NFL Player News

Harris (eye) doesn't have an injury designation for Friday's game against the Chiefs in Sao Paulo, Brazil, Eric Smith of the Chargers' official site reports.

Head coach Jim Harbaugh said Wednesday that Harris was on track to play in the season opener, and after the running back logged three consecutive full practices this week, Harbaugh's prediction has now come to pass. Per Smith, Harbaugh wasn't willing to go into specifics regarding how extensively Harris might be used Friday, though he told Rich Eisen of ESPN in a pre-broadcast meeting that rookie first-round pick Omarion Hampton would draw the start over Harris, according to Alex Insdorf of BoltBeat.com. Harris is still expected to have a role in the Chargers' game plan, but the uncertainty of his snap and touch counts after he missed all of training camp and the preseason while recovering from a superficial eye injury make it difficult to depend on him as an option in Week 1 fantasy lineups.

Johnson (foot) was listed as a non-participant on Thursday's practice estimate.

Johnson sat out the Bears' entire preseason slate due to a foot injury, and his listed DNP on Thursday may be an ominous sign for his availability Week 1 and potentially beyond that point. He'll have two more opportunities to mix into drills ahead of Monday's game against the Vikings, but even if he's able to suit up, he may remain a distant third for reps out of Chicago's backfield behind D'Andre Swift and rookie seventh-rounder Kyle Monangai (hamstring), the latter of whom was tagged as limited Thursday.

Monangai (hamstring) was listed as limited on Thursday's practice estimate.

Monangai was tagged as limited Thursday after having missed Chicago's preseason finale, while No. 2 running back Roschon Johnson (foot) was a DNP. The statuses of both Monangai and Johnson will need to be monitored heading into Monday night's Week 1 matchup at home against the Vikings, as starter D'Andre Swift currently stands as the Bears' only fully healthy backfield option.

Vaki (hamstring) remained sidelined at practice Thursday, Justin Rogers of the Detroit Football Network reports.

Vaki failed to practice for a second straight day. He'll likely need to practice in some capacity Friday to have a chance to suit up for Sunday's regular-season opener against the Packers. Even if Vaki recovers, his usage is expected to be limited primarily to special teams.

Mullings (ankle) was not listed on Wednesday's injury report.

Mullings had been out of action since suffering an ankle injury during the Titans' preseason finale against the Vikings. The rookie sixth-rounder's absence from Wednesday's injury report indicates that he is past the issue and primed to make his NFL regular-season debut against the Broncos on Sunday. With Tyjae Spears (ankle) on injured reserve, Mullings and Julius Chestnut are slated to handle complementary snaps out of the backfield behind starter Tony Pollard.

Vaki (hamstring) was listed as an non-participant on the Lions' estimated injury report Wednesday.

Vaki was limited to just one preseason game due to a hamstring injury that has lingered into the regular season. The 2024 fourth-rounder will have to return to practice Thursday and Friday in at least a limited capacity to have a chance at playing in Sunday's regular-season opener against the Packers. Vaki is expected to mostly serve on special teams this season while serving in a backfield depth role behind Jahmyr Gibbs, David Montgomery and Craig Reynolds.

Stevenson (undisclosed) isn't listed on the Patriots' injury report in advance of Sunday's regular-season opener against the Raiders.

Stevenson managed an unspecified injury as the preseason wound down, but the running back's full participation in Wednesday's practice sets the stage for the 27-year-old to claim a key role (particularly on early downs) in a backfield that also includes 2025 second-rounder TreVeyon Henderson, as well as fellow returnee Antonio Gibson. A look at ADP in drafts ahead of Week 1 reveals that Henderson is viewed as the upside play from a fantasy standpoint, and while the dynamic rookie is bound to cut into Stevenson's volume, there should be enough touches -- in a New England offense that could well lean on the ground game -- for both Stevenson and Henderson to provide lineup utility on a weekly basis.

Davis (ankle) was not listed on the Jets' injury report Wednesday, Rich Cimini of ESPN.com reports.

Davis hurt his ankle in early August and didn't play in either of New York's final two preseason games. However, head coach Aaron Glenn has expressed confidence in Davis' ability to suit up Week 1 against Pittsburgh, and that now seems to be a near certainty given the running back's avoidance of the injury report. Davis is expected to be third in the pecking order behind Breece Hall and Braelon Allen in the Jets' backfield.

James (finger) was limited at Wednesday's practice, Cam Inman of The San Jose Mercury News reports.

After missing some time early in training camp due to a knee injury, James suffered a broken finger in early August that required surgery and kept him off the practice field until last Wednesday. He continues to operate with a cap on his reps as the 49ers begin to ramp up for Week 1, and with the 49ers' top three RBs Christian McCaffrey, Brian Robinson and Isaac Guerendo (shoulder) good to go for Sunday's contest in Seattle, there's a decent chance that James is inactive this weekend if the team doesn't rule him out by the final practice report of the week.

Guerendo (shoulder) practiced fully Wednesday, Cam Inman of The San Jose Mercury News reports.

Guerendo exited practice on Aug. 2 due to a shoulder injury and sat out the next two-and-a-half weeks, only to be healthy enough to play in the 49ers' preseason finale Aug. 23 and turn eight carries into 13 yards and one catch (on one target) into one yard. In the midst of it all, the team traded for Commanders RB Brian Robinson, placing Guerendo's status into question heading into Week 1. Even though Guerendo has a clean bill of health in advance of Sunday's contest at Seattle, he may play third fiddle out of San Francisco's backfield to starter Christian McCaffrey and Robinson.