NFL Player News

Warren (hamstring) was a full participant in Wednesday's practice, Mike DeFabo of The Athletic reports.

Earlier Wednesday, Warren said that he was on track to put an end to his one-game absence and return to action this Sunday against the Falcons, and his ability to begin the week as a full practice participant backs up his optimism. Though the undrafted rookie out of Oklahoma State has mainly served in a complementary role this season, Warren could be primed for his largest workload to date if top back Najee Harris (oblique) -- who sat out Wednesday's session -- is unable to play. Even if Harris is cleared to play this weekend, the Steelers could look to manage his snaps and lean more heavily on Warren than usual.

Harris didn't practice Wednesday due to an oblique injury, Teresa Varley of the Steelers' official site reports.

Previous reports indicated that Harris suffered an abdominal injury in Monday's win over the Colts, but the Steelers are now listing him with an oblique issue ahead of this Sunday's game against the Falcons. On the plus side in terms of the Steelers' Week 13 backfield prospects, Harris's top backup Jaylen Warren (hamstring) indicated that he has been cleared to play this weekend, a notion supported by his full practice participation Wednesday.

Warren said Wednesday that he's been cleared to return from his hamstring injury ahead of Sunday's game against the Falcons, Adam Schefter of ESPN reports.

Barring any setbacks in practice this week, Warren looks like he'll be ready to play this weekend after sitting out Monday's 24-17 win over the Colts. Warren's status is of more importance than usual, given that Najee Harris sustained an abdominal injury Monday and isn't a sure bet to suit up Week 13. Wednesday's injury report will clarify the practice participation level of Pittsburgh's top two running backs.

McCaffrey (knee) isn't practicing Wednesday, but 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan said he's hopeful the running back will play Sunday against the Dolphins, David Lombardi of The Athletic reports.

With Elijah Mitchell (knee) expected to miss the rest of the regular season, a McCaffrey absence would leave San Francisco's backfield in the hands of Jordan Mason, Tyrion Davis-Price and possibly Tevin Coleman. Receiver Deebo Samuel would also be a candidate for increased contributions in the running game. When Mitchell and then McCaffrey suffered injuries this past Sunday against New Orleans, Mason took over as the 49ers' top option, though Mason's status as the No. 3 back may have had more to do with his contributions on special teams rather than on offense. In any case, the Niners hope to mostly avoid the situation by getting McCaffrey ready for a large workload this Sunday. The star running back reportedly is dealing with a sore/irritated knee, as opposed to the structural damage Mitchell suffered.

Brightwell (illness) wasn't spotted at practice Wednesday, Dan Duggan of The Athletic reports.

Brightwell is under the weather to start Week 13 prep but will have two more opportunities to practice before the team needs to make a decision on his status for Sunday's matchup against Washington. The aliment comes at an inopportune time for the running back, who saw a career-high seven touches in the team's Week 12 loss to Dallas.

Dobbins (knee) was spotted practicing Wednesday, indicating the Ravens have designated him for return from injured reserve, Jamison Hensley of ESPN.com reports.

As promised by head coach John Harbaugh earlier this week, Dobbins' return to practice gives the Ravens a 21-day window to evaluate him for a return to the 53-man roster. Dobbins hasn't played since Week 6 while recovering from arthroscopic surgery on the same left knee in which he suffered an ACL tear last August. With his recovery from the minor surgery seemingly going well, Dobbins should rejoin Baltimore's backfield within the next few weeks, possibly as soon as this Sunday against the Broncos. It's unclear how he'll split work with Gus Edwards and the team's other running backs, at least initially, but Dobbins typically has been viewed as the lead back in Baltimore when healthy.

Gibson was a limited practice participant Wednesday due to a foot injury, John Keim of ESPN.com reports.

The foot issue may have been a factor in Gibson garnering fewer touches (12) than Brian Robinson (20) in Sunday's 19-13 win over Atlanta, after the reverse had been true the week before, when Gibson took 21 touches to Robinson's 15 in a win over Houston. It's also possible the foot injury had nothing to do with it and the Commanders simply stuck with Robinson after he got off to a strong start in the first half. Whatever the case, Gibson's ability to practice in any capacity at the beginning of the week suggests he's more likely than not to play this Sunday in a matchup between NFC East wild-card contenders.

Head coach Zac Taylor said he expects Mixon (concussion) to practice Wednesday, Marisa Contipelli of the Bengals' official site reports.

Mixon, who was inactive for this past Sunday's win over the Titans, will need to fully clear the NFL's five-step concussion protocol in order to suit up this weekend against the Chiefs. The running back's looming return to practice Wednesday has him trending in the right direction ahead of the Week 13 contest between AFC contenders.

McKinnon won't practice Wednesday due to a hamstring strain, Matt McMullen of the Chiefs' official site reports.

If the running back is able to move past the issue before Sunday's game against the Bengals, he would be in line to fill a change-of-pace role out of the backfield behind starter Isiah Pacheco, the Chiefs' lead option on the ground. Kansas City also has Ronald Jones on the 53-man roster as another candidate to handle the pass-catching role if McKinnon can't play Sunday, and veteran Melvin Gordon was added to the practice squad earlier this week and could be elevated to the roster this weekend for further insurance, if needed.

Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel said Wednesday that Mostert (knee) "should be ready to go" Sunday against the 49ers, David Furones of the South Florida Sun Sentinel reports.

McDaniel said Mostert was close to playing in this past weekend's win over the Texans, but the Dolphins elected to err on the side of caution with the running back. Assuming Mostert progresses through practice this week without any setbacks, he'll be in line to rejoin Miami's backfield this Sunday and work in tandem with Jeff Wilson, who logged 13 carries for 39 yards and a touchdown to go along with one catch for 13 yards in Miami's 30-15 win over Houston.