NFL Player News

The Bears activated Montgomery (knee) from injured reserve ahead of Monday's game in Pittsburgh, Larry Mayer of the team's official site reports.

After missing four straight games due to the knee sprain he sustained Oct. 3, Montgomery was designated to return from IR on Thursday and turned in a strong week of practice, according to head coach Matt Nagy. Though Nagy didn't go into specifics regarding what Montgomery's workload will look like in his first game in more than a month, the 24-year-old is expected to displace Khalil Herbert as the Bears' lead back and see the bulk of the team's carries Monday, per Adam Hoge of NBC Sports Chicago. Montgomery totaled 358 yards from scrimmage and three touchdowns through Chicago's first four games of the season.

McNichols recorded seven carries for 24 yards in Sunday's 28-16 win over the Rams. He added three receptions for 11 yards.

McNichols finished second on the team in carries, with Adrian Peterson commanding 10 rushing attempts and D'Onta Foreman five. McNichols ripped off a 14-yard gain but was largely held on check on the ground. Similarly, he had one reception that went for nine yards but otherwise was limited as a receiver. Though he did see an increased role on the ground as projected in the absence of Derrick Henry (foot), the Titans backfield appears to have devolved into a three-way timeshare for touches.

Kelly was placed on the reserve/COVID-19 list Monday.

Kelly has appeared in three games for the Browns this season, but he has only recorded two touches for 13 yards. His absence shouldn't affect Cleveland's backfield rotation.

Herbert is expected to shift into a complementary role Monday against the Steelers with the Bears set to reinstate lead back David Montgomery (knee) from injured reserve prior to the contest, Patrick Finley of the Chicago Sun-Times reports.

When he spoke to the media earlier Monday, head coach Matt Nagy didn't go into detail regarding what Montgomery's workload might look like in his first game back after a one-month absence, but the 24-year-old appears likely to pace the Chicago backfield in snaps and touches against the Steelers following a good week of practice. The Bears could be inclined to ease Montgomery in to some extent rather than having him immediately reclaim the 70-to-80 percent snap shares he routinely handled in 2020 and through the first weeks of the current season, but in any case there likely won't be enough work left over for Herbert to provide meaningful fantasy value. The rookie sixth-round pick at least proved to be a capable replacement over the past four weeks, averaging 4.4 yards per carry on 78 attempts while hauling in nine of 10 targets for 44 yards and scoring a touchdown.

Mattison had four carries for a total of zero yards and one reception on his lone target for three yards in Sunday's 34-31 overtime loss at Baltimore.

Mattison played just nine snaps as he has a limited backup role with Dalvin Cook at full strength. Mattison eclipsed 100 rushing yards in both spot starts when Cook has sat out this season, so he's one of the more valuable backups in the league.

Nwangwu returned a kickoff for a 98-yard touchdown and also had a nine-yard carry for a first down on a fake punt in Sunday's overtime loss at Baltimore.

He also had another kickoff return for 23 yards. Nwangwu has been limited to special teams, but his speed there can make an impact for the Vikings.

Emonds underwent an MRI on Monday that revealed a high-ankle sprain, Adam Schefter of ESPN reports.

Edmonds suffered his injury early in Sunday's Week 9 win over the 49ers and is expected to miss 3-to-4 weeks while he recovers, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL Network. It appears likely that the 25-year-old will require a stint on injured reserve, and his absence should create more opportunities for James Conner and even Eno Benjamin.

Wilson (knee) was activated off of the PUP list Sunday, but he did not record a snap in a 31-17 loss to the Cardinals.

It was a bit surprising that Wilson didn't get involved in the offensive game plan given the lack of depth San Francisco has at the running back position. The 25-year-old was a solid fantasy contributor last season, contributing 733 combined yards and 10 combined touchdowns over 12 games (seven starts). Elijah Mitchell has been a revelation for the 49ers this season, so perhaps head coach Kyle Shanahan considers Wilson as the primary backup to the starter, keeping JaMycal Hasty in a third-down role. For now, Wilson only should be considered insurance for Mitchell owners heading into a Week 10 matchup against the Rams next Monday.

Hasty had one carry for two yards and three receptions (four targets) for 11 yards in Sunday's 31-17 loss to Arizona.

The 49ers activated Jeff Wilson (knee) off of the PUP list prior to Sunday's contest, so there was a chance the veteran would usurp Hasty. Head coach Kyle Shanahan decided to keep his top two backs untouched on the depth chart, for this week at least. Neither back will have much value against the Rams next Monday so long as Elijah Mitchell remains healthy enough to start, with Wilson being the likely beneficiary in terms of fantasy for any games Mitchell is forced to miss for the remainder of the season.

Pollard carried the ball four times for 11 yards and caught one of two targets for 32 yards in Sunday's 30-16 loss to the Broncos.

Ezekiel Elliott was in and out of the lineup throughout the game due to a knee contusion, but with the Cowboys offense as a whole generally unable to get anything going, Pollard didn't get much of a chance to take advantage. He's now been held below 10 touches and 50 yards from scrimmage in both of the last two games, but if Elliott's injury proves to be serious, Pollard could see a big jump in his workload Week 10 against the Falcons.