NFL Player News
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De'Von Achane RB | MIA
Dolphins' De'Von Achane: Practicing, but appears limited
Achane (calf) was a limited participant during the open portion of Wednesday's practice, David Furones of the South Florida Sun-Sentinel reports.
Reporters had access only to a brief portion of the practice, making it difficult to gauge Achane's level of participation (if any) in team drills. Dolphins coach Mike McDaniel said Monday that he expects Achane to play this Sunday at Indianapolis, even though the 23-year-old missed the final two weeks of August with a calf injury. Fellow Miami running back Jaylen Wright (leg) is considered far less likely to play, leaving Ollie Gordon as the next man up, with Jeff Wilson and/or JaMycal Hasty likely to be promoted from the practice squad.
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Hunter Luepke RB | DAL
Cowboys' Hunter Luepke: Inks extension
Luepke signed a two-year extension with the Cowboys on Wednesday, Jon Machota of The Athletic reports.
The 25-year-old fullback will now remain in Dallas after spending the first two seasons of his career with the team. Over 33 regular-season appearances, Luepke has tallied 18 rushes for 57 yards and one touchdown to go along with 15 receptions for 129 yards. He's expected to serve as the Cowboys' top fullback throughout the 2025 campaign.
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Julius Chestnut RB | TEN
Titans' Julius Chestnut: Looks to be Pollard's backup
Chestnut is listed as the No. 2 RB on the Titans' unofficial depth chart released Tuesday.
Chestnut looked to be in position to earn the backup role to Tony Pollard after Tyjae Spears suffered an ankle injury in the Titans' first preseason contest, though he did split reps with Kalel Mullings (ankle) in the final preseason game. With Spears set to miss at least the first four games of the season, Chestnut should mix into the offense early in the campaign.
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Najee Harris RB | LAC
Chargers' Najee Harris: Turns in full practice
Harris (eye) was listed as a full practice participant Tuesday.
After suffering what was labeled as a superficial eye injury in a fireworks accident on the Fourth of July, Harris took part in minimal drills and didn't play in any games during the preseason, but he's ramped up his on-field work over the past several days. The veteran running back was recently cleared to take full contact, and after logging every rep during the Chargers' first official practice session of the regular season, he's now on track to suit up in Friday's opener against the Chiefs in Sao Paulo, Brazil. Despite being in the clear to play Week 1, Harris could be in line for a limited role, given the extensive time he missed this summer in addition to the presence of first-round pick Omarion Hampton in the backfield. The weekly breakdown of snaps and touches between Hampton and Harris may not become clear until after a few games, when Harris will be further removed from the eye injury and better conditioned.
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Damien Martinez RB | GB
Damien Martinez: Cut by Seattle
The Seahawks cut Martinez from their practice squad Tuesday.
The seventh-round rookie out of Miami failed to make Seattle's 53-man roster out of training camp this summer but was quickly brought back via the practice squad last week. Martinez logged 67 offensive snaps during the preseason, producing a 24-84-1 rushing line.
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Sione Vaki RB | DET
Lions' Sione Vaki: Unlikely to play in opener
Vaki didn't practice Tuesday due to a hamstring injury and is unlikely to be available for Sunday's game against the Packers, Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press reports.
Though Vaki earned a spot on Detroit's 53-man roster as the team's No. 4 running back, he missed the Lions' final preseason game Aug. 23 against the Texans and looks as though he'll need more time to make a full recovery. Once he moves past the hamstring, Vaki is unlikely to see much playing time on offense but could be a key part of the Lions' special-teams units.
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Javonte Williams RB | DAL
Cowboys' Javonte Williams: Set to start in Week 1
Williams, who is in line to serve as the Cowboys' starting running back Thursday versus the Eagles, said that he hasn't been told what his workload will look like in the season opener, Jon Machota of The Athletic reports.
Signed to a one-year, $3 million deal in free agency this spring, Williams faced little competition in training camp as both Miles Sanders and rookie Jaydon Blue dealt with injuries. The Cowboys also treated Williams as the starter during the preseason, as he didn't play in any of those three exhibitions. Despite those encouraging signs, Williams could end up serving as the lead option in a committee rather than operating as a true bell cow. The uncertainty of Williams' workload, coupled with the lack of efficiency he showed during his final two seasons in Denver after suffering a severe knee injury in 2022, make it difficult to insert him in fantasy lineups with much confidence this week.
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Jaydon Blue RB | DAL
Cowboys' Jaydon Blue: Avoids injury report
Blue (ankle) wasn't listed on the Cowboys' practice report Monday, Todd Archer of ESPN.com reports.
Blue didn't suit up for Dallas' first two preseason games due to a bruised heel before returning to action Aug. 22 versus the Falcons, a contest in which he suffered a low right ankle sprain. With his health not in question this week, though, he'll be available alongside Miles Sanders (shoulder) to a backfield that's led by Javonte Williams.
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Miles Sanders RB | DAL
Cowboys' Miles Sanders: Sidesteps injury report
Sanders (shoulder) wasn't listed on the Cowboys' injury report Monday, Todd Archer of ESPN.com reports.
Sanders was sidelined for Dallas' third and final exhibition Aug. 22 against the Falcons due to a shoulder injury, but his lack of presence on the team's first practice report of the campaign indicates he's good to go for Week 1. Jaydon Blue (ankle) also wasn't on Monday's report, so the reserve RBs behind Javonte Williams will be available Thursday at Philadelphia.
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Najee Harris RB | LAC
Chargers' Najee Harris: Expects to play Friday
Harris (eye) said that he expects to play in Friday's season opener against the Chiefs, Daniel Popper of The Athletic reports.
While the running back didn't go into any details about his fireworks mishap on the Fourth of July, he said that his vision has not been affected, while describing his eye injury as "superficial." The Chargers' upcoming first official practice report will add further context to Harris' Week 1 status, but he looks to be trending toward seeing action versus Kansas City. Even so, it's unclear what sort of volume Harris might see in tandem with rookie first-rounder Omarion Hampton.