NFL Player News

Scott (ankle) did not participate in Thursday's practice.

Scott is nursing an ankle injury that he suffered during the Vikings' preseason finale against the Titans. He'll have two more chances to return to practice and give himself a shot at playing in Monday's regular-season opener against the Bears.

Chargers head coach Jim Harbaugh told Rich Eisen in a pre-broadcast meeting that Hampton is in line to draw the start over fellow running back Najee Harris in Friday's game against the Chiefs in Sao Paulo, Brazil, Alex Insdorf of BoltBeat.com reports.

Even though the Chargers invested a first-round pick in him in April's draft, Hampton was initially expected to open the season in the No. 2 role behind Harris, who signed with Los Angeles in March following four consecutive 1,000-yard rushing campaigns in Pittsburgh to begin his career. However, after Harris suffered a superficial eye injury in a Fourth of July fireworks accident that kept him from practicing throughout training camp and the preseason, Hampton was able to pick up extended reps with the first-team offense and is now poised to take the field for the Chargers' first snap of 2025. Despite his designation as the Week 1 starter, however, Hampton won't necessarily be guaranteed a three-down workload, as Harris gained clearance for the season opener following three consecutive full practices this week. Per Eric Smith of the Chargers' official site, Harbaugh wasn't willing to go into specifics Wednesday regarding how the snaps and touches might be distributed between Hampton and Harris, though Hampton likely projects as the more reliable option of the two in fantasy lineups since he's been able to get more reps under his belt throughout the summer. A clearer idea regarding the weekly workload breakdown between the two backs may not become apparent until after a few games, when Harris should be fully reconditioned and free of limitations stemming from the eye injury.

Achane (calf) was limited in practice Thursday, David Furones of the South Florida Sun Sentinel reports.

Achane has now officially been limited in back-to-back practices, though he said Wednesday that he feels 100 percent healthy and that the recent cap on his reps has simply been an effort not to aggravate his calf injury. The third-year pro appears on track to suit up for Sunday's regular-season opener against the Colts, though Furones reports that the Dolphins may opt to lean on big-bodied rookie Ollie Gordon in Week 1, and relegate the undersized Achane to a smaller workload than usual as he works to return from injury. Coach Mike McDaniel declined to offer an estimation of how the Dolphins' backfield reps will be divvied up Week 1, but whether or not Achane is able to upgrade to full participation at Friday's practice could be telling.

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.