NFL Player News

Harris (concussion) doesn't carry an injury designation for Thursday's contest against the Falcons, Mike Reiss of ESPN.com reports.

Harris' lack of a designation implies that he's cleared the NFL's five-step concussion protocol after the head injury kept him from playing in the Week 10 rout of the Browns. Meanwhile, change-of-pace back Brandon Bolden (hip) is listed as questionable, but his status shouldn't have much of affect on Harris' standing as the team's top option on early downs. Though Harris is expected to return to a leading role out of the backfield Thursday, the Patriots could continue to rely on Rhamondre Stevenson to some degree after the rookie accounted for 114 yards from scrimmage and two touchdowns while starting in place of Harris in Week 10.

Williams (thigh) returned to practice Wednesday as a limited participant.

Williams should have a shot to make it back for Sunday's game in Cleveland, after sandwiching a pair of missed games around a Week 9 bye. D'Andre Swift is likely to lose some snaps and touches with Williams back in the mix, though the latter had already seen his usage decline before missing time with a thigh injury. Williams hasn't recorded even 70 total yards in a game since Week 1 and hasn't scored a touchdown since Week 3.

Kamara (knee) practiced in a limited fashion Wednesday, Nick Underhill of NewOrleans.Football reports.

One week removed from logging no practice reps before sitting out this past Sunday's loss to Tennessee due to a knee sprain, Kamara got back on the field during the first session of Week 11. It's no surprise that he had a cap on his activity, and he'll now have two more chances to bump up to full participation before week's end. There was another positive development in the Saints backfield Wednesday with Tony Jones (ankle) returning to practice, thus opening his 21-day window in which he can be activated from injured reserve. In any case, if Kamara makes the requisite progress this week and is cleared to play, he'll resume his status as the team's No. 1 running back Sunday in Philadelphia.

Patterson (ankle) is listed as questionable for Thursday's game against New England, with the Falcons treating him as a game-time decision, Michael Rothstein of ESPN.com reports.

The official designation was a foregone conclusion following reports of Patterson being a game-time call ahead of Thursday's 8:20 p.m. ET kickoff. The Falcons listed him as a limited practice participant Monday through Wednesday, providing optimism Patterson can avoid an absence after sitting out the entire second half of a blowout loss to the Cowboys on Sunday. If Patterson can't go, the Falcons will lean on Mike Davis and Wayne Gallman in the backfield.

Swift was a limited practice participant Wednesday due to a shoulder injury.

The Lions listed Swift on their injury reports with a groin issue from Weeks 1 through 8, finally removing him from the report after a Week 9 bye. He's now back on the list with a new injury, which shouldn't be too surprising after he handled 36 touches in Sunday's 16-16 tie with the Steelers. Assuming Swift is ultimately cleared for Sunday's game in Cleveland, he could face more competition for snaps and touches after No. 2 back Jamaal Williams (thigh) returned to practice Wednesday as a limited participant following a two-game absence.

Kamara (knee) is participating in practice Wednesday, Luke Johnson of The New Orleans Times-Picayune reports.

He'll presumably be a limited participant after missing each of the Saints' three practices last week and eventually being ruled out ahead of the team's loss to the Titans. Even so, Kamara's presence on the field to begin Week 11 prep suggests he has a shot to return a game in Philadelphia on Sunday.

Mitchell (finger) isn't practicing Wednesday, but 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan said he expects the running back to play in Sunday's game against Jacksonville, Nick Wagoner of ESPN.com reports.

Shanahan's comments suggest the surgery Mitchell underwent Tuesday to repair a fractured finger went well, with the running back now hoping to avoid missing time with the injury. Theres some chance the finger issue affects his workload, though it's arguably less of a concern for Mitchell than it would be for other running backs, as he's been targeted in the passing game just nine times across 270 snaps in seven games. With JaMycal Hasty (ankle) also missing practice Wednesday, the healthy running backs in San Francisco are Jeff Wilson, Trey Sermon and Trenton Cannon.

Robinson didn't practice Wednesday due to a bruised heel and a knee injury.

While Robinson continues to manage the heel issue that caused him to sit out Week 9, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network suggests that the running back's knee injury is minor and his absence from practice Wednesday was mostly precautionary. That's a notion that would be solidified if Robinson is able to practice in any capacity Thursday. Robinson is coming off a Week 10 outing against the Colts in which he played 39 of the Jaguars' 66 offensive snaps and finished with 12 carries for 57 yards and a score to go with four receptions for 27 yards.

Chubb (illness) remains on the reserve/COVID-19 list as of Wednesday, making him uncertain to play in Sunday's game against Detroit, Nate Ulrich of the Akron Beacon Journal reports.

Chubb still has time to return a pair of negative tests on consecutive days to gain clearance from the list before Sunday, but there's at least some chance of D'Ernest Johnson taking on a huge role again Week 11. In addition to the uncertainty of Chubb's status, Kareem Hunt (calf) has already been ruled out from making a return from injured reserve this weekend. Wednesday marks eight days since Chubb initially was placed on the list following a positive test for the virus.

Packers head coach Matt LaFleur said Wednesday that Taylor will need to be ready for the No. 2 running back role while Aaron Jones (knee) is unavailable, but the coach also suggested the Packers may look at other options for backup duties behind fill-in starter AJ Dillon, Tom Silverstein of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports.

With Jones expected to miss only a week or two, LaFleur likely is referring to a potential practice squad promotion to challenge Taylor, rather than bringing in a free agent from outside the organization. The Packers have Ryquell Armstead and Kerrith Whyte on their practice squad, while Taylor has been active as the No. 3 back ever since Kylin Hill suffered an ACL tear Week 8. The No. 3 role wasn't expected to come with any work outside of garbage time, but Taylor took two carries for seven yards after Jones made an early exit from Sunday's 17-0 win over the Seahawks. With that in mind, Taylor is the most likely candidate to handle No. 2 duties Sunday against Minnesota, though it may not come with many touches behind Dillon.