NFL Player News

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.

Carter (ankle) won't practice Wednesday, Rich Cimini of ESPN.com reports.

According to Cimini, head coach Robert Saleh is optimistic that Carter will be able to play through a low-ankle sprain in Sunday's game against the Vikings, but for now, the running back is considered day-to-day, per Eric Allen of the Jets' official site. If Carter ends up being sidelined this weekend or is available only in a limited capacity, Zonovan Knight and Ty Johnson would be in line for added opportunities out of the backfield. Trade-deadline pickup James Robinson, who was a healthy inactive in the Jets' Week 12 win over the Bears, could also re-enter the backfield mix.

Horvath played seven of the Chargers' 66 snaps on offense and went without a carry or target in Sunday's 25-24 win over the Cardinals.

Since scoring touchdowns in both of his first two NFL games in Week 1 and 2, Horvath hasn't found the end zone and has barely been deployed as a runner or pass catcher. Though he's been active for each of the Chargers' subsequent nine contests, he's played single-digit snaps in all but one of those games and has carried three times for six yards while recording two catches for one yard on four targets over that span.

Harris, who suffered an abdominal injury in Monday's win over the Colts, avoided a major setback but is uncertain to play Week 13 against the Falcons, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reports.

Before the Steelers have a better handle on Harris' status for Sunday's matchup with Atlanta, the running back will be evaluated as the week rolls along. If Harris ends up being sidelined for the first time this season, Jaylen Warren (hamstring) and Benny Snell would be first in line to lead the Steelers' ground attack. Warren was inactive for Week 12 due to a hamstring issue, but he said Wednesday that he expects to return for Sunday's game, per Adam Schefter of ESPN.

Jaguars head coach Doug Pederson said Wednesday that he expects Etienne (foot) to play Sunday against the Lions, Mia O'Brien of 1010 XL 92.5 FM Jacksonville reports.

Pederson added that Etienne is viewed as day-to-day after playing just five snaps in last Sunday's 28-27 win over the Ravens before exiting with a left foot injury in the second quarter. Because the injury was to the same foot in which Etienne hurt during the 2021 preseason before undergoing surgery and missing his entire rookie campaign, the Jaguars were understandably cautious in choosing to hold him out for the rest of the contest. Fortunately, Etienne is dealing with what is believed to be only a minor sprain to his foot, but the running back is still expected to have his practice reps managed carefully this week. Pederson said Etienne would go through walk-through portions of Wednesday's practice, but it's unclear how Jacksonville will choose to list him on its first Week 13 injury report.

Nwangwu returned five kickoffs for 166 yards -- including one for a 97-yard touchdown -- in the Vikings' 33-26 win over the Patriots in Week 12.

Nwangwu was named the NFC Special Teams Player of the Week on the strength of his big return, becoming the third Vikings player to take home the honor this season. The second-year running back out of Iowa State has played just seven snaps on offense all season but leads the NFL with 620 kickoff return yards.

Jackson failed to record a single rush or target in Monday's 24-17 loss to the Steelers.

Jackson played just four of the Colts' 64 offensive snaps Monday. Meanwhile, Jonathan Taylor handled the vast majority of work out of the backfield, playing all but five offensive snaps in the contest. Taylor rushed 20 times for 86 yards and a touchdown, adding three catches for 12 yards. Barring an injury to Taylor, Jackson should operate as a change-of-pace back going forward. However, the 23-year-old will be extremely difficult to trust for fantasy purposes with such limited opportunities. Fantasy managers should view Jackson as nothing more than a handcuff to Taylor as the Colts are set to visit the Cowboys in Week 13.

Moss carried the ball once and wasn't targeted in Monday's 24-17 loss to the Steelers.

Moss was a complete nonfactor Monday, as the running back played just one of the Colts' 64 offensive snaps. Meanwhile, Deon Jackson played just four snaps in the contest, and Jonathan Taylor played all but five offensive snaps in the contest. With Taylor commanding such a heavy workload out of the Indianapolis backfield, Moss should remain far off the fantasy radar when the Colts visit the Cowboys in Week 13.