NFL Player News

Mitchell (finger) will return to practice Wednesday as a limited participant, David Lombardi of The Athletic reports.

Mitchell had surgery on his right middle finger last Tuesday and didn't practice last week or play in Sunday's win over the Jaguars. He has a shot to make it back for the 49ers' upcoming home game against Minnesota this weekend, though Eric Branch of the San Francisco Chronicle suggests Mitchell still looks "iffy" to play. His return to practice is at least a step in the right direction.

Kamara (knee) isn't present for the media-access portion of Wednesday's practice, Amie Just of The New Orleans Times-Picayune reports.

Kamara thus seems likely to miss a third straight game when the Saints host the Bills on Thursday, and now there's some question if fellow running back Mark Ingram (knee) will play. Ingram reportedly was present for the start of Wednesday's practice but then left while media members were still present. Tony Jones and Dwayne Washington are the team's healthy running backs, with the latter predominately a special teams player throughout his time in New Orleans.

The Bears ruled Williams (calf/knee) out for Thursday's game against the Lions.

Williams has been unable to practice all week and will miss his third straight game. His absence has been cushioned by the return of David Montgomery (knee) from injured reserve Week 9, with the 24-year-old immediately reclaiming a lead role out of the backfield over the past two games. Behind Montgomery, the Bears still have sixth-round rookie Khalil Herbert, who held a significant role while Montgomery was on IR. Williams will target a potential return Week 13 against the Cardinals, but he may find himself third on the depth chart and without a real role on offense.

Jefferson (ankle) is listed as questionable for Thursday's game against Chicago.

The Lions listed Jefferson as a limited practice participant Monday through Wednesday, after he sat out Sunday's 13-10 loss to the Browns. With both D'Andre Swift and Jamaal Williams healthy, Jefferson will only be the No. 3 back even if he plays, with no guarantee of snaps or touches on offense.

Barkley (ankle) was limited at Wednesday's walk-through practice, Pat Leonard of the New York Daily News reports.

In his return from a four-game absence Monday at Tampa Bay, Barkley didn't receive his typical workload, logging 59 percent of offensive snaps and 12 touches for 56 yards from scrimmage. Meanwhile, backup running back Devontae Booker was on the field for 39 percent of the plays and turned four touches into 20 total yards. Barkley's ability to fit in some practice reps after his first game action in a month in a half likely means he's good to go moving forward, but his status still will be one to watch to ensure he's available this weekend against the Eagles.

Jones (knee) is expected to take part in Wednesday's practice, Wes Hodkiewicz of the Packers' official site reports. "[Jones will be on the field] a little bit. We'll take it a day at a time and hopefully he has the ability to get back [Sunday against the Rams]," head coach Matt LaFleur said.

After suffering an MCL sprain of his right knee in the Packers' Week 10 win over the Seahawks, Jones was projected to miss 1-to-2 weeks. He already missed one game this past Sunday at Minnesota, but he's poised for his first on-field work since picking up the injury. As intimated by LaFleur, the Packers will be cautious with Jones as he attempts to get back to 100 percent, but the running back seems bound for a limited listing on Wednesday's practice report.

Phillips (ankle) won't return from injured reserve ahead of Sunday's game against the Jets, Brooks Kubena of the Houston Chronicle reports.

Since Phillips was placed on injured reserve Nov. 9, he won't even be eligible to practice until at least Nov. 30, making the Texans' Week 14 game against the Seahawks his earliest possible return date. Once healthy, Phillips will find himself in a less-crowded backfield after the Texans waived Phillip Lindsay on Tuesday.

Patterson (ankle) will practice Wednesday, Tori McElhaney of the Falcons' official site reports.

Patterson was a limited practice participant Monday through Wednesday of last week, but reports suggested he didn't do much in those sessions, and he ultimately landed on the inactive list prior to the Falcons' Thursday night loss to the Patriots. He may be ready to play 10 days later in Jacksonville, in which case Qadree Ollison could be out of a role just one week after working as Atlanta's lead runner. Mike Davis also remains in the picture, but he could be the one to lose snaps if the Falcons try to keep Ollison (or Wayne Gallman) involved in the offense.

Patterson carried the ball seven times for 23 yards in Sunday's 27-21 win over the Panthers.

Patterson was on the field for 13 of Washington's 67 offensive snaps, operating as the No. 3 running back behind both Antonio Gibson and J.D. McKissic. While Gibson and McKissic are healthy, the rookie will likely continue to see minimal work moving forward.

Williams failed to record a single carry in Sunday's 16-13 win over the Bears.

Williams played five snaps on special teams, accounting for his only game action. Though he showed potential at running back in the preseason, it is clear that the Ravens do not trust the 25-year-old enough to be a big part of the offensive game plan. Instead, the team will continue to rely on veterans Latavius Murray and Devonta Freeman to carry the load barring any additions from outside the organization. Williams should remain off the fantasy radar going into a matchup with the Browns in Week 12.