NFL Player News

Jacobs (ankle) practiced fully Thursday.

Jacobs was limited Wednesday, but his return to a full session Thursday paves the way for him to continue leading the Las Vegas backfield Sunday against the Bears. With fellow back Peyton Barber (toe) listed a questionable and change-of-pace back Kenyan Drake having logged limited touches in the Week 4 loss to the Chargers, Jacobs could be busy this weekend against a Chicago defense that has allowed an average of 112 rushing yards per game to date.

Cook (ankle) was considered a non-participant for the second consecutive practice Thursday.

Cook was in a helmet and seemed to participate in some individual drills at the portion of Thursday's session open to the media, according to Chad Graff of The Athletic. Still, the Vikings put DNP next to Cook's name on their second injury report of Week 5 prep. Courtney Cronin of ESPN.com reported that Cook intends to play through his sprained right ankle Sunday versus the Lions, as he believes he's trending toward active status. Cook would allay fears that he won't by at least putting in a limited practice Friday. In any case, Minnesota has trust in backup Alexander Mattison to fill in in the backfield if Cook is limited or sidelined this weekend.

McNichols (hamstring) was a full participant in Thursday's practice, Jim Wyatt of the Titans' official site reports.

McNichols' reps were capped Wednesday in the Titans' first Week 5 practice, but his return to full activity a day later puts him on track to play Sunday in Jacksonville. Assuming Tennessee waits at least one more week to activate Darrynton Evans (knee) from injured reserve, McNichols should be on track to fill his usual change-of-pace role behind Derrick Henry on Sunday.

Jones (ankle) was limited at Thursday's practice.

Jones is mimicking exactly how he went through Week 4 prep this week -- consecutive limited sessions -- before he suited up this past Sunday against the Steelers. He was able to log 63 percent of the offensive snaps en route to 15 carries for 48 yards and three catches (on four targets) for 51 yards in that victory. Assuming he gets through Friday unscathed, too, Jones should handle a similar workload Sunday in Cincinnati.

Mixon (ankle) didn't practice Thursday, Ben Baby of ESPN.com reports.

With back-to-back practice absences to start Week 5, Mixon will need to get back on the field Friday in order to have a chance to suit up Sunday against the Packers. If he ends up limited or out this weekend, Baby notes that Samaje Perine would be in line to see added carries, with Chris Evans a candidate to see an expanded third-down role.

Hines didn't practice Thursday due to a shoulder injury.

Kevin Bowen of 107.5 The Fan Indianapolis previously noted that Hines' shoulder issue stems from getting hit on a muffed punt Week 4, but the injury didn't impact him for the rest of the game. Still, the running back's absence from practice Thursday makes his status for Monday's game against the Ravens worth monitoring. Assuming he's available for Week 5, Hines will continue to work in a change-of-pace role behind top back Jonathan Taylor.

Barkley (knee) was a full participant in Thursday's practice, Dan Salomone of the Giants' official site reports.

The Giants appear to be increasingly comfortable with the health of Barkley's surgically-repaired right knee; he hadn't been a full participant in any of the team's three other Thursday practices since the season started (New York played a Thursday night game Week 2). The team's confidence in Barkley has been evident in his increasing workload, as he's gone from playing 47 percent of the offensive snaps Week 1 to a season-high 88 percent in the Week 4 win in New Orleans. Now that Barkley is back to handling a normal snap load, fantasy managers don't have to think too hard about whether to include him in weekly lineups.

Elliott (knee) practiced in a limited capacity Thursday, David Helman of the Cowboys' official site reports.

After getting the day off Wednesday due to tightness in his knee, Elliott was back on the field Thursday, getting in some resistance work before moving on to individual drills, per Jon Machota of The Athletic. Considering his "limited" listing on the practice report, the individual work was likely the extent of Elliott's activity Thursday, but he'll have one more session this week to potentially bump up to full participation. In any case, he appears to be trending in the right direction to play Sunday against the Giants.

Swift (groin) was a limited participant in Thursday's practice.

Swift's lingering groin injury has prompted the Lions to restrict his practice reps for much of the season, but head coach Dan Campbell hasn't expressed any concern about the second-year back's availability for Sunday's game against the Vikings. Swift will still likely need to upgrade to full participation in Friday's practice to avoid taking a questionable designation into the weekend, however.

Williams (hip) was a limited participant at Thursday's practice.

Both Williams and D'Andre Swift (groin) have been limited in the Lions' first two practices of Week 5, but the coaching staff hasn't suggested that either running back is in danger of missing Sunday's game in Minnesota. Assuming both backs are active this weekend, Williams should fill a complementary role on the ground behind Swift, but the former's opportunities on passing downs have tailed off of late. Since drawing nine targets in Detroit's season-opening loss to the 49ers, Williams has tallied five receptions for 37 yards on five targets in the team's subsequent three contests.