NFL Player News

Hubbard rushed 28 times for 153 yards and a touchdown and brought in four of six targets for 16 yards in the Panthers' 20-17 overtime win over the Giants in Munich on Sunday. He also lost a fumble.

Fresh off inking a four-year extension Thursday, Hubbard wasted no time earning his keep with career highs in rush attempts and rushing yards. Hubbard also recorded his sixth rushing touchdown of the season on a one-yard run late in the third quarter, and he was able to work through an injury scare without missing any time after limping off the field following a lost fumble in Carolina territory just before the midway point of the fourth quarter. Hubbard now has three 100-yard games on the season and will have a Week 11 bye to rest up before a Week 12 home showdown with the Chiefs on Sunday, Nov. 24.

Williams (groin) is inactive for Sunday's game against the Falcons.

Williams sat out the Week 9 loss to Carolina, but he appeared to be tracking toward a return this weekend after he was a limited participant in practices Wednesday and Thursday. However, he took a step backward with no participation in Friday's practice and will now miss a second straight contest. With Williams sidelined once again, Jordan Mims is left as the lone available backup running back behind Alvin Kamara.

Johnson (hamstring) is active for Sunday's game against the Vikings.

Johnson was added to the Jaguars' injury report Thursday and was a limited participant in the team's final two practices of the week, but the hamstring issue won't keep him from playing Sunday. He'll be available as a third option out of the backfield behind Travis Etienne and Tank Bigsby, with most of Johnson's usage likely to come on passing downs. Etienne made his return from a two-game absence in last week's loss to the Eagles, and Johnson consequently saw his snap share drop to 22 percent, his lowest since Week 5.

McClellan (coach's decision) is inactive for Sunday's game against the Saints.

After making his NFL regular-season debut against the Seahawks in Week 7, McClellan has been a healthy scratch for three straight games. The rookie remains behind Bijan Robinson, Tyler Allgeier and Avery Williams on the Falcons' running back depth chart.

Edwards-Helaire (coach's decision) is inactive for Sunday's game against the Broncos.

Edwards-Helaire, who wasn't on the Chiefs' Week 10 injury report, will thus wait at least another week before making his regular-season debut. Versus Denver, Kareem Hunt, Samaje Perine and Carson Steele are Kansas City's backfield options.

McCaffrey (Achilles) is listed as active Sunday at Tampa Bay, Lindsey Pallares of the 49ers' official site reports.

McCaffrey's long-awaited season debut is here following the Achilles tendinitis that has plagued him since early August and required a trip to Germany in September to help address the issue. As the 49ers returned from a Week 9 bye this past Wednesday, coach Kyle Shanahan relayed that McCaffrey had experienced "no pain" in either of his Achilles recently, per Adam Schefter of ESPN, and he followed up back-to-back limited practices with a full session Friday, leaving him questionable for Sunday's game. The 49ers then activated McCaffrey from injured reserve Saturday, and a report from Mike Garafolo of NFL Network on Sunday morning indicated the running back anticipates taking on his normal workload. In 27 regular-season contests for San Francisco since arriving there in October 2022, McCaffrey has averaged 20.4 touches per game and scored 31 total TDs.

Sanders (foot/ankle) was forced out of Sunday's game against the Giants and won't return, Darin Gantt of the Panthers' official site reports.

Prior to being carted off the field, Sanders carried twice for five yards. In his absence, Raheem Blackshear is available to work behind lead back Chuba Hubbard.

McCaffrey (Achilles) remains listed as questionable for Sunday's game against the Buccaneers, but he's on track to play and expressed confidence that he's take on his usual workload in his season debut, Mike Garafolo of NFL Network reports.

While he notes that the 49ers plan to keep an eye on McCaffrey's usage while he makes his return from the bilateral Achilles tendinitis that has sidelined him all season, Garafolo relays that he "wouldn't be surprised" if the star running back is "in that ballpark" of around 20 touches. Garafolo's report of the 49ers' confidence in McCaffrey's health supports what Adam Schefter of ESPN reported few hours earlier, when Schefter noted that San Francisco's coaching staff believes the 28-year-old could have played in Week 9 had the team not been on bye. Even if McCaffrey ends up under some sort of light restriction with his snaps and touches in Week 10, fantasy managers who have been stashing him on the bench or in an injured-reserve slot all season shouldn't hesitate to activate him Sunday.

Brooks (knee) is inactive for Sunday's game against the Giants in Munich, Joe Person of The Athletic reports.

The Panthers brought Brooks back from the reserve/non-football injury list Wednesday, but the decision to activate him may have had more to do with the running back's 21-day evaluation window coming to a close rather than him being deemed ready for game action. Brooks proceeded to turn in a trio of full practices for the second week in a row and had been listed as questionable heading into Sunday, but before turning him loose for his NFL debut, the Panthers will give the rookie running back more time to rebuild strength in his knee from the torn ACL he suffered Nov. 12 of last year during his final collegiate season at Texas. After the Germany game, the Panthers are on bye Week 11, so assuming Brooks experiences no setbacks during Week 12 practices, he should suit up Nov. 24 against the Chiefs. Brooks is likely to begin his career in a complementary role in the backfield behind Chuba Hubbard, whom Carolina signed to a four-year extension earlier this week.

McCaffrey (Achilles), who is officially questionable for Sunday's game against Tampa Bay, is expected to play, Adam Schefter of ESPN reports.

McCaffrey is set to make his season debut after sitting out San Francisco's first eight games due to Achilles tendinitis. The extent of McCaffrey's expected workload isn't known, but the All-Pro running back is in line to start, and the 49ers believe he could have played last week, per Schefter. McCaffrey's return should be a big boost to fantasy managers who invested substantial capital in the star ball carrier in drafts this season, and it will also result in Jordan Mason -- who ranks fourth in the NFL with 685 rushing yards -- shifting to a backup role.