NFL Player News

Mostert (knee) doesn't have an injury designation for Sunday's game against the Lions, David Furones of the South Florida Sun Sentinel reports.

Even though Mostert moved from full participation in practice Wednesday to limited activity Thursday and Friday, his lack of a designation heading into the weekend seemingly implies that his reps were capped mainly for maintenance purposes. Coming off a Week 7 outing against the Steelers in which he turned a season-high 21 touches into 109 yards from scrimmage and a touchdown, Mostert profiles as a strong fantasy option in his matchup with a Lions defense that has surrendered 412.2 yards and 32.3 points per game, the worst marks in the NFL by a fair margin.

Elliott (knee) is listed as doubtful for Sunday's game against Chicago, Jori Epstein of Yahoo Sports reports.

The Cowboys want to see Elliott on Saturday before ruling him out, but everything points in that direction with the team heavily favored to beat the Bears ahead of a Week 9 bye. Elliott didn't practice at all this week, and his role likely would be scaled back in the unlikely event he plays. Tony Pollard is expected to get the start, with Malik Davis and/or Qadree Ollison coming up from the practice squad to provide depth.

Mitchell (knee) could be a candidate to return from injured reserve after the 49ers' Week 9 bye, Matt Barrows of The Athletic reports.

Mitchell is eligible to come off IR at any point, but a potential target date may be difficult to pinpoint until the 49ers clear him to resume practicing. The running back looks as though he may be close to doing that, as Barrows notes that Mitchell was spotted running and working out off to the side during Friday's practice. Even if Mitchell makes it back for San Francisco's first post-bye game Week 10 versus the Chargers on Nov. 13, he'll likely be headed for a complementary role out of the backfield after serving as the 49ers' lead back prior to suffering an MCL sprain of his right knee back in Week 1. The 49ers acquired 2019 first-team All-Pro Christian McCaffrey last week, and he'll likely end up seeing the overwhelming majority of the backfield snaps and touches while he's healthy.

Coach Sean McVay suggested Friday (ankle) that Williams won't be activated for Sunday's game against the 49ers, Stu Jackson of the Rams' official site reports.

Williams was designated Wednesday to return from injured reserve, opening a 21-day window for the Rams to activate him or put him back on IR for the rest of the season. They may bring him back as soon as Week 9 at Tampa Bay, as the current backfield situation is less than optimal with Cam Akers still sidelined for non-injury reasons and a candidate to be traded. Darrell Henderson (illness) and Malcolm Brown figure to lead the way Sunday against the Niners.

Akers (personal) has been ruled out for Sunday's game against San Francisco, Stu Jackson of the Rams' official site reports.

The news is a formality after head coach Sean McVay said Wednesday that Akers wouldn't practice with the team this week. The 2020 second-round pick could be traded in the coming days, as he doesn't seem to be on good terms with the Rams. Darrell Henderson (illness) and Malcolm Brown are the running backs on the active roster, with Kyren Williams (knee) potentially coming back from injured reserve soon.

Conner (ribs) has been ruled out for Sunday's game at Minnesota, Darren Urban of the Cardinals' official site reports.

Darrel Williams (knee) is a game-time decision, potentially giving the Cardinals a third backfield option alongside Eno Benjamin and Keaontay Ingram, both of whom scored touchdowns in a Week 7 win over New Orleans. There's a good chance Benjamin keeps the lead role even if Williams plays, but it would still add risk to have another body involved. Despite making it back to limited practice participation this week, Conner will miss a third straight game.

Williams doesn't have an injury designation ahead of Sunday's matchup against the Colts, Nicki Jhabvala of The Washington Post reports.

Williams has missed back-to-back games due to a knee injury, but he returned to practice during Week 8 prep and is expected to be available Sunday. The veteran running back has played primarily on special teams this season and is firmly planted behind Brian Robinson, Antonio Robinson and J.D. McKissic on the running back depth chart.

Pollard is expected to start Sunday against the Bears in place of Ezekiel Elliott (knee), Michael Gehlken of The Dallas Morning News reports.

The Cowboys are sending signals they plan to hold Elliott out until after their Week 9 bye, leaving practice-squad players Malik Davis and Qadree Ollison as the likely options behind Pollard, who had 132 total yards and two touchdowns the only other time Elliott missed a game the past four years (Week 15 of 2020). It's a good opportunity for Pollard to see much more than his usual 11.1 touches per game, with the Cowboys playing at home against a sub-.500 team on short rest.

Hill rushed four times for 28 yards and wasn't targeted in Thursday's 27-22 win over the Buccaneers.

Hill looked spry in limited action, but Kenyan Drake was the primary beneficiary of Gus Edwards' departure due to a hamstring injury, as Drake turned seven carries and four targets into 67 scrimmage yards and a touchdown. With J.K. Dobbins (knee) on IR, Hill could step into a larger role alongside Drake if Edwards isn't ready to return in Week 9 against the Saints.

Interim head coach Steve Wilks said Friday he has a "lot of confidence" in Blackshear, who will handle an increased role Sunday against the Falcons with Chuba Hubbard (ankle) ruled out, Joe Person of The Athletic reports.

The undrafted rookie out of Virginia Tech initially earned a practice squad spot in Buffalo before signing with the Panthers on Sept. 21. A little more than a month later, Blackshear played his first offensive snaps in the NFL, taking two carries for a loss of five yards in a 21-3 win over the Buccaneers in Week 7. He also has eight kick returns for 224 yards this season, and his role this Sunday could include a considerable amount of the work on passing downs. D'Onta Foreman is the likely starter and lead runner, after taking 17 touches for 145 yards in the win over Tampa Bay. Wilks said Spencer Brown may be called up from the practice squad to provide the team with a third healthy back this weekend.