NFL Player News

Mixon exited Sunday's game against the Colts after sustaining a right foot injury.

Prior to his exit from the contest, Mixon had carried 11 times for 44 yards and a TD. Next up for the team's carries are Giovani Bernard and Samaje Perine.

Taylor is inactive for Sunday's game against the Broncos.

With fellow running back Sony Michel (quad/illness) unavailable, the Patriots' Week 6 backfield duties will be handled by Damien Harris, James White and Rex Burkhead.

Wilkins (calf) is active Week 6 against Cincinnati.

Wilkins was trending in the wrong direction after missing practices Thursday and Friday, but he'll ultimately end up suiting up for the home matchup. Even though Wilkins will play, expect him to concede most early-down work to Jonathan Taylor, with Nyheim Hines in line to see his regular responsibilities on passing downs.

Per Tom Pelissero on NFL Network, Cook (groin) has a "99.999 percent chance" to return for the Vikings' Week 8 game at Green Bay on Sunday, Nov. 1.

Cook was knocked from Minnesota's Week 5 loss at Seattle with what was eventually termed an adductor strain, an injury that will sideline him Sunday against the Falcons. With the benefit of a Week 7 bye, there's hope Cook will be past the issue in time for a divisional showdown with the Packers. On the season, he's averaging 20.8 touches per game, most of which are expected to filter down to Alexander Mattison in the short term. Mike Boone, C.J. Ham and Ameer Abdullah also are candidates to see work out of the backfield during Cook's absence.

Gordon (illness), who was ruled out for Sunday's game against the Patriots, is recovering from a bout with strep throat, Tom Pelissero of NFL Network reports.

Gordon didn't travel with the Broncos to New England on Saturday, ending a turbulent week for the running back, who was cited late Tuesday on DUI and speeding charges. The Broncos chose to hold him out of Wednesday's practice, but Gordon was back at work Thursday before being sent home Friday after feeling sick. Gordon was determined to be dealing with a non-COVID-19-related illness, but he'll still need a few days to recover before likely rejoining the Broncos for practice Week 7. Regarding the off-field incident, the Broncos have chosen not to fine or suspend Gordon, but the 27-year-old could be subject to punishment from the league at a later date. Recent precedent for similar cases typically entails a three-game suspension, but the NFL may elect to wait and see how Gordon's legal process plays out before levying any ban. Gordon's arraignment is scheduled for Nov. 13.

Moss (toe) practiced fully for the third straight day Saturday and does not have an injury designation heading into Monday's game against Kansas City.

Moss hasn't played since suffering the injury Week 2, and given his increased practice work to go with the fact the Bills had trouble running the ball up the middle Tuesday against Tennessee, we'd be pretty surprised if he isn't on Monday's active roster. That said, Devin Singletary is still the starter and T.J. Yeldon looked good as a change-of-pace back Tuesday, so Moss may be on a limited play count as he continues to get up to speed in his rookie season.

Gordon (illness) will not travel with the team to New England and has been ruled out ahead of Sunday's game, Mike Klis of 9News Denver reports.

The move seems to be billed as a precautionary measure although all indications suggest Gordon is not suffering from a COVID-related illness. It's unclear whether the 27-year-old's legal matters are also factoring into the decision, but in any case Phillip Lindsay, who just returned from a multi-week absence from a toe injury, will be the primary option for most of the running back reps, with Royce Freeman occasionally chipping in as a pass catcher out of the backfield.

Mattison will be the Vikings' No. 1 running back Sunday against the Falcons with Dalvin Cook (groin) sidelined for the contest, Chris Tomasson of the St. Paul Pioneer Press reports.

The Vikings made the expected move and formally ruled out Cook, who suffered an adductor strain Week 5 in Seattle. Prior to his departure in the third quarter, he had 22 touches, and he also averaged 20.5 touches through the first four games of the campaign. By the end of this past Sunday's 27-26 loss, Mattison himself racked up 23 touches for 136 yards from scrimmage, so he seems poised to handle a significant workload this weekend. As a result, he seems like a great bet to produce versus an Atlanta defense that has given up 139 total yards per game to running backs in 2020. Mattison's opportunity may be short-lived with a Week 7 bye on tap.

David Newton of ESPN.com suggests McCaffrey (ankle) may not return until Week 8 against the Falcons on Thursday, Oct. 29.

The Panthers opted not to activate McCaffrey from injured reserve this week, despite the running back reaching the three-week minimum. Because of his prognosis of 4-to-6 weeks to recover from his high right ankle sprain, he also could sit out Week 7 at New Orleans, especially with a game four days later. In any case, Carolina can open his 21-day window to return at any point moving forward, and the team likely wants to see how he holds up in practice before making a decision to add him back to the active roster. While McCaffrey continues his rehab, Mike Davis will handle backfield duties for the Panthers.

McNichols (ribs) doesn't carry an injury designation for Sunday's game against the Texans after practicing fully Friday, Terry McCormick of TitanInsider.com reports.

With Darrynton Evans (hamstring) on IR, McNichols is now slated to serve in a change-of-pace role behind top back Derrick Henry. It's a playing context that gives McNichols a modest degree of fantasy utility in deeper formats or for managers scrambling for a bye-week plug-in.