NFL Player News

Montgomery (illness) was a full participant in Friday's practice.

Montgomery was one of eight Bears who didn't take part in Thursday's walk-through session on account of an illness. All but one of those players returned to the field Friday as full participants, temporarily alleviating some concern about a team-wide COVID-19 breakout. With that in mind, Montgomery looks poised to handle his usual three-down role Monday against the Vikings.

The 49ers have ruled Mitchell (concussion/knee) out for Sunday's game against the Falcons, Nick Wagoner of ESPN.com reports.

According to David Lombardi of The Athletic, head coach Kyle Shanahan said that Mitchell is expected to be removed from the concussion protocol later Friday, but the swelling the running back continues to deal with in his knee is considered serious enough to keep him out for a second straight game. Per Nick Wagoner of ESPN.com, Shanahan admitted that he's hopeful, though "not optimistic" that Mitchell will be ready to go for Week 16, when the 49ers will be facing a quick turnaround for a Thursday night game in Tennessee. Jeff Wilson is expected to carry the load at running back for San Francisco for at least one more game, with receiver Deebo Samuel likely mixing in for reps out of the backfield as well.

Sanders (ankle) was a full practice participant Friday, Jeff McLane of The Philadelphia Inquirer reports.

The same goes for Jordan Howard (knee), with coach Nick Sirianni confirming Friday that both running backs will play in the Week 15 contest against Washington on Tuesday. It's a friendly enough matchup for multiple backs to be productive, though guarantees are few and far between with Howard and Boston Scott likely mixing in behind Sanders, who ran for a season-high 120 yards last week while sharing the backfield with rookie Kenneth Gainwell (rather than Scott/Howard).

Gibson and Washington will no longer play the Eagles on Sunday, after the NFL officially rescheduled the matchup between the two teams for Tuesday at 7 p.m. ET.

Due to ongoing COVID-19-related issues within Washington's organization, the NFL is hopeful that by delaying the game two days, the Football Team will restore enough players from the reserve/COVID-19 list to alleviate depth concerns on the roster. Assuming the game is held Tuesday as expected, Gibson could be on track to fill a three-down workhorse role out of the Washington backfield, as pass-catching specialist J.D. McKissic hadn't resumed practicing as of Thursday and may not be on track to clear the five-step concussion protocol.

Gordon (thumb/hip) is listed as questionable for Sunday's game against the Bengals after practicing in a limited fashion this past week, Aric DiLalla of the Broncos' official site reports.

Fellow running back Javonte Williams (knee) is also listed as questionable for the contest but should be fine, per coach Vic Fangio. Given that Gordon practiced all week, we suspect he'll be a go Sunday as well, but it will still be worth verifying the duo's status leading up to Sunday's 4:05 ET kickoff. Assuming both backs are active, they'll continue to work in a backfield time-share in Week 15.

Conner (ankle) is listed as questionable for Sunday's game in Detroit, Darren Urban of the Cardinals' official site reports.

Coach Kliff Kingsbury said Friday that he expects both Conner (ankle) and Chase Edmonds (ankle) to play this week, with the latter set to return from IR after missing four games. Conner isn't likely to continue his high-end RB1 production down the stretch, but he did score eight TDs over the first eight weeks of the season with Edmonds healthy, and Conner's strong performance over the past month could give him a larger share of the backfield workload compared to September/October. The ankle injury may also be a factor, of course, but it sounds like Conner is feeling much better after returning to practice Friday as a limited participant. The Cardinals and Lions are scheduled for a 1 ET kickoff this Sunday.

Williams (knee) is listed as questionable for Sunday's game against the Bengals after returning to a limited practice Friday, Aric DiLalla of the Broncos' official site reports.

Fellow running back Melvin Gordon (thumb/hip) is also listed as questionable for the contest after practicing in a limited fashion this past week, but it's worth noting that coach Vic Fangio previously told reporters Williams was "fine" and wouldn't have any limitations this weekend. That said, it will still be worth confirming the duo's availability in advance of Sunday's 4:05 ET kickoff, but assuming both backs are active, they'll continue to work in a backfield timeshare -- one that resulted in Williams (73 rushing yards, 10 receiving yards, two touchdowns) and Gordon (111 rushing yards, two touchdowns) both posting big numbers in Denver's 38-10 win over the Lions in Week 14.

Penny and the Seahawks will no longer play the Rams on Sunday, after the NFL officially rescheduled the matchup between the two teams for Tuesday at 7 p.m. ET.

Due to ongoing COVID-19-related issues within the Rams organization, the NFL is hopeful that by delaying the game two days, Los Angeles will be able to restore enough players from the reserve/COVID-19 list to alleviate depth concerns on the roster. The two-day delay could also provide sufficient time for practice-squad member Adrian Peterson (lower back) to recover from injury and for Alex Collins (illness) to return from the reserve/COVID-19 list, but Penny still looks on track to lead the Seattle backfield following a big Week 14 outing against the Texans in which he carried 16 times for 137 yards and two touchdowns.

Jones (knee/illness) has no injury designation for Sunday's game in Baltimore, Jeff Zrebiec of The Athletic reports.

Neither illness nor a minor knee injury figures to have much impact on Jones' workload after he returned to practice Friday as a limited participant. He's lost more work to AJ Dillon of late, yet remains a must-start in the vast majority of fantasy formats with 927 total yards and nine TDs in 12 games this year.

Swift (shoulder) has been ruled out for Sunday's game against the Cardinals.

Swift still hasn't practiced since suffering an AC joint injury and now will miss a third straight game. With Jamaal Williams (illness) still on the reserve/COVID-19 list as of Friday afternoon, the Lions again may be left with Craig Reynolds, Godwin Igwebuike and Jermar Jefferson as backfield options.