NFL Player News

Cook (groin) has been ruled out for Sunday's game against Atlanta, Chad Graff of The Athletic reports.

The obvious becomes official, leaving Alexander Mattison as the lead man in the Minnesota backfield, with Mike Boone and Ameer Abdullah being the depth options. A Week 7 bye could allow Cook to avoid any additional absences, with him perhaps returning as soon as Week 8 against the Packers (Nov. 1). He hasn't been able to practice since suffering an adductor strain in the second quarter of a Week 5 loss to the Seahawks.

Gordon (illness) was sent home Friday as a precaution, Mike Klis of 9News Denver reports.

Per Klis, the running back was feeling ill, but his issue is not COVID-related, and Gordon has tested negative for the virus. Gordon's status for Sunday's scheduled game against the Patriots was already worth monitoring after the running back was cited for driving under the influence late Tuesday. Additionally, New England's practice was canceled Friday due to a positive COVID-19 test, so there are several variables in play here with regard to Gordon and his team as the weekend approaches.

Cook (groin) isn't practicing Friday, Ben Goessling of the Minneapolis Star Tribune reports.

Cook isn't expected to play in Sunday's game against the Falcons, but he could avoid any further absences with the Vikings on bye in Week 7. In the meantime, Alexander Mattison will take over the lead role in the backfield, with Mike Boone and Ameer Abdullah providing depth.

The Titans activated Blasingame (illness) from the reserve/COVID-19 list Friday, Jim Wyatt of the Titans' official site reports.

Blasingame wasn't able to suit up versus Buffalo on Tuesday, but he now looks on track to return for Sunday's tilt against the Texans. The fullback normally contributes only as a blocker on offense and as a special-teams asset.

Edwards-Helaire is expected to have competition for RB reps in the near future following the Chiefs' reported signing of Le'Veon Bell, per Adam Teicher of ESPN.com.

According to Dan Graziano of ESPN.com, Bell must complete five days of COVID-19 testing before he'll be eligible to play for Kansas City, so Edwards-Helaire no doubt will retain his status as the starting running back Monday in Buffalo. Beyond that point, Bell will be a legit contender for work out of the backfield. Edwards-Helaire kicked off his career with 138 rushing yards and one touchdown Week 1 against the Texans. In four games since then, though, he's been more of a dual threat, not surpassing 65 yards on the ground in any contest but still putting up at least 80 yards from scrimmage three times.

Wilson didn't practice Thursday due to a calf injury.

Wilson was clear of the 49ers' injury report Wednesday, so this issue may have occurred in practice. How the team lists him Friday will provide a sense of his ability to play Sunday versus the Rams, but an absence Week 6 would leave the backfield in the hands of Raheem Mostert, Jerick McKinnon and JaMycal Hasty.

Gordon (personal) practiced fully Thursday, Aric DiLalla of the Broncos' official site reports.

Gordon, who was cited late Tuesday on DUI and speeding charges, was sent home by the team Wednesday and didn't participate in practice. Per Ryan O'Halloran of The Denver Post, coach Vic Fangio has yet to commit to having Gordon active for Sunday's game against the Patriots. "We'll make a decision as it relates to us by game time," Fangio noted Thursday. Even if the Broncos don't decide to deactivate Gordon on Sunday, the running back will likely face NFL discipline down the road. For his part, O'Halloran believes that "reading between Fangio's words suggests Gordon will be in uniform if the Broncos believe the league's likely suspension is enough of a punishment."

Moss (toe) practiced fully Thursday, Chris Brown of the Bills' official site reports.

Moss thus appears on track to be available Monday against the Chiefs after not playing since Week 2. What his Week 6 role might be is unclear, however, with starter Devin Singletary on hand along with T.J. Yeldon, who was effective in a change-of-pace role in Tuesday's loss to the Titans.

McNichols (ribs) was a limited participant in Thursday's practice, Erik Bacharach of The Tennessean reports.

McNichols' ability to take a step forward from no activity on Wednesday's estimated practice report suggests he's trending in the right direction for Sunday's game against the Texans. Perhaps more importantly for McNichols' fantasy outlook, fellow running back Darrynton Evans (hamstring) landed on injured reserve Thursday, per Jim Wyatt of the Titans' official site. With Evans now set to miss at least Tennessee's next three games, McNichols should be relatively unchallenged for the change-of-pace role behind bell cow Derrick Henry in the short term.

Gibson (toe) practiced fully Thursday, John Keim of ESPN.com reports.

One day removed from having limitations on his practice reps, Gibson handled all of them. After earning 11 touches Week 1, he's averaged 14.8 touches for 72.8 yards from scrimmage per game and scored three TDs over the last four contests. Considering he's earning most of the RB touches for Washington, Gibson will look to strike Sunday against a Giants defense that has allowed 172.8 total yards per game to running backs this season.