Gordon is dealing with minimal swelling around his sprained left ankle and is optimistic about his chances of playing Sunday against the Raiders, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reports.
Gordon was donning a walking boot after injuring the ankle in the Week 16 victory over the Jets, but it sounds like he received favorable reports from doctors when he was evaluated Tuesday. While it's still likely that Gordon's practice reps will be monitored carefully throughout the week, the running back could be ready to go by Sunday if his swelling continues to subside in the days to come. Even if that's the case, Gordon probably won't be 100 percent healthy for the regular-season finale, calling into question how effectively he'll be able to maneuver. The Chargers don't have many other attractive options on hand if Gordon isn't capable of playing a full-time role against the Raiders, as Branden Oliver is the only healthy alternative at running back with Austin Ekeler's broken ring finger expected to limit him to strictly special-teams duty for the second straight week.