NFL Player News

Mitchell (shoulder) practiced Wednesday, opening a 21-day window in which he can be evaluated for a return from injured reserve, Clifton Brown of the Ravens' official site reports.

Mitchell averaged 6.0 yards per carry during the preseason, so the speedy undrafted rookie out of East Carolina could be an intriguing addition to a Baltimore backfield that consists of Gus Edwards, Justice Hill and Melvin Gordon after losing J.K. Dobbins to a season-ending Achilles tear in Week 1. Before being eligible to play, Mitchell will need to be activated from IR and added to the 53-man roster, but such a move could happen at any point in the next three weeks. If Mitchell turns in a healthy and productive week of practice from Wednesday through Friday, he could even be available as soon as Sunday's game in Pittsburgh.

Cowboys head coach Mike McCarthy said that Dowdle (hip) won't practice Wednesday, Michael Gehlken of The Dallas Morning News reports.

Dowdle suffered a hip contusion in Sunday's 38-3 win over the Patriots and will spend the Cowboys' first Week 5 practice session rehabbing the injury. He'll likely need to get back on the field Thursday or Friday to have a chance to suit up Sunday against the 49ers. If Dowdle is unable to play through the hip injury, Deuce Vaughn would be in line to work as the top backup to Tony Pollard.

Wilson (midsection) won't practice Wednesday and appears on track to remain out for the Dolphins' Week 5 game against the Giants, Cameron Wolfe of NFL Network reports.

After being placed on injured reserve Aug. 31, Wilson is eligible to resume practicing this week, but the running back doesn't seem to have made enough progress in his recovery for the Dolphins to clear him for on-field reps. Whenever the Dolphins deem Wilson ready to practice, the team will then have up to 21 days to evaluate him for a return to the 53-man roster. With Raheem Mostert and rookie De'Von Achane excelling out of the backfield through the team's first four games, Miami has little reason to rush Wilson back if he's still less than 100 percent healthy.

Jets head coach Robert Saleh said Wednesday that Cook has been showing improved speed in practice, Zack Rosenblatt of The Athletic reports.

Cook has been dreadful through four games, rushing for just 74 yards on 30 carries while adding 44 yards on eight catches. According to Saleh, Cook is still getting his legs underneath him after signing with the Jets in mid-August, but the numbers on the running back's GPS tracker in practice are improving. Saleh also said that fellow running back Breece Hall will no longer be on a pitch count after being eased in early in the season, per Rich Cimini of ESPN.com. With that in mind, unless Cook picks up the pace in games, he's likely to cede the more work to Hall in the near future.

Jets head coach Robert Saleh said Wednesday that Hall has "no pitch count anymore," perhaps implying that the running back will take on a larger workload moving forward, Rich Cimini of ESPN.com reports.

The Jets managed Hall's touches over the first four weeks of the season so as not to put as much strain on his surgically repaired knee after he tore his ACL last October. After being limited to 32 carries and 10 targets through four games, Hall should see a substantial increase in usage beginning with Sunday's game in Denver, as he had 111 combined carries and targets in seven games last season (15.9 per contest). Hall is averaging 6.6 yards per rushing attempt in 2023, while Dalvin Cook has mustered just 2.5 YPC on his 30 totes and will likely be relegated to a lower-volume change-of-pace role in the weeks to come.

Giants head coach Brian Daboll said Barkley (ankle) is slated to take part in team drills during Wednesday's practice, Pat Leonard of the New York Daily News reports.

Per Leonard, Barkley will be involved in team work for the first time since suffering a right high-ankle sprain late in the Giants' Week 2 win over Arizona. While Barkley is expected to be listed as a limited participant in the Giants' first Week 5 practice session, his presence in team drills offers hope that he could return to action Sunday against the Dolphins.

Harris rushed six times for 29 yards in Sunday's 48-20 win over the Dolphins.

Harris continued to be a disappointment for fantasy Sunday, playing the fewest snaps (16) of any Bills running back behind James Cook (23) and Latavius Murray (19). With such limited usage, Harris will be difficult to trust for consistent fantasy production, barring injuries to either Cook or Murray. Harris should face an uphill battle for carries in a Week 5 matchup with the Jaguars.

Tucker didn't play any snaps on offense Sunday in the Buccaneers' 26-9 win over the Saints.

Among Tampa Bay running backs, Tucker had logged the second-most snaps behind starter Rachaad White in each of the first three weeks but did little with his playing time, mustering just 23 yards on 15 carries and nine yards on two receptions. Tucker dropped to third on the depth chart Sunday, allowing Ke'Shawn Vaughn (nine carries for 16 yards, one reception for three yards) to see 20 snaps as the No. 2 back, with much of his production coming in garbage time. According to Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times, offensive coordinator Dave Canales said Monday that the Buccaneers felt more comfortable with Vaughn as their No. 2 back in Week 4 due to his familiarity with the Saints' pressure packages and defensive scheme, so Vaughn may not be necessarily locked in as White's top backup moving forward.

Williams handled one carry for four yards in Sunday's 27-3 loss to the Titans.

Despite operating as Cincinnati's No. 2 running back, Williams was unable to get involved in the game plan Sunday behind starter Joe Mixon. The fifth-year back played on just six of the Bengals' 53 offensive snaps in the contest, while Mixon handled 42 snaps. With such limited involvement, Williams' doesn't hold much fantasy utility, barring injuries. The Bengals are set to visit the Cardinals in Week 5.

Evans failed to record a single snap in Sunday's 27-3 loss to the Titans.

Evans did not see the field Sunday, as the veteran has fallen down the depth chart behind both Trayveon Williams and Chase Brown. With that said, Joe Mixon remains the only reliable fantasy back in this offense going forward, barring an injury. Evans should remain far of the fantasy radar going forward. The Bengals face the Cardinals in Week 5.