NFL Player News

McCaffrey rushed 18 times for 85 yards and a touchdown and secured all five targets for 34 yards in the 49ers' 30-12 win over the Giants on Thursday night.

McCaffrey didn't put up the same level of numbers as he had in the first two weeks, but it wasn't necessary in a game when San Francisco re-established a double-digit lead early in the fourth quarter after also having enjoyed one in the first half. The latter advantage came courtesy of McCaffrey, who recorded a four-yard scoring rush with 1:40 remaining in the second quarter to extend a 10-3 lead. McCaffrey eclipsed the 100-yard mark in the first pair of contests, but the extra rest he got Thursday night combined with the additional time off before a Week 4 home matchup against the Cardinals on Sunday, Oct. 1 should be highly beneficial to San Francisco's most explosive player.

Barkley isn't playing Thursday at San Francisco due to a "high-ankle sprain," Taylor Rooks reported on NFL on Prime's broadcast.

It's thus no shock that Barkley isn't suiting up four days removed from suffering an ankle injury at the tail end of this past Sunday's win in Arizona. But considering high-ankle sprains often are accompanied by multi-game absences, his status for Week 4 and beyond now is in question. The Giants don't play again until Monday, Oct. 2 against the Seahawks, so Barkley does have a bit more time to recover than normal. If Barkley needs to miss more than one game, Matt Breida should be the main beneficiary out of New York's backfield, with Gary Brightwell and Eric Gray also available for lingering RB reps.

Miller (hamstring) practiced in full Thursday, Katherine Terrell of ESPN.com reports.

For a second consecutive day, Miller was listed as a full participant on the Saints' injury report, only on this occasion the team actually held a session Thursday. The rookie third-round pick appears to have paved the way for his pro debut Sunday at Green Bay, which could be fruitful for him with Jamaal Williams (hamstring) trending toward an absence. As for the rest of New Orleans' backfield, Alvin Kamara has one game to go in his suspension and Eno Benjamin (Achilles) is on IR, leaving Miller, Tony Jones (12-34-2 rushing line Week 2) and practice-squad members Kirk Merritt and Jordan Mims as the team's options at the position in Week 3.

Pacheco (hamstring) was a limited participant in Thursday's practice.

Pacheco was withheld from Wednesday's session due to the hamstring issue, but his return to practice in a limited fashion a day later suggests he's not dealing with an overly severe injury. The running back isn't in the clear for Sunday's game against the Bears just yet, however. The Chiefs may want to see Pacheco replicate his limited practice activity Friday or upgrade to full participation before clearing him to handle lead-back duties this weekend.

Gainwell (ribs) practiced in a limited fashion Thursday.

Gainwell got the Week 1 start out of the Eagles backfield and managed 74 yards from scrimmage on 18 touches. He emerged from that contest with a rib injury that ended up sidelining him for last Thursday's win against the Vikings. Fellow running back D'Andre Swift took advantage of Gainwell's absence, taking 28 carries for 175 yards and one touchdown while adding three catches (on three targets) for six yards. Swift likely will remain Philadelphia's No. 1 RB for the foreseeable future, even when Gainwell is cleared for game action. Having said that, Boston Scott didn't practice Thursday because he's in the concussion protocol, which could allow Gainwell to be the primary backup behind Swift on Monday in Tampa Bay, assuming Gainwell is active.

Achane could serve as the top backup to starting running back Raheem Mostert in Sunday's game against the Broncos with Salvon Ahmed (groin) looking unlikely to play and with Jeff Wilson (ribs/finger) on injured reserve for at least two more games, Joe Schad of The Palm Beach Post reports.

After sitting out Week 1 while getting extra time to recover from a preseason shoulder injury, Achane made his NFL debut in the Dolphins' Week 2 win at New England. Though he handled only a limited role, Achane made the most of his five snaps on offense, carrying once for a five-yard gain and reeling in his lone target for a four-yard gain. Ahmed currently sits directly behind Mostert on the depth chart, but after missing practices Wednesday and Thursday, he appears to be trending toward sitting out this Sunday. An Ahmed absence would pave the way for Achane to step in as the No. 2 option out of the backfield, which would likely come with an increase in both snaps and touches even while Mostert continues to dominate the work.

Patterson (thigh) was a non-participant at Thursday's practice.

Patterson has been tending to a thigh injury since mid-August that sidelined him for the first two games of the campaign. Still, he avoided the Falcons' first Week 3 practice report entirely Wednesday before popping up Thursday as a DNP. There's no telling if Patterson suffered a setback with the aforementioned health concern, but his status now will be one to watch as the week goes on. If Patterson isn't able to suit up Sunday at Detroit, Atlanta will continue to deploy Bijan Robinson and Tyler Allgeier out of its backfield.

Evans (hamstring) is no longer listed on the Bengals' injury report ahead of Monday night's Week 3 game against the Rams, Paul Dehner Jr. of The Athletic reports.

Evans played just seven offensive snaps in the Week 1 loss and then missed last week's game against the Ravens. He's been no threat to Joe Mixon's workload and might even be behind Trayveon Williams on the depth chart, a context that limits Evans' fantasy utility.

Hall (knee) remained a limited participant at practice Thursday.

If Hall follows his practice pattern from last week, he'll return to a full session Friday to clear up any concern about his availability for Sunday's game against the Patriots. In any case, the Jets' final injury report of the week will clarify whether Hall -- who has played in both of the team's first two games after recovering from last season's torn ACL -- approaches Sunday's contest listed as questionable or free of a Week 3 injury designation.

Jones (hamstring) practiced in a limited capacity Thursday.

In his first on-field activity since pulling his left hamstring during a 35-yard catch-and-run for a touchdown during a Week 1 win in Chicago, Jones operated with a cap on his reps, but he at least looked crisp working in individual drills, which included running routes and catching passes from quarterback Jordan Love, according to Ryan Wood of USA Today. Jones will have one more chance to get back to full before the Packers potentially give him a designation ahead of Sunday's game against the Saints.