NFL Player News

Harris (chest/ribs) was present for practice Wednesday, Mike Reiss of ESPN.com reports.

The extent of Harris' participation won't be known until later Wednesday, but his presence on the field to begin the week is a positive sign after the running back was forced out Sunday's win over the Texans, first by a chest issue and then by a rib injury. That said, if Harris ends up sitting out this weekend's game against the Cowboys, Rhamondre Stevenson and Brandon Bolden would be next up for touches in New England's backfield.

McCaffrey (hamstring) will be a limited practice participant Wednesday, David Newton of ESPN.com reports.

McCaffrey was limited all of last week, too, before receiving a doubtful designation and eventually being inactive for Sunday's loss the Eagles. Though McCaffrey is starting Week 6 in similar fashion as the last, head coach Matt Rhule is hopeful that the running back will demonstrate enough progress in practice over the next three days to play for the first time since Week 3, according to Darin Gantt of the Panthers' official site. One positive sign is the fact McCaffrey is practicing in full gear Wednesday, per Newton, but he'll have two more sessions to put himself into a position to suit up this weekend versus the Vikings.

Chubb won't practice Wednesday due to a calf injury, Nate Ulrich of the Akron Beacon Journal reports.

Neither of the Browns' top two running backs will be on the field Wednesday, as Kareem Hunt (wrist, knee) is also sitting out the session. The Browns haven't indicated that either back's availability for Sunday's game against the Cardinals is in any major question, and it's plausible that their practice reps are simply being managed. In the Browns' 47-42 loss to the Chargers last weekend, Chubb logged 40 snaps and carried 21 times for 161 yards and a touchdown while catching his only target for nine yards.

Gibson (shin) isn't practicing Wednesday, Nicki Jhabvala of The Washington Post reports.

Gibson revealed last week that he's been playing through a hairline fracture in his shin, noting that the injury isn't especially painful. His workload hasn't been affectd thus far, though Gibson still cedes work on obvious passing downs to backfield mate J.D. McKissic. In terms of his rushing workload, Gibson has put up lines of 14 carries for 63 yards and a touchdown against Atlanta and 20 carries for 60 yards and two scores versus New Orleans in the two games since he was first listed as having the shin injury. He draws a nice matchup this week against a floundering Chiefs defense, though there is risk of McKissic getting more work if Patrick Mahomes and co. jump out to a big start.

Giants head coach Joe Judge said Barkley (ankle) won't participate in Wednesday's practice, Zack Rosenblatt of The Newark Star-Ledger reports.

Judge has thus far been reluctant to definitively rule Barkley out for Sunday's game against the Rams, but that appears to be a foregone conclusion after the running back suffered a left low-ankle sprain in the Giants' Week 5 loss to the Cowboys. Sources familiar with Barkley's injury expect him to miss 2-to-3 weeks, so barring a miraculous recovery over the next two days, he'll likely be ruled out for the matchup with the Rams by the end of the week. Devontae Booker stepped in as the Giants' clear lead back when Barkley exited in the loss to the Cowboys, carrying 16 times for 42 yards and a touchdown while hauling in three of four targets for 16 yards and another score.

The 49ers aren't expecting Wilson (knee) to return from the PUP list until late November, Matt Barrows of The Athletic reports.

Back on Sept. 15, David Lombardi of The Athletic relayed that the 49ers were hoping Wilson would be back around mid-season, which falls in late October/early November. Barrows' latest report would seem to suggest that Wilson isn't progressing in his recovery from meniscus surgery quite as fast as the team initially anticipated, as a Week 11 game in Jacksonville on Nov. 21 now looks like the earliest potential date for the running back to make his 2021 debut. Wilson's continued absence should give rookie Elijah Mitchell at least a one-month window to build his job security as the 49ers' No. 1 back. Mitchell played 40 of a possible 59 offensive snaps (68 percent) in last week's loss to the Cardinals, while backups Trey Sermon (two snaps), Trenton Cannon (zero) and Jacques Patrick (zero) barely factored into the game plan.

Evans secured both of his targets for 15 yards and played seven of the Bengals' 67 offensive snaps Sunday in the team's 25-22 overtime loss to the Packers.

Even with Joe Mixon limited by an ankle injury Sunday, Evans wasn't much of a factor in the offensive game plan, as top backup Samaje Perine (40 snaps, 11 carries, four receptions) was instead the primary replacement when Mixon was off the field. Mixon could be ready to handle a more sizable workload Week 7 in Detroit, but Evans may end up seeing his role expand after Perine was placed on the reserve/COVID-19 list Tuesday upon testing positive for the virus. Perine will face an uphill battle to gain clearance to play in Detroit, in which case Evans would elevate to the No. 2 role behind Mixon.

Patrick was waived by the 49ers on Tuesday.

Patrick suited up for San Francisco in its three previous games. He only saw action in Week 4, when he recorded two carries for 12 yards. He will now wait for a new opportunity, as Elijah Mitchell, Trey Sermon and Trenton Cannon are expected to handle running back duties for the team in the immediate future.

Gore was brought up to the Chiefs' active roster Tuesday.

The 26-year-old was signed to the practice squad in September but has yet to make his professional debut. With Clyde Edwards-Helaire (knee) going on injured reserve, Gore will serve as the Chiefs' third option at running back for the time being.

Brightwell failed to record an offensive snap in Sunday's 44-20 loss to the Cowboys.

Brightwell's 16 special teams snaps represented his only action in Week 5. The rookie's lack of usage in the running game was surprising considering teammate Saquon Barkley exited the game in the first quarter with an ankle injury. Instead, it was Devontae Booker and Elijhaa Penny who carried the load after Barkley's departure. Booker, the team's No. 2 back, rushed 16 times while Penny, listed as a fullback, finished the game with just one carry. Brightwell could see a modest bump to his usage on offense with Barkley sidelined again, but it appears New York doesn't view the 23-year-old as a go-to option out of the backfield. The Giants take on the Rams in Week 6, and Brightwell should remain off the fantasy radar for that contest.