NFL Player News

Head coach Kyle Shanahan said Mitchell (knee) will be activated from injured reserve before the 49ers' game Sunday against the Chargers, Cam Inman of The San Jose Mercury News reports.

The 49ers may wait until Saturday to make their Week 10 transactions official, with Mitchell and three others expected to be reinstated from IR. There was a time not so long ago when Mitchell's return would have been a leading fantasy headline for the week, but he's likely looking at a limited change-of-pace role now that the 49ers have Christian McCaffrey. If nothing else, Mitchell is worth keeping on fantasy benches for what he might do in the event of a McCaffrey absence later this season.

Taylor (ankle) doesn't have an injury designation for Sunday's game against the Raiders after practicing as a full participant Thursday and Friday.

A sprained ankle and a subsequent aggravation have kept Taylor from playing in three of the Colts' last five games, but his ability to practice fully on consecutive days to close out Week 10 prep appears to put him in a good spot on the health front as Sunday's contest approaches. Taylor should reclaim his usual role as the Colts' lead back in his return to the lineup, and the team may not have the luxury of easing him back in with a lighter workload while top backup Deon Jackson (knee) is out for the contest. The Colts have the newly acquired Zack Moss on hand and could bring up another running back from the practice squad to provide additional depth at the position, but expect Taylor to dominate the snaps and touches Sunday.

Pollard could move back into a timeshare in the backfield for Sunday's game against the Packers with Ezekiel Elliott (knee) listed as questionable but seemingly on track to be available in some capacity, Michael Gehlken of The Dallas Morning News reports.

More clarification on Elliott's role might not be known until further reports trickle in over the weekend and when the Cowboys release their inactive list 90 minutes before Sunday's 4:25 p.m. ET kickoff, but if he returns from a one-game absence, Pollard would likely see at least a slight role reduction. Before the Cowboys' Week 9 bye, Elliott's hyperextended right knee kept him out of action in a Week 8 game against the Bears, allowing Pollard to pick up the start. Though he was on the field for just 53 percent of the snaps on offense due in some part to the blowout nature of the game, Pollard logged a season-high 14 carries in the 49-29 win and finished with 131 yards and three touchdowns on the ground. Even if the matchup with Green Bay proves more competitive and if Elliott is brought back in a limited capacity, the Cowboys likely won't ask Pollard to handle much larger of a role than he held in Week 8. According to Gehlken, running backs coach Skip Peete said as recently as a week ago that the Cowboys prefer not to use Pollard for more than 30 snaps for a given game, though Pollard himself suggested that the 30-play limit wasn't a hard cap.

Williams rushed four times for 25 yards in Thursday's 25-15 loss to the Panthers.

Williams played on just nine of the Falcons' 63 offensive snaps as the team's No. 4 running back. The second-year rusher has fallen down the depth chart with the return of Cordarrelle Patterson in the past two games. Williams instead saw most of his work on special teams, playing 90% of special teams snaps in the contest. With Patterson, Tyler Allgeier and Caleb Huntley all healthy, the 24-year-old will be hard-pressed to produce for fantasy purposes going forward. Williams and the Falcons will host the Bears in Week 11.

Elliott (knee) is listed as questionable for Sunday's game in Green Bay.

Team president Jerry Jones said earlier Friday that he expected Elliott to play Sunday, though Jones admitted the Cowboys still needed to to see how the running back felt coming out of the team's final practice of the week. Elliott ended up being a limited participant for a third straight day, and possibilities for this Sunday include him being active but in a smaller-than-usual role. Backfield mate Tony Pollard also said he expects Elliott to play, but the Cowboys could take it down to a game-time call ahead of Sunday's 4:25 p.m. ET kickoff.

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

The Packers have a crowded Week 10 injury report but at least got a lot of good news on the offensive side of the ball Friday, as Jones, Aaron Rodgers (thumb), Allen Lazard (shoulder) and Sammy Watkins (knee) all avoided game designations. Jones missed the fourth quarter of last week's loss to Detroit after injuring his ankle late in the third quarter. He was a limited practice participant Wednesday through Friday, and he now will suit up against one of the NFL's better defenses.

Pierce (chest/shoulder) doesn't have an injury designation for Sunday's game against the Giants.

Pierce is in the clear for the Texans' Week 10 game after he concluded the week with a full practice Friday following limited showings Wednesday and Thursday. The rookie's restrictions in practice to begin the week may just have been maintenance-related, given that he's handled one of the heavier running-back workloads in the NFL since Week 2. Over Houston's last seven games, Pierce hasn't played any fewer than 34 snaps in any contest and is averaging 19.6 carries and 3.3 targets.

Swift (ankle/shoulder) doesn't have an injury designation for Sunday's game against Chicago, Adam Schefter of ESPN reports.

Swift will play a third straight game and should get more playing time after taking only 10 snaps (16 percent) in last week's 15-9 win over the Packers. Head coach Dan Campbell said Monday that the Lions hoped to give Swift "a little bit more" work this Sunday, while Kyle Meinke of MLive.com reports that the running back was frustrated by his lack of playing time last week. Swift was a full practice participant Friday for the first time since Week 1, after being limited Wednesday and Thursday. He'll suit up Sunday against a struggling Bears defense that's been thinned out by trades, though Swift will likely be splitting work with Jamaal Williams in a backfield that recently lost Craig Reynolds (ribs) to injured reserve.

McKinnon is listed as questionable for Sunday's game against the Jaguars with shoulder, knee and hamstring injuries, Adam Teicher of ESPN.com reports.

McKinnon had been listed on the Chiefs' injury report throughout the week, but because he turned in full practices Wednesday and Thursday, he didn't initially seem to be at any risk of missing Sunday's contest. After downgrading to limited participation Friday, however, McKinnon's status for Sunday now looks more uncertain. If McKinnon is unable to suit up against the Jaguars, Ronald Jones would likely dress as the Chiefs' third running back for the first time all season, though Isiah Pacheco and Clyde Edwards-Helaire may end up absorbing most of McKinnon's vacated snaps and touches in that scenario.

Head coach Sean McVay said the Rams will activate Williams (ankle) from injured reserve before Sunday's game against the Cardinals, Stu Jackson of the team's official site reports.

The transaction will need to become official Friday or Saturday for William to suit up Sunday. He's been practicing with the team since Oct. 26, after suffering a high-ankle sprain on special teams in the season opener. The rookie may now get his shot on offense given the unsettled state of the Rams backfield.