NFL Player News

Mitchell (knee) was activated off injured reserve Saturday, Cam Inman of The San Jose Mercury News reports.

It'll be interesting to see how the 49ers use Mitchell, especially considering the team has a chance to claim the No. 1 seed in the NFC. Expect Mitchell to get a healthy dose of touches, particularly in the second half, if the 49ers continue to limit the usage of their dynamic starter, Christian McCaffrey, who didn't practice both Wednesday and Thursday for precautionary reasons.

The Chargers elevated Rountree from the practice squad Saturday for Sunday's game against the Broncos.

Rountree will be elevated for the third week in a row to end the 2022 regular season. The second-year running back logged 10 carries for 15 yards and a 13-yard reception while playing 12 offensive snaps during garbage time against the Rams in Week 17. With the Bolts already locked into a wild-card spot heading into the regular-season finale (though the Bolts need to win to get the fifth seed in the AFC should Baltimore top Cincinnati), it's possible Rountree could once again see a healthy workload if the team decides to spare top running backs Austin Ekeler and Joshua Kelley from their usual number of touches Week 18.

Jacobs (hip/oblique/personal) is listed as active for Saturday's game against the Chiefs.

According to Tom Pelissero of NFL Network, the running back didn't practice Wednesday or Thursday while spending time in Tulsa with his father, who had emergency heart surgery, per sources. However, the NFL's leading rusher will be available versus Kansas City. Assuming no setbacks with the hip and oblique issues he's managed of late, Jacobs should lead the Raiders' Week 18 backfield. If he ends up limited at all, Zamir White, Brandon Bolden and Ameer Abdullah would be candidates to log added snaps in the 6-10 team's season finale.

Jacobs (hip/oblique/personal) is in line to play Saturday against the Chiefs, Tom Pelissero of NFL Network reports.

After not practicing Wednesday or Thursday while spending time in Tulsa with his father, who had emergency heart surgery per sources, the Raiders listed the running back (who has been managing hip and oblique injuries) as questionable for the contest, but per Pelissero, Jacobs is slated to be available versus Kansas City. Official confirmation of Jacobs' Week 18 status will arrive upon the release of the team's inactives ahead of Saturday's 4:30 ET kickoff.

Horvath (ankle) is listed as questionable for Sunday's game versus the Broncos.

Horvath sustained a high-ankle sprain during the Week 16 win over Indianapolis, which left him sidelined for last Sunday's victory versus the Rams. The rookie fullback remained limited during each practice Week 18, though he'll still have a chance to suit up before the Chargers' impending playoff berth. Expect Horvath to maintain a role on offense while serving as a core special-teamer when available again.

Patterson is one of two healthy running backs on Washington's roster ahead of Sunday's matchup with Dallas, Ethan Cadeaux of NBC Sports Washington reports.

The other is journeyman Jonathan Williams, who was the No. 3 back behind Brian Robinson (knee) and Antonio Gibson (knee/foot) for most of December. With Gibson missing the final two games of the season and Robinson out for the last game, Patterson has been called up from the practice squad the past two weeks for the first time since mid-November. The 2021 undrafted free agent is thus in line to get his first touches since Week 17 of last season, when he replaced an injured Gibson and tallied 98 total yards (plus a touchdown) as the starting running back. The Commanders also have Reggie Bonnafon as an option at running back after signing him to the practice squad Thursday.

Head coach Kevin O'Connell intimated Friday that Cook and other key starters on offense and defense may not play the entirety of the Vikings' Week 18 game in Chicago, Joe Nelson of SI.com reports. "We've got a pretty clear cut plan with how we want to go about the whole game, but we're going to go in with the expectation of our guys going and try to get off to a good start and play good football," O'Connell said.

Minnesota is assured no worse than the No. 3 seed in the NFC playoffs regardless of how this weekend's games transpire, but since the Vikings will need a win over the Bears plus a Cardinals win over the heavily-favored 49ers to climb to the No. 2 seed, O'Connell may not have much incentive to expose key players to an injury heading into the wild-card round. While Cook and all of the Vikings' other starting skill-position players look poised to play at least one series, the uncertainty of whether they'll play much beyond that makes it tough to reliably project any in Week 18 season-long or DFS lineups.

Dallas (ankle) doesn't have an injury designation for Sunday's game against the Rams.

Even though Kenneth Walker and Dallas both didn't practice Wednesday or Thursday, the two running backs will approach the weekend without a designation after both logged some reps during Friday's session. Walker was a full participant in the workout, while Dallas was limited, but the latter still looks like he'll be in strong position to serve as the top change-of-pace option behind the former. Dallas' main competition for the backup role, Travis Homer (ankle), is listed as doubtful and appears likely to miss a second straight game, while the lone other running back on the active roster, Godwin Igwebuike, is typically used on special teams. While Homer was sidelined for last week's win over the Jets, Dallas was productive during his time on the field, carrying seven times for 43 yards and recording three receptions for 55 yards on four targets.

McCaffrey (ankle/knee) has no injury designation for Sunday's game against the Cardinals, Matt Maiocco of NBC Sports Bay Area reports.

McCaffrey downplayed the pair of injuries Thursday and returned to practice Friday. He'll lead the San Francisco backfield again, though perhaps with more competition for carries now that running back Elijah Mitchell (knee) is expected to be activated from injured reserve and wideout Deebo Samuel (ankle/knee) has been cleared to return after a three-week absence.

Homer (ankle) is listed as doubtful for Sunday's game against the Rams, Gregg Bell of The Tacoma News Tribune reports.

Barring some dramatic improvement in his recovery from the ankle sprain leading up to the 4:25 p.m. ET kickoff, Homer will sit out a critical regular-season finale for the Seahawks, who can punch their ticket to the postseason with a win plus a Green Bay loss to Detroit later Sunday. Assuming Homer ends up being inactive for Week 18, the Seahawks will likely turn to DeeJay Dallas to serve as the top change-of-pace option behind lead back Kenneth Walker.