NFL Player News

Homer (ankle) is listed as questionable for Sunday's Week 4 game against the Broncos, Courtney Cronin of ESPN.com reports.

Homer has mainly played special teams as the Bears' third or fourth running back, seeing just two offensive snaps. If he would need to miss Week 4, Homer's absence wouldn't be felt on offense.

Taylor (ankle) has increased the intensity of his workouts and appears to be ready to return from the PUP list when first eligible Week 5, Stephen Holder of ESPN.com reports.

Taylor was placed on the PUP list prior to the start of the season while he continued to rehab his surgically repaired right ankle, but the running back might have opened the campaign on the 53-man roster had he not put in a request for a trade upon reporting to camp. The Colts ultimately granted Taylor permission to seek out a trade a couple weeks after he submitted his request, but the offers Indianapolis received from inquiring teams apparently weren't satisfactory. Now that Taylor is a month removed from landing on the PUP list, it's unclear where his relationship stands with the Colts, but the 24-year-old looks as though he could be ready to play Week 5, whether it's with Indianapolis or another team. That being said, if Taylor is unwilling to rejoin the Colts at the start of the upcoming week or if the Colts elect to delay his activation from the PUP list while re-engaging in trade talks, it's possible his 2023 debut comes at a later date.

Barkley (ankle) is practicing Friday, Pat Leonard of the New York Daily News reports.

The report notes that Barkley was "moving pretty well" during individual drills in his second day back on the practice field. He returned Thursday as a limited participant and seems to be making a bid to play in Monday's game against Seattle, though it'll nonetheless be surprising if he upgrades from limited to full Friday.

Rodriguez (illness) has been ruled out for Sunday's game against the Eagles, Matthew Paras of The Washington Times reports.

Rodriguez was downgraded to DNP Thursday after being limited Wednesday. With Rodriguez on the shelf, Derrick Gore looks like a prime candidate to be promoted from the practice squad to fill RB3 duties behind Brian Robinson and Antonio Gibson.

Sanders (groin) didn't practice Friday and is listed as questionable for Sunday's game against the Vikings.

Sanders appears truly questionable after failing to practice Friday following limited showings Wednesday and Thursday. If Sanders is inactive ahead of Sunday's 1 p.m. ET kickoff, Chuba Hubbard would likely start and get most of the backfield snaps, with Raheem Blackshear being the only other back on the active roster while Tarik Cohen and Jashaun Corbin reside on the practice squad. For what it's worth, head coach Frank Reich said Friday that he's optimistic Sanders will play, according to Joe Person of The Athletic.

Reynolds did not record a carry during Thursday's win over Green Bay.

Reynolds logged one offensive snap and only made an impact returning kickoffs on special teams with David Montgomery back to carry the rushing load. Especially after proving to be more than a Montgomery injury away from a notable role, Reynolds has returned to fantasy irrelevance for the time being.

Sanders (groin) is present for Friday's practice but doesn't have a helmet, Darin Gantt of the Panthers' official site reports.

The report notes that Sanders didn't look concerned, but he may nonetheless end up with a designation on the final injury report ahead of Sunday's game against Minnesota. He dealt with a groin injury in August and was a limited practice participant Wednesday and Thursday this week. If things were to take a turn for the worse, Chuba Hubbard would step in as the Panthers' lead back and likely get at least 15 touches.

Gibbs rushed eight times for 40 yards while securing four of five targets for 11 yards during Thursday's 34-20 win over the Packers.

After logging 59 percent of the offensive snaps in Week 3, Gibbs dropped to 38 percent with the return of David Montgomery from a thigh bruise. The workload split may have been surprising simply given the questionable tag with which the latter entered the game, but the distribution of carries definitely was surprising after Montgomery handled 32 totes to Gibbs' eight. While Gibbs did see three more targets in the passing game, the rookie had minimal involvement in the red zone while Montgomery racked up three touchdowns. This overall usage makes Gibbs most valuable in full PPR formats, but it is clear his value is capped across the board with Montgomery handling so much of the rushing volume. Up next is a Week 5 matchup at home against the Panthers.

Patterson (thigh) is listed as questionable for Sunday's game against the Jaguars in London, Tori McElhaney of the Falcons' official site reports.

Patterson hasn't yet played this season, but he logged a pair of limited practices ahead of the Falcons' Week 4 tilt. It's not yet clear whether he'll be able to suit up in London, but Atlanta doesn't need to rush him along before he's fully healthy, with Bijan Robinson and Tyler Allgeier both performing well early in the season.

Montgomery rushed 32 times for 121 yards with three touchdowns while catching both of his targets for 20 yards during Thursday's 34-20 win over Green Bay.

Despite speculation over Montgomery's level of involvement coming off a thigh injury, the veteran back wound up reclaiming full control of the backfield from rookie Jahmyr Gibbs, who finished with eight carries and five targets. The extent to which he did so was nothing short of shocking, as Montgomery tied his career high in rushing attempts. With four touchdowns in his first three games with the Lions, Montgomery appears to have picked up right where Jamaal Williams left off in 2022. The good times could keep rolling in a Week 5 matchup with a Panthers team that has allowed the second-most rushing touchdowns (six) through the end of Week 3.