NFL Player News

The Panthers didn't activate McCaffrey (ankle) from injured reserve ahead of Thursday's game against the Falcons, Adam Schefter of ESPN reports.

After the Panthers cleared him to practice Tuesday for the first time since suffering his high-ankle sprain Week 2, McCaffrey had some hope of returning from a five-game absence this week. While McCaffrey is believed to have avoided any setbacks with his ankle in his first two practices, head coach Matt Rhule stressed that the standout back wouldn't be reinstated to the 53-man roster unless the Panthers were convinced he was 100 percent healthy. Evidently, Carolina felt McCaffrey needed some extra time to get back to full speed, though Alaina Getzenberg of The Charlotte Observer relays that the 24-year-old should be ready to go for a Week 9 matchup with the Chiefs on Nov. 8. In the meantime, Mike Davis should handle a three-down workload once again this week before likely settling into a low-usage complementary role once McCaffrey is cleared to play again.

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

Though Cook's limited activity matched his participation level from Wednesday, he appears to be trending toward returning from a one-game absence Sunday in Green Bay. As Tom Pelissero of NFL Network notes, Vikings head coach Mike Zimmer already said he expects Cook to play against the Packers, so at this point, the bigger question appears to be not if the 25-year-old suits up this weekend, but whether he faces any restrictions with his workload. According to Chad Graff of The Athletic, offensive coordinator Gary Kubiak said he doesn't think Cook will require a "pitch count" to manage the groin injury, though Kubiak noted that any decision on the extent of the running back's usage would come from position coach Kennedy Polamalu.

Jones (calf) didn't practice Thursday, Olivia Reiner of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports.

As coach Matt LaFleur mentioned Wednesday, the Packers will be "very careful" with Jones as he recovers from the strained calf he suffered in practice last week. Jones didn't suit up Week 7 at Houston, yielding the backfield to Jamaal Williams (114 yards from scrimmage, one TD) and rookie second-rounder AJ Dillon (11, zero). With no practice reps under his belt this week, Jones is trending in the wrong direction for Sunday's divisional matchup with the Vikings, but he still has one more practice to make his case for active status.

Mixon (foot) won't participate in Thursday's practice, Tyler Dragon of The Cincinnati Enquirer reports.

After he was sidelined for the first time all season in last week's 37-34 loss to the Browns, Mixon hasn't created much optimism about his chances of returning to action Sunday against the Titans. With Mixon absent from practice for the second day in a row, he may need to get back on the field in at least a limited capacity Friday just to carry a questionable designation into the weekend. If Mixon is inactive for a second straight game, Giovani Bernard would be in store for another turn as Cincinnati's lead back.

Coach Mike Zimmer expects Cook (groin) to suit up Week 8 against Green Bay, Tom Pelissero of NFL Network reports.

The Vikings seemed to express a great level of optimism about Cook's status earlier in the week, and it doesn't appear the tune has changed after Cook logged a limited practice Wednesday. As long as he continues to get through the week without any meaningful setbacks from what was considered a minor injury from the beginning, Cook should be in uniform against Minnesota's division rival. Minnesota's lead back will be facing a Packers team that gave up two touchdowns to him in a Week 1 loss and also one that happens to be giving up the second-most fantasy points per game to opposing running backs in standard formats.

McCaffrey (ankle) is unlikely to be activated from the IR in advance of Thursday's matchup against Atlanta, Tom Pelissero of NFL Network reports.

While McCaffrey is back practicing with the team this week, it was seemingly always a bit of a long shot that he'd beat his timetable and suit up Week 8 against the Falcons. He still isn't formally ruled out for the contest, but the team also has yet to activate him from IR, thus his absence from the official injury report that would have detailed his practice participation. Look for the backfield to once again be led by Mike Davis, with Trenton Cannon available if needed in a reserve capacity. McCaffrey will instead target a return Week 9 against Kansas City.

Patterson (quadriceps) did not practice Wednesday.

Patterson appears to have picked up an injury during Monday's 24-10 loss to the Rams, in which he had six offensive touches and returned four kickoffs. If the veteran special-teams ace were forced to miss any time, Darnell Mooney would stand to handle kick returns while Ryan Nall could see some snaps behind David Montgomery.

Jacobs was limited at practice Wednesday due to a knee injury, Paul Gutierrez of ESPN.com reports.

So far, the Raiders haven't suggested that Jacobs' status for Sunday's game against the Browns is in any danger, despite his lack of full activity to begin Week 8. As long as he's good to go this weekend, the running back will look to bounce back from a 10-carry, 17-yard rushing effort in last week's 45-20 loss to the 5-2 Buccaneers.

Homer (knee) won't participate in Wednesday's practice, Michael-Shawn Dugar of The Athletic reports.

Coach Pete Carroll said that Homer, who is dealing with a knee contusion, is "moving better" than he was Tuesday, indicating that the second-year running back could be doing some work on a side field to begin the practice week. Still, Homer needs to participate with the Seahawks' main group in some capacity by Friday to have a chance to play Sunday against the 49ers. If he's able to suit up, Homer could take on a larger role in the backfield rotation than normal with both Chris Carson (foot) and Carlos Hyde (hamstring) looking iffy for the Week 8 contest. In the event at least one of Carson or Hyde is available, however, Homer would likely be limited mainly to a third-down role thanks to his pass-blocking and pass-catching skills.

Harris was limited at practice Wednesday due to an ankle injury, Zack Cox of NESN.com reports.

Harris is one of eight New England players who was limited in the team's first Week 8 practice. At this stage, it's unclear if Harris' listed ankle issue is a carryover from Week 7 action or indicative of an in-practice setback. He was on the field for 21 of the Patriots' 52 offensive snaps in Sunday's 33-6 loss to the 49ers, carrying a team-high 10 times for 58 yards while catching one pass for 12 yards.