, but with just two games left to go and the Panthers out of the playoff race, it's possible the 24-year-old could be shut down for the rest of the season.

Homer (knee) has been placed on IR, John Boyle of the Seahawks' official site reports.

Homer is set to miss the rest of the regular season, but at the same time, Seattle's backfield will get a boost down the stretch with Rashaad Penny (knee) having been activated from the PUP list Saturday.

The Seahawks activated Penny (knee) from the PUP list Saturday, Curtis Crabtree of Sports Radio 950 KJR Seattle reports.

Coach Pete Carroll said earlier this week that Penny, who returned to practice Wednesday for the first time since tearing his ACL last season, is expected to suit up for Sunday's home game against Washington. The 2018 first-round pick hasn't appeared in NFL action in over a year, and he's only had the benefit of a few days of practice, so the Seahawks could opt to ease him back into a rotation with Carlos Hyde and Chris Carson.

Conner (quad) is listed as questionable for Monday's game against the Bengals, Adam Caplan of SiriusXM NFL Radio reports.

Conner was listed as a limited participant in practice for a second consecutive day Saturday, opening up the possibility the fourth-year back could be able to play against the Bengals in Monday's 8:15 p.m. ET tilt. Conner was hardly effective in the previous meeting with Cincinnati in Week 10 (13 carries for 36 yards), so fantasy managers may just want err on the side of caution, especially given the nature of the 25-year-old's injury and the timing of the Steelers' Week 15 kickoff.

Gordon (shoulder) is listed as active for Saturday afternoon's game against the Bills.

As is backfield mate Phillip Lindsay (hip). The stage is thus set for Gordon -- who logged 13 carries for 68 yards and three catches for 23 yards in Denver's Week 14 triumph over the Panthers -- and Lindsay (11 carries for 24 yards, two catches for seven yards) to continue to work in a timeshare on the ground Saturday. That said, Gordon's been more involved as a pass catcher this season and has notched seven TDs (in 12 games) to Lindsay's one (in 10 contests). The duo will take aim at a surging Buffalo defense that held Pittsburgh's lead back, James Conner, to 10 carries for 18 yards in a 26-15 win this past Sunday, but overall has still surrendered an average of 119.9 rushing yards per game to date.

Elliott (calf) is still on track to play Sunday despite the call-up of running back Sewo Olonilua, Michael Gehlken of The Dallas Morning News reports.

It's worth noting the last time Olonilua was elevated to the active roster in Week 9, Elliott was essentially a game-time decision, but the star back did manage to play and still saw his usual workload. Coach Mike McCarthy has continually reinforced the notion Elliott will be available in Week 15, but fantasy managers should still be actively checking his status ahead of the Sunday 1:00 p.m. ET kickoff.

Gordon (shoulder) is expected to suit up for Saturday's game against the Bills, James Palmer of NFL Network reports.

Gordon and backfield mate Phillip Lindsay (hip) are both expected to play versus the Bills, an eventuality which should result in the duo splitting carries fairly evenly, as usual. An official word on Denver's backfield will come when the team's inactives are released ahead of Saturday's 4:30 ET kickoff.

Harris (ankle) was downgraded from questionable and will not play Sunday against the Dolphins.

The news means Sony Michel will step back into the starting lineup as the primary two-down back, with James White (foot) mixing in as a pass catcher and J.J. Taylor (quadriceps) operating as the spellback in both situations. Harris, who popped up on the injury report Thursday with an ankle injury after missing time the previous week with a back issue, will aim for a return in Week 16 against the Bills.

Coach Zac Taylor said Saturday that Mixon (foot) has not had any changes to his injury designation, Ben Baby of ESPN.com reports.

Taylor declined to reveal whether Mixon has sought a second opinion on his injury, but he at least affirmed that the 24-year-old will not require surgery. Mixon is set to miss his eighth straight contest due to his lingering foot issue, and while it still appears as though he could still come off IR before the end of the season, the Bengals haven't offered anything resembling an official timetable for his return. Giovani Bernard, Trayveon Williams and Samaje Perine will continue to work out of the backfield in the meantime.