NFL Player News

Vaughn rushed five times for 27 yards in the Buccaneers' 38-3 win over the Bears in Week 7.

Vaughn logged just eight snaps from scrimmage, but he was busy with them. The five carries were the first of the season for Vaughn, who's been active for four games overall but had only seen action on special teams until Sunday. As long as the top backfield trio of Ronald Jones, Leonard Fournette and Giovani Bernard is healthy, Vaughn appears destined for the most minimal of roles on offense.

Wilson (knee) has a chance to practice next week, Jennifer Lee Chan of NBC Sports Bay Area reports.

Wilson already has missed the requisite six games in which to be activated from the reserve/PUP list, but his recovery from meniscus surgery in late May was always expected to extend until midseason. The 49ers are closing in on the midpoint of their schedule, and a return to the practice field next week would give him three weeks to prove the health of his knee and put himself in position to join the backfield between Weeks 9 and 12. An appearance during the front end of that timetable seems unlikely, however, given that head coach Kyle Shanahan believes Wilson still is a few weeks away from being ready. In any case, the running back appears as if he'll begin the final stages of his recovery program in the near future.

Swift (groin) was a limited participant at Wednesday's walk-through practice.

Per usual, the Lions continue to manage Swift's groin injury, which he's been dealing with since early August. He has yet to miss any game action, though, and he's even logged at least 72 percent of the offensive snaps in four straight contests, a stretch in which he's accumulated 68 touches for 364 yards from scrimmage and three touchdowns. In the same time span, backup running back Jamaal Williams has a 49-197-0 stat line, respectively. Clearly, Swift is the lead back in Detroit's offense, and with a receiving corps without much firepower outside of tight end T.J. Hockenson (ankle/knee), the former is weekly lineup lock for fantasy managers.

Chubb (calf) logged a limited practice Wednesday, Nate Ulrich of the Akron Beacon Journal reports.

Chubb didn't practice at all last week, so his limited participation Wednesday is a step in the right direction. The running back previously relayed that he hopes to play Sunday against the Steelers, but his availability hinges on how his calf responds to the work he does at practice this week. If Chubb remains out or is limited at all this weekend, D'Ernest Johnson would continue to see an expanded role in the Browns' rushing attack, with Kareem Hunt (calf) still on injured reserve.

The Colts listed Hines as a limited participant on Wednesday's estimated practice report due to an injury to his ribs.

Top back Jonathan Taylor (ribs) was also listed as limited Wednesday, but so far there's nothing to suggest that either player is in danger of missing Sunday's game against the Titans. Hines is coming off a Week 7 effort in which he logged eight carries for 14 yards and one catch for minus-2 yards in the Colts' win over the 49ers. Given that his involvement in the team's passing game has been limited over the last four weeks, Hines profiles as a weak fantasy option versus Tennessee.

Taylor listed as a limited participant on Wednesday's practice report with an injury to his ribs.

The Colts merely held a walk-through session, but the team estimates that Taylor would have been limited had it actually practiced. He may have gotten banged up during a busy second half in Sunday's 30-18 win over San Francisco, but the Indianapolis lead back should be ready for a key divisional matchup with Tennessee in Week 8.

Gibson (shin) was a limited practice participant Wednesday, John Keim of ESPN.com reports.

Gibson has managed to play through a hairline fracture in his shin for four consecutive outings, during which he's combined for 58 carries for 218 yards and three touchdowns to go with eight catches (on nine targets) for 29 yards. J.D. McKissic, Gibson's backfield mate, has actually out-snapped the latter over the last two contests, but he's only accounted for 39 touches for 232 yards from scrimmage and one score during that same four-game stretch. Considering Gibson was again limited Wednesday, he doesn't seem to be in danger of sitting out Week 8 in Denver.

Sanders (ankle) wasn't present at practice Wednesday, Josh Tolentino of The Philadelphia Inquirer reports.

Sanders' absence comes as no surprise after head coach Nick Sirianni called Sanders "week to week" Monday as a result of the low-ankle sprain that knocked him out of the Eagles' Week 7 loss at Las Vegas. Sirianni also wouldn't rule Sanders out from making it all the way back to play Sunday in Detroit, leaving the running back with two practices to prove his health. In the event Sanders is sidelined this weekend, he'll yield backfield reps to some combination of Kenneth Gainwell and Boston Scott, while Jordan Howard may also be elevated from the practice squad to bolster the backfield depth.

Evans (hamstring) won't participate in Wednesday's practice, Charlie Goldsmith of The Cincinnati Enquirer reports.

Evans' absence from the Bengals' first Week 8 practice comes after he was limited exclusively to a special-teams role in Sunday's 41-17 win over the Ravens. Head coach Zac Taylor said Monday that Evans is considered day-to-day with the lingering hamstring injury, so the rookie should be in good position to suit up this weekend against the Jets if he's able to return to practice in some fashion Thursday and/or Friday.

Chubb hopes to play Sunday against the Steelers, but he needs to see how his calf injury responds in practice this week before a decision on his status is made, Nate Ulrich of the Akron Beacon Journal reports.

With that in mind, Chubb told Ulrich that his calf feels good after he put some work in Monday, but how it holds up after Wednesday's practice should give him a better idea of where's he's at in advance of the Week 8 contest. Look for the running back, who has missed the Browns' last two games, to be listed as a limited participant when Wednesday's injury report is posted.