NFL Player News

Hunt (groin) won't participate in Wednesday's practice, Mary Kay Cabot of The Cleveland Plain Dealer reports.

Hunt tended to a groin injury during Week 4 prep, then avoided the issue until Week 13, at which point it began to affect his practice reps. His efficiency has suffered over the last five games (2.7 yards on his 46 carries), but he's also scored three rushing touchdowns during that span. The Browns are locked in as the No. 5 seed in the AFC playoffs, so there's a chance they may rest Hunt with an eye toward having him in optimal health for the wild-card round.

Pacheco won't practice Wednesday due to quadricep and shoulder injuries, Matt McMullen of the Chiefs' official site reports.

Pacheco's quad contusion looks to be the greater concern for the running back than the shoulder issue, which he had managed along with a concussion leading up to his past weekend's 25-17 win over the Bengals. Though Pacheco appeared healthy while he proceeded to rack up 165 yards from scrimmage and a touchdown on 25 touches in the Week 17 victory, the Chiefs could take a cautious approach with him heading into this Sunday's regular-season finale with the Chargers. The Chiefs are locked in as the No. 3 seed in the AFC playoffs, so Pacheco looks to be a prime candidate to see a reduced workload Sunday, or potentially sit out the contest entirely. If Pacheco is out or limited this weekend, Clyde Edwards-Helaire, La'Mical Perine and practice-squad member Keaontay Ingram could see added opportunities out of the backfield.

Vaughn was placed on injured reserve Wednesday with an ankle injury, Todd Archer of ESPN.com reports.

After a promising preseason, Vaughn failed to carve out a prominent role in the regular season. The 5-foot-6 running back out of Kansas State was frequently left inactive on game days and finishes his rookie campaign with 23 carries for 40 yards, as well as seven catches on as many targets for 40 yards.

Mitchell profiles as the next man up to lead the San Francisco backfield in Sunday's game against the Rams with Christian McCaffrey (calf) having been ruled out for Week 18, Nick Wagoner of ESPN.com reports.

Though head coach Kyle Shanahan has classified the injury McCaffrey suffered in the Week 17 win over the Commanders as a "mild" right calf strain, the 49ers won't take any chances with their star tailback in a regular-season finale that has no implications with San Francisco having already clinched a first-round bye and homefield advantage throughout the NFC playoffs. Mitchell is thus in the line to draw the Week 18 start, though given his own history of knee concerns, he may not necessarily handle the near-every-down, high-volume role out of the backfield that McCaffrey typically takes on. To that end, Matt Barrows of The Athletic suggests that Jordan Mason -- and perhaps even practice-squad member Tyrion Davis-Price -- could see heavy workloads Week 18, meaning that Mitchell may not represent as appealing of a DFS option as he may seem on the surface if the 49ers elect to be cautious with his usage.

Mason could get significant playing time at running back Sunday against the Rams, Matt Barrows of The Athletic reports.

Mason has mostly played special teams this season,, sitting behind Christian McCaffrey (calf) and Elijah Mitchell on the depth chart for offense when the latter two backs have both been healthy. Week 18 may be another story, however, as the Niners have locked up the top playoff seed in the NFC and won't have McCaffrey available for their final regular-season game. The calf injury McCaffrey suffered Week 17 might also make the team more cautious with his top backup, Mitchell, who has a lengthy injury history of his own. It thus won't come as any surprise if Mason and/or practice-squad member Tyrion Davis-Price ends up leading the ground attack this Sunday against the Rams.

Brown rushed three times for five yards and caught both of his targets for 23 yards in Sunday's 25-17 loss to the Chiefs.

Brown continued to operate as the Cincinnati's No. 2 running back, playing 11 of the Bengals' 74 offensive snaps Sunday. With limited usage behind veteran Joe Mixon, the rookie's fantasy utility is suppressed within the Cincinnati offense. The Bengals are eliminated from playoff contention heading into Sunday's season finale versus the Browns, so it's possible the coaching staff could look to deploy Brown in more of an even timeshare with Mixon in an attempt to get a glimpse into the future.

Johnson rushed five times for 22 yards in Sunday's 27-21 win over the Patriots.

Johnson played 13 of the Bills' 69 offensive snaps Sunday, operating as the No. 3 running back behind James Cook and Latavius Murray. In nine games this season, Johnson has now recorded just 29 carries for 127 yards with six catches for 53 yards and a touchdown. He's not seeing enough work in Buffalo's offense to be a consideration for fantasy purposes as the Bills wrap up their regular season against the Dolphins in Week 18.

Murray had one carry for zero yards and failed to reel in his only target during Sunday's 27-21 win over the Patriots.

Murray has just the one carry over the past two games and hasn't exceeded 32 percent of the offensive snaps in any of the past four games. With James Cook thriving in the bellcow role and quarterback Josh Allen tied for second in the league with 15 rushing touchdowns, it's only scraps left for Murray and Ty Johnson, and now practice-squad member Leonard Fournette is even an option. All of this makes Murray a role player, not a fantasy target.

Demercado hauled in one of three targets for nine yards but didn't record a carry during Sunday's 35-31 victory at Philadelphia.

In a Cardinals backfield paced by James Conner, Demercado appeared to be making some headway, with 14 touches for 120 yards from scrimmage and a rushing touchdown in the previous two contests. Instead, Michael Carter was the main backup to Conner on Sunday, producing 67 total yards and a receiving TD catch on eight touches. Neither Demercado (12 percent) nor Carter (17 percent) had big snap shares. After another huge Conner performance (133 yards from scrimmage, two TDs on 27 touches), Demercado and Carter are vying for scraps on a weekly basis ahead of Sunday's game against the Seahawks.

Carter compiled 61 rushing yards on seven carries and caught a six-yard touchdown on his only target during Sunday's 35-31 win in Philadelphia.

Carter accounted for three of the Cardinals' six longest plays of Week 17, all of them runs (21, 18 and 16 yards). He has been alternating with Emari Demercado as Arizona's primary backup to James Conner, who again dominated the backfield with 27 touches for 133 total yards and two TDs on Sunday. Given the lack of consistent work, Carter will be tough to trust in the team's season finale Sunday versus the Seahawks.