NFL Player News

Johnson (knee) was a limited participant at practice Wednesday.

Johnson was able to play through his knee injury in Jacksonville's Week 14 loss to Cleveland, so his presence on the practice field in any capacity three days later suggests that he avoided any setbacks. He'll look to increase his workload at one of the team's two remaining practice sessions ahead of Sunday's matchup with the Ravens.

Demercado (neck) practiced in a limited fashion Wednesday, Darren Urban of the Cardinals' official site reports.

Demercado left Arizona's last game Week 13 at Pittsburgh in the first quarter to be evaluated for a concussion in addition to a neck injury. He eventually was ruled out of the contest, but he cleared concussion protocol, leaving him to recover from the neck issue during the team's Week 14 bye. Following the respite, Demercado will look to increase his activity level as the week goes on in order to avoid a designation ahead of Sunday's matchup with the 49ers. Assuming he's able to return to action, Demercado and Michael Carter would be the candidates for backfield reps behind starter James Conner.

Dowdle (ankle) was listed as a limited participant on Wednesday's practice report, Todd Archer of ESPN.com reports.

Dowdle has had practice restrictions before each of the Cowboys' previous four games, but he ultimately has been able to suit up on all four occasions en route to 28 carries for 95 yards and one touchdown and five catches (on five targets) for 25 yards and another score while working behind starting back Tony Pollard. Assuming he gets through Week 15 prep unscathed, Dowdle should play a similar role Sunday at Buffalo.

Jacobs (quad) is listed as questionable for Thursday's game against the Chargers.

The Raiders conducted walk-throughs Monday through Wednesday, with Jacobs estimated as a non-participant for each. While the running back's lack of on-field reps this week isn't a great sign of his chances of playing against the Chargers, interim head coach Antonio Pierce noted earlier Wednesday that "if Josh Jacobs is ready to go, this is the Josh Jacobs Show," according to Paul Gutierrez of ESPN.com. Ideally, added context with regard to Jacobs' status will arrive prior to Thursday's 8:15 p.m. ET kickoff. If Jacobs is limited Thursday or ends up inactive for the contest, Zamir White and Ameer Abdullah would represent the Raiders' top options out of the backfield.

Perine (knee/rest) didn't practice Wednesday.

Perine was estimated as a full practice participant Tuesday, but was deemed a non-participant a day later. Given that his listed absence was attributed to a combination of knee/rest, chances are Perine will be back in practice in some fashion Thursday. A return to full participation would pave the way for the running back to approach Saturday's game against the Lions minus an injury designation.

Miller (ankle) didn't practice Wednesday, Matthew Paras of The New Orleans Times-Picayune reports.

Miller still hasn't played or practiced since Week 9, when he sprained his ankle in a 24-17 win over the Bears. The rookie running back has two more chances to get in some practice activity ahead of the Saints' game against the Giants on Sunday. With the amount of time he has missed, however, Miller may need more than a practice or two to get back up to full speed.

Hall (ankle) was a limited practice participant Wednesday, Rich Cimini of ESPN.com reports.

Hall was listed as questionable with the same injury last week and ended up taking 18 touches for 126 yards and a touchdown in the Jets' 30-6 win over Houston. The Jets haven't been able to run the ball effectively this season, but Hall has remained useful for fantasy managers thanks to his key role as a pass catcher and his impressive work picking up yards after the catch. He'll likely be able to handle his usual workload Sunday at Miami.

Etienne (ribs) was a limited practice participant Wednesday.

Etienne will likely play through the rib injury for a third straight week when the Jaguars host the Ravens this Sunday. D'Ernest Johnson's role expanded a bit Weeks 11 through 13, but Etienne took on 78 percent of the snaps on offense and 18 of the 23 running back touches in a 31-27 loss to Cleveland in Week 14.

Dillon was listed as a non-participant on Wednesday's estimated injury report due to a thumb issue, Matt Schneidman of The Athletic reports.

Dillon had been dealing with a groin injury that affected his practice participation ahead of the Packers' previous three games, but it's a new health concern that he'll look to overcome in Week 15. Meanwhile, fellow running back Aaron Jones (knee) was listed as a limited participant Wednesday, but it's unclear if he'll do enough Thursday and Friday to put himself in a position to return to action Sunday versus the Buccaneers. Dillon has filled in for Jones as Green Bay's primary running back over the last three games, notching 53 touches for 246 yards from scrimmage during that span, but the situation suddenly is cloudy with Dillon's listed non-participation in practice to begin Week 15 prep.

Jones (knee) was listed as a limited participant on Wednesday's practice estimate, Matt Schneidman of The Athletic reports.

As was the case for all three of the Packers' practices in Week 14, Jones is being listed as limited to kick off Week 15 prep. Jones has now missed three straight games due a sprained MCL that he suffered Week 11 against the Chargers, but if he's able to increase his practice activity as the week unfolds, he could make his way back into the lineup this Sunday versus Tampa Bay. While Jones has been sidelined, AJ Dillon has handled most of the backfield reps for the Packers, turning 53 touches into 246 yards from scrimmage over the past three games. However, Dillon was listed as a non-participant on Wednesday's practice report due to a thumb injury. With both Jones and Dillon dealing with health concerns, Patrick Taylor represents the only healthy back on the active roster.