NFL Player News

Brown (sternum) was a full participant in practice Wednesday, Jay Morrison of ProFootballNetwork.com reports.

Brown thus is set to reprise his role as the Bengals' No. 2 back Saturday against Pittsburgh, following three straight games with at least nine touches on 18 or fewer snaps. Joe Mixon is still dominating the playing time in Cincinnati's backfield, but Brown also has emerged as a significant piece of the offense, remarkably touching the ball on 71.4 percent of his snaps over the past three weeks. The rookie out of Illinois should stay involved Saturday, though the limited playing time implies a rather low floor for fantasy production.

Dillon (thumb) was a limited practice participant Wednesday.

Prior to missing the first game of his four-year career this past Sunday versus the Buccaneers, Dillon was contained to one limited practice Friday in which he was seen wearing a large wrap to protect his broken right thumb. Ultimately, the Packers determined that ball security was too much of a concern to risk keeping Dillon active for Week 15, and he may be in a similar boat as Green Bay begins preparations for Week 16. Fellow running back Aaron Jones also had a cap on his reps Wednesday, so the statuses of the pair will need to be watched as Sunday's contest at Carolina approaches.

Jones was a limited participant at Wednesday's practice due to a knee and finger injuries, Tom Silverstein of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports.

Jones was able to put an end to a three-game absence due to an MCL sprain this past Sunday against the Buccaneers, which was timely with fellow running AJ Dillon sitting out due to a broken thumb. While logging 29 of 60 offensive snaps in the Packers' 34-20 loss, Jones took 13 carries for 53 yards and gathered in all four targets for 16 yards. At the same time, Patrick Taylor earned 26 plays on offense and three touches for two yards from scrimmage, and Kenyan Drake notched five such snaps and one rush for no gain. Both Jones and Dillon are kicking off Week 16 prep with capped sessions, so the Green Bay backfield situation will need to be monitored over the next few days to get a sense if either may be available Sunday at Carolina.

Miller (ankle) is listed as questionable for Thursday's game at the Rams.

Miller was estimated as a limited participant for Tuesday and Wednesday's walk-through practices, so his availability for Thursday seems to be a 50-50 proposition. Even if Miller gets the green light to play, he may hold only a limited depth role in the New Orleans backfield behind Alvin Kamara and Jamaal Williams.

Taylor (thumb) was listed as a full participant on Wednesday's practice estimate.

Taylor's "full" listing Wednesday -- albeit for what was a walk-through session -- has the running back trending toward a return to action Sunday against the Falcons. If Taylor -- who last suited up in Week 12 -- is able to maintain full participation Thursday and Friday, he'll even have a chance to approach Sunday's game minus an injury designation. Meanwhile, Zack Moss was deemed a non-participant Wednesday due to a forearm injury and looks to be in a worse spot on the health front after he had served as the Colts' starting running back for the past three games while Taylor was sidelined.

Mattison (ankle) wasn't spotted on the field during the portion of Wednesday's walkthrough open to the media, Kevin Seifert of ESPN.com reports.

Mattison sprained his right ankle during the Vikings' Week 14 win at Las Vegas, and while the severity of the injury hasn't been revealed, he hasn't been able to practice in the interim and missed this past Saturday's overtime loss in Cincinnati. On Wednesday, head coach Kevin O'Connell told Seifert that he wouldn't rule out Mattison for Sunday's game against the Lions, but O'Connell also implied Ty Chandler likely will be Minnesota's main running back in that contest. Mattison's activity level to begin Week 16 prep will be revealed later Wednesday.

Patterson was cut from the Chargers' practice squad Wednesday, Kris Rhim of ESPN.com reports.

Patterson has been on the team's practice squad since Sept. 13, but he never received an elevation to the active roster. The 23-year-old will work to find a new opportunity before the 2023 campaign comes to a close.

Moss (forearm) was listed as a non-participant on Wednesday's practice estimate.

Moss exited this past Saturday's 30-13 win over the Steelers with what was originally termed a shoulder injury, but the Colts have since clarified that the running back is dealing with an injury to his right forearm. The fourth-year running back notably missed the Colts' Week 1 loss to the Jaguars while recovering from a fracture of the same forearm suffered during training camp, but Indianapolis hasn't indicated that his latest injury to the forearm is nearly as serious. In fact, Moss expressed optimism Monday about his potential availability for Sunday's game against the Falcons. Even if he suits up, however, Moss could be relegated to a backup role behind Jonathan Taylor (thumb), who was listed as a full participant at Wednesday's walkthrough. Taylor missed the past three games but had been getting the majority of backfield reps at Moss's expense prior to having surgery on his thumb.

Harris (knee) was a full participant at Wednesday's practice.

Harris' absence from practice Tuesday was just precautionary, as he returned without limitations one day later. He'll once again be the favorite to lead the Pittsburgh backfield in carries Saturday against the Bengals as he usually does, though Harris still cedes a good amount of work to No. 2 option Jaylen Warren, who has logged no fewer than seven carries in any of the past seven games and appears to be Pittsburgh's preferred receiving back. Harris produced a season-high 99 rushing yards on 15 carries when these AFC North rivals faced off in Week 12, but he has just 125 rushing yards on 40 attempts over the subsequent three contests.

Johnson (shoulder) was a limited participant in practice Wednesday.

Johnson has now been listed as limited on both of the Bills' first two Week 16 practice reports, but he still seemingly has a good chance of suiting up this Saturday versus the Chargers. Assuming Johnson is cleared to play, he and Latavius Murray will work in change-of-pace roles behind lead back James Cook.