NFL Player News

Coach Anthony Lynn said Wednesday that Ekeler (hamstring) will be back "later rather than sooner," Daniel Popper of The Athletic reports.

Ekeler remains without an official timetable to return from his hamstring injury, which Lynn called "very serious." The versatile running back is eligible to return from injured reserve as soon as the Chargers' Week 8 matchup in Denver, but Lynn's comments hint that Ekeler is likely trending toward a return at the latter end of his estimated 4-to-6-week recovery period. In the meantime, Justin Jackson and Joshua Kelley will continue to spearhead Los Angeles' rushing attack.

Gordon (illness) is present at Wednesday's practice, Nick Kosmider of The Athletic reports.

Gordon missed Sunday's win over the Patriots while battling a case of strep throat, but his presence on the field to begin Week 7 prep suggests that he's made a recovery. The Broncos' first injury report of the week will reveal whether Gordon was a full practice participant, or if his reps were limited.

Mixon (foot) isn't expected to practice Wednesday, Ben Baby of ESPN.com reports.

Beyond that, coach Zac Taylor didn't have an update on Mixon's Week 7 status, so the running back's activity will need to be tracked in the Bengals' final two practices Thursday and Friday. If Mixon is limited or out Sunday against the Browns, added touches out of the backfield would be available for Giovani Bernard and Samaje Perine.

Coach Doug Pederson confirmed that Sanders (knee) won't play Thursday against the Giants.

In addition to Sanders, Pederson ruled out tight end Zach Ertz (ankle) and defensive tackle Malik Jackson (quadriceps) for the Week 7 contest. Given that the knee injury Sanders suffered in Sunday's loss to the Ravens was expected to sideline him for a 1-to-2 weeks, the running back's absence Thursday shouldn't come as a surprise. Look for the Eagles to turn to Boston Scott as their lead back versus the Giants, with Corey Clement and Jason Huntley on hand to work in complementary roles. Sanders will target a return to the lineup Nov. 1 against the Cowboys.

Patterson gained one yard on his lone rush attempt, and he caught his only target for eight yards during Sunday's 23-16 win against the Panthers.

With Chicago devoid of an experienced No. 2 running back since the season-ending injury to Tarik Cohen (knee-ACL) in Week 3, Patterson has registered 11 combined rush attempts over his past four outings. The Bears haven't yet decided to bite on any of the veteran RBs available on the free-agent market, meaning that Patterson is seemingly in line for backup duties at the position until otherwise noted. Current third-string option, Ryan Nall, has yet to garner a single carry on the season.

Breida registered 15 rushing yards on six carries, adding seven receiving yards on his two catches during Sunday's 24-0 win against the Jets.

Breida once again deferred the lion's share of the running back workload to Myles Gaskin, who handled 75 percent of Miami's RB carries in Week 6. Gaskin has garnered an average of 16.5 rush attempts per game since Week 3, but Breida has gotten slightly more involved with 15 combined carries of his own the past two games against San Francisco and New York. He had averaged 4.5 carries per game on the season prior to that. Miami heads into its Week 7 bye before returning with Tua Tagovailoa as its starting quarterback Nov. 1 against the Rams.

Pollard registered 31 rushing yards on 10 carries, also corralling two of his four targets for nine receiving yards during Monday's 38-10 loss to Arizona.

After Ezekiel Elliott lost two fumbles in a game for the first time in his NFL career, Pollard handled seven of the Cowboys' final 11 RB touches to close out the first half. Pollard's 12 offensive touches on the night outpaced his previous season high of eight, but the uptick in involvement can largely be attributed to game script, as Dallas fell into a 28-3 hole by the midpoint of the third quarter. Elliott is expected to garner a higher proportion of the RB workload next week in what figures to be a more tightly contested game, on the road against Washington.

Edmonds had five carries for 23 yards and one reception (on two targets) for six yards during Monday's 38-10 win at Dallas.

Game flow helped starting running back Kenyan Drake match his season high with 20 rushes, which translated into 164 yards and two touchdowns. Edmonds himself logged a typical offensive snap share (37 percent), but his 29 yards from scrimmage marked his second fewest of the campaign. With an average of 7.2 touches per game in 2020, he's difficult to rely upon weekly in many formats.

Sanders (knee) was listed as a non-participant on Tuesday's practice estimate.

Sanders' Week 6 was abbreviated due to a knee injury, which is expected to sideline him Thursday against the Giants. The results of an MRI have yet to be released, but his lack of practice reps so far this week indicates his first DNP of the season is imminent. If he indeed takes a seat, the Eagles will turn to Boston Scott as the lead back, with Corey Clement and Jason Huntley on hand in complementary roles.

McCaffrey (ankle) isn't expected to return for Sunday's game at New Orleans, Tom Pelissero of NFL Network reports.

Pelissero's report comes a day after coach Matt Rhule told Joe Person of The Athletic that he is unsure whether McCaffrey will be available "this week, next week or the week after." The superstar running back so far has missed four consecutive games due to a high right ankle sprain and seems poised to log a fifth DNP this weekend. Perhaps the Panthers hope McCaffrey is able to practice in the near future with an eye toward a Week 8 matchup with the Falcons on Thursday, Oct. 29, or a return Sunday, Nov. 8 in Kansas City. As long as McCaffrey is sidelined, Mike Davis will serve as Carolina's bell-cow back.