NFL Player News

Drake (ankle) didn't practice Thursday.

For a second consecutive day, Drake wasn't with his teammates on the practice field as he tends to a slight tear of a ligament in his ankle. He may be just one DNP away from the Cardinals ruling him out for Sunday's game against the Dolphins, but ultimately Friday's injury report will have the final say. If Drake is unable to suit up Week 9, Chase Edmonds will be Arizona's lead back, with Jonathan Ward and Eno Benjamin on hand for any reps that linger.

Taylor (illness) was a non-participant during the Patriots' practice session Thursday, Zack Cox of NESN.com reports.

In what constituted New England's longest injury report of the season Thursday, Taylor was among the 17 players who had limited or no availability at practice. The rookie out of Arizona State has not logged a game appearance for the Patriots since Week 3, though this update marks his first reported injury or illness-related absence of 2020.

Jones (calf) is listed as active Thursday at San Francisco.

As expected, Jones has done enough to show the Packers that he can play through his calf injury. With AJ Dillon (illness) and Jamaal Williams (not injury related) unavailable due to residing on the reserve/COVID-19 list, Jones should be in the mix for touches out of Green Bay's backfield. That said, Tyler Ervin and Dexter Williams are healthy and available, so Jones may merely be an emergency option Thursday.

Jacobs (knee/Illness) didn't practice Thursday.

Jacobs was listed as a full participant Wednesday, though he appeared on the Raiders' injury report with a listed knee issue. Per Paul Gutierrez of ESPN.com, the running back missed Thursday's session due to an illness. We'll circle back on Jacobs' status no later than Friday's practice to determine whether his status for Sunday's game against the Chargers is in any danger.

McKinnon and JaMycal Hasty are expected to share the load at running back Thursday against the Packers, Matt Maiocco of NBC Bay Area reports.

With Tevin Coleman (knee) exiting early in Sunday's loss to the Seahawks, McKinnon and Hasty finished the contest as the 49ers' only healthy backs. McKinnon held a 35-29 advantage in snaps, but he was largely relegated to a passing-down role, carrying three times for minus-1 yard and a touchdown while adding four receptions for 40 yards on four targets. Meanwhile, Hasty was the clear lead option on the ground, carrying 12 times (for 29 yards and a touchdown). The 49ers have ruled Coleman out for Thursday's game while Raheem Mostert (ankle) and Jeff Wilson (ankle) remain on injured reserve, so another McKinnon and Hasty timeshare should be on tap Week 9.

Hasty and Jerick McKinnon are expected to share the load at running back Thursday against the Packers, Matt Maiocco of NBC Bay Area reports.

With Tevin Coleman (knee) exiting early in Sunday's loss to the Seahawks, Hasty and McKinnon finished the contest as the 49ers' only healthy backs. McKinnon held a 35-29 advantage in snaps, but Hasty was the clear lead option on the ground, carrying 12 times (for 29 yards and a touchdown) to McKinnon's three (for minus-1 yard and a touchdown). The 49ers have ruled Coleman out for Thursday's game while Raheem Mostert (ankle) and Jeff Wilson (ankle) remain on injured reserve, so another Hasty and McKinnon timeshare should be on tap Week 9. Unless the 49ers fall behind big early and are forced into catchup mode, Hasty is a good bet to earn double-digit carries for the second week in a row.

The 49ers elevated Walter from their practice squad ahead of Thursday's game against the Packers, Nick Wagoner of ESPN.com reports.

With Jeff Wilson (ankle) joining Raheem Mostert (ankle) on injured reserve and Tevin Coleman (knee) sidelined for Week 9, Walter should serve as the 49ers' third running back behind the duo of JaMycal Hasty and Jerick McKinnon. Unless one of Hasty or McKinnon suffers an in-game injury or the contest becomes uncompetitive, Walter likely won't be a part of the backfield rotation.

The Colts listed Wilkins (groin) as a full participant on Thursday's estimated practice report.

Indianapolis held a walk-through session Thursday, but Wilkins looks like he would have been available to take every rep had the team held a traditional practice session. Now that his health apparently isn't a concern heading into Sunday's game against the Ravens, Wilkins will hope to earn a greater share of the carries out of the Indianapolis backfield after he outperformed starter Jonathan Taylor in last week's win over Detroit. With Taylor being limited to 22 yards on 11 carries in the contest, coach Frank Reich leaned more heavily on Wilkins, who rewarded the faith with season-high 89 yards and a touchdown on 20 carries. Wilkins also turned his lone target of the day into a 24-yard reception.

Jones (calf) is expected to suit up for Thursday's contest at San Francisco, pending a pregame workout, Adam Schefter of ESPN reports.

Notably, Schefter stated the Packers intend to be "careful" with Jones and see how his calf reacts to the aforementioned warmup, but they also expect him to be available to the offense. If he indeed is active, Jones may only be used in an emergency with two other healthy bodies (Tyler Ervin and Dexter Williams) available to the backfield. However, Jones has averaged 110 yards from scrimmage per game and scored seven touchdowns in five appearances this season, so there's still a decent chance he contributes to the box score.

Harris (ankle) was limited at practice Thursday, Zack Cox of NESN.com reports.

Harris is one of 12 players listed as limited by the Patriots and we suspect that his status for Monday night's game against the Jets is in no danger. The 2019 third-rounder carried 16 times for 102 yards and a TD in this past Sunday's loss to the Bills, but it's worth noting that Sony Michel (quad) has returned to practice and could come off IR as soon as this week. In such a scenario, he'd be an immediate threat to cut into Harris' early-down workload.