NFL Player News

Kelley (coach's decision) is a healthy scratch for Sunday's matchup versus Washington.

Kelley was active last week against Houston with Tyjae Spears held out while in concussion protocol. However, Kelley logged only two offensive snaps and didn't get a touch in that game, and he won't suit up Sunday versus the Commanders with Spears back in action.

Johnson (coach's decision) is inactive for Sunday's game against the Texans.

Coming out of a Week 12 bye, the Jaguars are back to full strength in the backfield with Travis Etienne further removed from the hamstring injury that sidelined him for Weeks 7 and 8 and with Tank Bigsby back in action after missing the Week 11 loss to the Lions with an ankle injury. Rookie fifth-round pick Keilan Robinson is also ready to make his NFL debut after coming off injured reserve Nov. 19, and while he's unlikely to have much of a role on offense behind Etienne and Bigsby, his ability to contribute as a return man will be enough for the Jaguars to keep him active over Johnson as the No. 3 back. Johnson had already seen his role dwindle following Etienne's return to action in Week 9, as Johnson earned just four carries and one target while playing 28 total snaps on offense over the Jaguars' last three games before the bye.

Demercado (back) is listed as active Sunday at Minnesota, Darren Urban of the Cardinals' official site reports.

Arizona capped Demercado's practice reps during the entirety of Week 13 prep due to a back injury, but the issue won't stop him from being available to the team's backfield Sunday. Nevertheless, with 32 touches in 11 appearances this season, he doesn't hold much sway with James Conner leading the Cardinals' rushing attack and rookie third-rounder Trey Benson taking 58 touches himself in 10 outings to date.

Spears (concussion) is active for Sunday's game against the Commanders.

Spears missed the Titans' Week 12 contest against the Texans while in concussion protocol. He should return to a change-of-pace role in the Tennessee backfield behind Tony Pollard. Spears did see 10 total touches in his last full contest and should play a meaningful role in Sunday's contest.

Hall (knee) is active for Sunday's game against the Seahawks, Randy Lange of the Jets' official site reports.

After tweaking his knee during the Jets' Week 11 loss to the Colts, Hall was still sore coming out of a Week 12 bye and sat out Wednesday's practice. Though the Wednesday absence initially seemed to put his availability for Sunday's game in peril, Hall made steady improvement throughout the week, as he upgraded to limited participation Thursday before putting in a full practice Friday. While Hall still carried a questionable designation into the weekend, now that he's been cleared to play, he should be expected to handle something close to a normal workload Sunday. Hall has earned no fewer than 14 touches in each of the Jets' last six games, averaging 5.0 yards per carry and 10.1 yards per reception while scoring three touchdowns over that stretch.

McCormick reverted to the Raiders' practice squad Saturday, per the NFL's transaction log.

With Alexander Mattison (ankle) and Zamir White (quadriceps) both inactive for Friday's game against the Chiefs, McCormick was thrust into backup running back duties behind Ameer Abdullah. McCormick finished Friday's game with 12 carries for 64 yards while adding two catches for one yard, and he played 26 snaps on offense while Abdullah led the Raiders' backfield with 42 offensive snaps. McCormick has an opportunity to reprise his backup role for Week 14 against the Buccaneers on Sunday, Dec. 8 if both Mattison and White were to be sidelined for that contest.

The Jets elevated Nwangwu from the practice squad to the active roster Saturday, Brian Costello of the New York Post reports.

It's the first time Nwangwu has been elevated to the Jets' active roster, and he has an opportunity to make his 2024 regular-season debut against the Seahawks on Sunday. Nwangwu played in nine regular-season games for the Vikings in 2023 and logged five carries for 13 yards.

Ekeler (concussion) was placed on injured reserve Saturday.

This wasn't that surprising given Ekeler's history of concussions over his career, with the Week 12 concussion accounting for his second of the 2024 campaign. The veteran running back won't be eligible to return until Week 18, effectively ending his fantasy season. Jeremy McNichols figures to step in immediately as the pass-catching running back and has done well in that role in replacement of Ekeler, tallying nine touches for 74 yards and two touchdowns back in Week 4 against the Cardinals.

Dobbins (knee) was placed on injured reserve Saturday, Tom Pelissero of NFL Network reports.

Head coach Jim Harbaugh suggested earlier in the week the talented running back would be out some time, and now we know Dobbins will miss at minimum four weeks due to a knee sprain. He should be back well in time for the NFL playoffs, but fantasy managers will be without the powerful back until at least Week 17 against the Patriots. Gus Edwards and Hassan Haskins were the two backs used in the Week 12 loss to the Ravens, but that was in part because rookie Kimani Vidal wasn't active for the contest, as the Chargers prefer Haskins' utility on special teams. Vidal could be poised to see the biggest leap in playing time, perhaps effectively taking over Dobbins' role as an explosive option out of the backfield, with Edwards operating as a bruising between-the-tackles ball carrier.

Conner signed a two-year, $19 million extension with the Cardinals on Saturday, Adam Schefter of ESPN reports.

Conner was scheduled to be an unrestricted free agent and a marquee name ahead of another deep class of available running backs, but the Cardinals proactively locked down one of their main offensive pieces through the 2026 season instead. With Arizona in the midst of a playoff push in a tough NFC West, the 29-year-old is on pace to surpass his career high in rushing yards (1,040) and receiving yards (497) thanks in large part to his health, as Conner is poised to miss four or fewer games for just the second time in his eight-year career.