NFL Player News

Patterson (ankle) was limited at Tuesday's practice, Scott Bair of the Falcons' official site reports.

Patterson emerged from the Falcons' Week 10 loss at Dallas with an ankle sprain, which may have contributed to one of his least productive performances of a breakout campaign. Overall, he had five touches and garnered 29 percent of the offensive snaps, both of which were season lows. It's still uncertain whether Patterson will have enough time to recover to play on a short week, but being listed as 'limited' on the first two Week 11 injury reports at least is a positive sign that he may suit up Thursday against the Patriots. If Patterson is unable to go, Mike Davis and Wayne Gallman will be Atlanta's options out of the backfield.

Groshek was signed to the Vikings' practice squad Tuesday, Tom Pelissero of NFL Network reports.

Groshek has yet to appear in a game during the 2021 season, though he did spend time with the Raiders during training camp. He won't serve an immediate role for Minnesota but will provide some extra depth to the backfield.

Mitchell suffered a finger fracture during Monday's game against the Rams and will undergo a procedure Tuesday, Matt Maiocco of NBC Sports Bay Area reports. His status for Sunday's game against the Jaguars is unclear at this juncture.

Mitchell has taken control of the 49ers backfield in 2021 and is coming off a season-high 27 carries in Monday's win over the Rams. Unfortunately, it appears he didn't escape the contest unscathed and will be forced to get a pin inserted in the finger, per David Lombardi of The Athletic. Coach Kyle Shanahan remains optimistic Mitchell will be able to practice and protect the finger enough to play Sunday, but the rookie back's status likely won't be confirmed until later in the week. If he's forced to sit, some combination of Jeff Wilson, JaMycal Hasty (ankle), Trenton Cannon and Trey Sermon will handle the carries.

Harris (concussion) returned to practice Tuesday, Andrew Callahan of Boston Herald reports.

After sustaining a concussion in Week 9 at Carolina, Harris didn't practice last week and ultimately was ruled out ahead of this past Sunday's game versus the Browns. He also was listed as a non-participant on Monday's estimated injury report, so Tuesday's appearance marks the first indication of progress through the protocol for head injuries. Harris' activity level will be known later Tuesday, but he still must receive clearance from an independent neurologist to be able to suit up Thursday in Atlanta.

Patterson (ankle) was present during the media-access portion of Tuesday's practice, Michael Rothstein of ESPN.com reports.

Prior to the Falcons' Week 10 defeat in Dallas, Patterson never saw fewer than nine touches and played between 33 and 73 percent of the offensive snaps on a weekly basis. On Sunday, he managed just five and 28, respectively, and afterward it was revealed he picked up a sprained ankle in the contest. There is a cloud hanging over Patterson's availability for Thursday's game against the Patriots, but after being listed as limited on Monday's practice estimate he may be poised for on-field work just two days before the aforementioned outing.

Wilson rushed 10 times for 28 yards in Monday's 31-10 win over the Rams.

It was Wilson's second game since being activated off of the PUP list, but he was kept as a healthy scratch last week against the Cardinals. JaMycal Hasty (ankle) was unable to suit up against the Rams, so Wilson took over his backup role Monday. The 25-year-old appeared to be rusty with a mark of 2.8 yards per carry, and no running back saw a target due to a run-heavy gameplan. Wilson could potentially run with the backup role in San Francisco even after Hasty heals up given his experience in Kyle Shanahan's offense and his ability to catch the ball out of the backfield.

Benjamin recorded six carries for 22 yards, returned two kickoffs for 55 yards and failed to haul in his only target during Sunday's 34-10 loss to the Panthers.

The Cardinals are without Chase Edmonds for at least three games due to a high-ankle sprain suffered in Week 9, giving Benjamin his first chance as a pro to get regular reps with the offense. While he handled a modest 28 percent share of the offensive snaps -- his second consecutive contest of at least 25 percent -- it didn't translate into much production. Meanwhile, James Conner paced the backfield with 81 percent of offensive plays and 13 touches for 64 total yards and one TD. In a backfield that has regularly been fruitful for two players this season, Benjamin should have opportunities to make an impact while Edmonds is sidelined, especially once Kyler Murray (ankle) is back in the fold.

Kelley carried the ball one time for six yards in Sunday's 27-20 loss against the Vikings.

Kelley's usage was minimal Sunday as he was only on the field for 14 percent of all offensive snaps. The second-year running back saw four less carries than Larry Rountree, a running back who has received less touches than Kelley in weeks past. In addition, Rountree received goal-line work over the 23-year-old, in which he capitalized by scoring a touchdown.

McKinnon rushed three times for 26 yards and reeled in one of his three targets for six yards Sunday against the Raiders.

McKinnon is typically viewed as primarily a pass-catching back but has reeled in only 10 of the 17 passes tossed his direction so far this season, and only has seven carries under the belt. With Clyde Edwards-Helaire (knee) on the cusp of a return, McKinnon's usage only figures to trend down moving forward.

Gord tallied six carries for 19 yards during Sunday's blowout win over the Raiders.

While Gore saw a slight bump in his playing time from the three carries he saw last week versus the Packers, the majority of his work came during the second half of a blowout contest. He's still well behind Darrel Williams in terms of carry share, and he's also got Jerick McKinnon to contend with for touches. His opportunities figure to be diluted even more soon with Clyde Edwards-Helaire (knee) nearing a return.