NFL Player News

Coach Matt Rhule said Thursday "at this time I do not expect (McCaffrey - shoulder/thigh) to play" against the Broncos on Sunday, Steve Reed of the Associated Press reports.

Rhule also said that McCaffrey, who missed Thursday's practice after being limited Wednesday, is currently rehabbing. The star running back is dealing with both a new thigh injury and his lingering AC joint sprain. Though McCaffrey hasn't yet been officially ruled out, it certainly looks like Mike Davis is trending toward leading Carolina's backfield versus Denver.

Gibson (toe) was listed as a non-participant on a second consecutive injury report Thursday, Nicki Jhabvala of The Washington Post reports.

Washington didn't hold practice Wednesday but returned to the field one day later sans Gibson, who suffered a turf toe injury in his left foot Monday at Pittsburgh. On Thursday, coach Ron Rivera called Gibson's injury "concerning," noting the training staff will watch the running back closely to see how he reacts to treatment. There doesn't seem to be much confidence Gibson will be able to play through the issue, but one session remains for him to get back on the field this week. In the event he sits out Sunday in San Francisco, J.D. McKissic and Peyton Barber will handle backfield reps for the Football Team.

Ahmed (shoulder) didn't practice Thursday, Armando Salguero of the Miami Herald reports.

Ahmed appears to be trending toward sitting out a third straight game due to his lingering shoulder injury. With Myles Gaskin (knee) only practicing in a limited capacity, another absence by Ahmed would be a notable blow to the Dolphins' backfield depth. He'll have one more chance to take the practice field prior to Sunday's game against the Chiefs.

Gaskin (knee) was a limited participant in Thursday's practice, Armando Salguero of the Miami Herald reports.

The Dolphins continue to manage Gaskins' reps, which isn't too surprising considering that he spent Weeks 9 through 12 on IR due to a knee injury. Miami has shown a clear desire to utilize Gaskin in a workhorse role as long as he's healthy, and the team doesn't currently have much in the way of backfield depth behind him. As long as he's able to keep practicing in at least a limited capacity, Gaskin figures to be in fair shape to face the Chiefs on Sunday.

McCaffrey (shoulder/thigh) wasn't spotted at practice Thursday, David Newton of ESPN.com reports.

McCaffrey went down as limited at practice Wednesday, but Thursday's downgrade in participation now clouds the running back's status for Sunday's game against the Broncos. If he's unable to suit up this weekend, Mike Davis would be in line to head Carolina's Week 14 backfield.

Mattison (appendectomy) didn't practice Thursday, Andrew Krammer of the Minneapolis Star Tribune reports.

Mattison sat out the Vikings' Week 13 win over the Jaguars after undergoing appendix surgery this past Saturday. Following back-to-back missed practices Wednesday and Thursday, we'd be surprised if he ends up backing up Dalvin Cook on Sunday against the Buccaneers.

Bills head coach Sean McDermott said Wednesday that Moss' limited use in Monday's win over the 49ers was mainly the result of his costly fumble early in the contest, Jourdon LaBarber of the Bills' official site reports. "The reason you didn't see [Moss] is because we can't put the ball on the turf like that and expect to win games," McDermott said.

Moss wasn't benched the entire game and ended up seeing further action in the fourth quarter, but he ended up with three carries for nine yards and one catch for five yards across his 11 snaps. McDermott isn't the type to permanently punish a promising player, so Moss should get more opportunities in the weeks to come, especially after he wasn't even credited with a lost fumble on the play in question (the turnover was attributed to quarterback Josh Allen.) Still, Moss had a chance to wrest the starting job from a previously struggling Devin Singletary, but the latter seems to be firmly back atop the depth chart after a couple of strong games.

Dillon (illness) participated in Wednesday's practice, indicating he could be activated from the reserve/COVID-19 list soon, John Doran of Fox 11 News Green Bay reports.

Dillon has been away from the Packers' facility since testing positive for COVID-19 on Nov. 2. His presence at practice signals that he's since tested negative for the virus twice within 24 hours and is no longer experiencing symptoms. The rookie second-rounder is thus eligible to be activated, but the Packers may want Dillon to regain some conditioning before adding him to the 53-man roster. Once he's deemed ready to go, Dillon will slot in as the No. 3 running back behind Aaron Jones and Jamaal Williams.

Homer (knee) was a non-participant at Wednesday's practice, John Boyle of the Seahawks' official site reports.

There's no end in sight to Homer's health concerns, which so far have forced three consecutive absences. On a positive note, he's no longer being listed with wrist and thumb issues on Wednesday's report, leaving him with just the knee concern to tend to this week. Still, the rest of the backfield is far healthier, so the Seahawks can stand to wait it out with Homer until he's 100 percent. For the time being, the backfield will be the domain of Chris Carson (foot), with Carlos Hyde (toe) and DeeJay Dallas handling any reps that linger.

Kelley (foot) didn't participate in Wednesday's practice.

Kelley was forced out of Sunday's loss to the Patriots with what was initially termed as an ankle issue, but the team clarified the nature of his injury with the release of its first Week 14 practice report. The rookie's absence from practice to start the week is a discouraging sign ahead of Sunday's game versus the Falcons, but he'll have two more opportunities to increase his on-field work. Troymaine Pope (neck) -- who was also limited Wednesday -- would be next in line to serve as Los Angeles' No. 3 back if Kelley is inactive.