NFL Player News

The Lions reinstated Williams (illness) from the reserve/COVID-19 list Monday.

Williams missed the Lions' last two games after testing positive for the virus Dec. 10, but he looks like he'll be able to get in a full slate of practices Week 16 to put himself on track for a return to the lineup Sunday in Atlanta. Before missing time, Williams served as Detroit's lead back in the team's Week 13 win over Minnesota while D'Andre Swift (shoulder) was out of the lineup. Swift is expected to resume practicing this week and could put an end to his three-game absence in Atlanta, so Williams may be headed back to the No. 2 role for the rest of the season. Even if Swift remains out for another game, Williams may not be deployed as a three-down workhorse, given that the Lions have received quality production on the ground from Craig Reynolds over the past two weeks while the top two options have been sidelined.

Mitchell (concussion/knee) was estimated as a non-participant on Monday's injury report, Cam Inman of The San Jose Mercury News reports.

Mitchell hasn't practiced since being diagnosed with a concussion following a Week 12 loss in Seattle. He's also been bothered by knee irritation at the same time, but coach Kyle Shanahan said Monday that he's "holding out hope" that Mitchell will return for Thursday's contest at Tennessee, per David Lombardi of The Athletic. Mitchell will have two more chances to make his presence felt on the practice field before the 49ers potentially make a determination on his status for Week 15.

Bengals head coach Zac Taylor said Mixon will likely begin Week 16 prep as a limited participant in practice after injuring his left ankle in Sunday's win over the Broncos, Kelsey Conway of The Cincinnati Enquirer reports.

According to Paul Dehner Jr. of The Athletic, Taylor said reports on Mixon's ankle injury are "encouraging," so the running back looks like he'll have a good chance to play next weekend against Baltimore even if his reps are capped in practices Wednesday through Friday. Mixon handled a relatively normal snap share (59 percent) in the 15-10 win over Denver, but he struggled to find much open real estate as a runner (17 carries for 58 yards) or as a receiver (one catch for two yards).

Ekeler didn't practice Monday, but he wasn't among the seven Chargers placed on the reserve/COVID-19 list, Daniel Popper of The Athletic reports.

Popper reported earlier Monday that Ekeler was headed to the list, but the Chargers elected to forgo deactivating the running back, at least for the time being. Los Angeles won't release its first Week 16 injury report until Wednesday, so it won't be known until that time why Ekeler was kept off the field Monday. In any case, coach Brandon Staley told Popper that Ekeler is day-to-day, so the 26-year-old seemingly has a chance to play Sunday against the Texans.

Jones is in line to serve as the Buccaneers' starting running back since Leonard Fournette (hamstring) is expected to miss time, Scott Smith of the Buccaneers' official site reports.

Jones took over for the injured Fournette in the second half of Sunday's loss to the Saints and rushed eight times for 63 yards while securing both of his targets for eight yards. Although the 24-year-old had seen minimal work across the last few weeks, he's now in line to serve as the team's top running back, while Ke'Shawn Vaughn will likely be available in a complementary role.

Swift (shoulder) is expected to return to practice this week, Chris Burke of The Athletic reports.

Coach Dan Campbell said Monday that Swift still is considered "week-to-week, day-to-day" due to his injury, but the team likely will have him test the issue during practice. Whether he's available for Sunday's game against Atlanta remains to be seen, but he appears to be trending in a positive direction. If Swift remains out Week 16, Jamaal Williams (illness) and Craig Reynolds could see additional playing time.

Hasty rushed once for 13 yards and caught his lone target for three yards while losing a fumble in Sunday's 31-13 win over Atlanta.

Jeff Wilson (21-110-1) handled the bulk of the backfield rushing duties with Elijah Mitchell (knee/concussion) still sidelined, leaving Hasty in a reserve/special teams role. The 25-year-old struggled in his limited role, fumbling away the 49ers' first kickoff return. Mitchell's status for Week 16 still is in question with such a short turnaround before Thursday's matchup against the Titans, but head coach Kyle Shanahan clearly is comfortable rolling with a healthy Wilson and Deebo Samuel heading the rushing attack if Mitchell is unable to go.

Coach Kyle Shanahan said Monday that he's "holding out hope" that Mitchell (concussion/knee) will be able to play Thursday against the Titans, David Lombardi of The Athletic reports.

Mitchell has missed the last two games due to a concussion and a knee injury, but he'll apparently have a chance to return for Thursday's primetime matchup. His status will likely come into focus based on his participation in practice this week, but Jeff Wilson should handle the majority of the backfield duties if Mitchell remains out against Tennessee.

Ollison rushed once for three yards and caught his only target for four yards during Sunday's 31-13 loss to the 49ers.

Ollison played just three offensive snaps, which all came late in the fourth quarter of the blowout loss. The Falcons' running game was held in check by the 49ers' stout front seven, but it remains clear that Cordarrelle Patterson and Mike Davis will garner the majority of the touches regardless of how much success they are having. While Atlanta's offense is reliant on its running backs, Ollison likely doesn't warrant any fantasy consideration as long as the aforementioned duo is healthy.

The Chargers are expected to place Ekeler on the reserve/COVID-19 list Monday, Daniel Popper of The Athletic reports.

Ekeler is one of several Chargers headed to the list, though it's not yet clear whether the running back has tested positive for the virus. His status for Sunday's game against the Texans has yet to be determined, but Justin Jackson and Joshua Kelley should see increased playing time if Ekeler isn't cleared for Week 16.