NFL Player News

Ward was reverted back to the practice squad Monday after playing 14 special-teams snaps in Sunday's loss to the Lions, Mason Kern of SI.com reports.

Teams can promote players from the practice squad and send them back down twice this season, and this was Ward's first reversion. The running back is buried deep down the depth chart, so he's unlikely to see much playing time on offense even if he gets called back up to the 53-man roster.

McKinnon has been diagnosed with a rib contusion in the aftermath of Sunday's 36-9 road win against the Giants, David Lombardi of The Athletic reports.

With Raheem Mostert (knee) inactive and Tevin Coleman (knee) on injured reserve, the 49ers turned to McKinnon as their lead running back Week 3. Receiving 62 percent of the snaps on offense, McKinnon accounted for 17 touches, 77 yards from scrimmage and one touchdown. After the contest, though, it was revealed that he suffered a rib injury, which has been clarified as a bruise and leaves him day-to-day. Per Cam Inman of The San Jose Mercury News, Mostert may be able to practice Wednesday, so there could be new competition for RB reps soon. Aside from McKinnon on Sunday, Jeff Wilson turned 15 touches into 69 yards from scrimmage and two TDs, while practice-squad call-up JaMycal Hasty had three touches for 19 total yards.

Coach Kyle Shanahan said Mostert (knee) will be looked at Wednesday, Cam Inman of The San Jose Mercury News reports.

The 49ers formally begin Week 4 prep with practice Wednesday, at which point the team is aiming to evaluate Mostert, among many of his injured teammates. The backfield is minus both Mostert and Tevin Coleman (knee, IR) at the moment, which left Jerick McKinnon (17 touches, 77 yards from scrimmage, one TD), Jeff Wilson (15, 69, two) and even JaMycal Hasty (three, 18, zero) to cover for their absences this past Sunday against the Giants. McKinnon himself injured his ribs in the contest, so Wilson and Hasty are the healthiest RB options for San Francisco.

Hill (coach's decision) is inactive for Sunday's game versus the Chiefs, Jamison Hensley of ESPN.com reports.

A thigh injury kept Hill out of the first two games this season, but he's healthy and will still sit out. Mark Ingram and J.K. Dobbins are expected to lead the backfield while Gus Edwards rotates in.

Evans recorded three carries for nine yards Week 3 against Minnesota.

Evans made his NFL debut and split duties as the team's backup running back with Jeremy McNichols. He had gains of four, two and three yards, making no notable impact on the game. However, the fact that he quickly earned a role in the Titans offense is encouraging for his potential in the event that Derrick Henry is sidelined at any point.

Wilkins had nine carries for 39 yards and one reception for six yards on his lone target in Sunday's 36-7 win over the Jets.

Last week, Wilkins didn't get most of his carries until later in the game when it became a blowout, but this week he was used as early as the second quarter. He played 16 snaps on offense while Nyheim Hines played 20 snaps. Wilkins is still likely the third option in the running game and likely to get more snaps than Hines when the Colts have a large lead. However, Jonathan Taylor remains the clear first option.

Swift did not log a carry but caught one of two targets for 19 yards during Sunday's 26-23 victory over Arizona.

After seeing 34 offensive snaps Week 1 and 20 in Week 2, Swift was used on just six offensive snaps Sunday while Adrian Peterson and Kerryon Johnson logged 40 and 20, respectively. Against a Cardinals team that ran a hefty 159 total offensive snaps during the first two weeks of the season, Lions head coach Matt Patricia suggested after the game that the backfield playing time was determined by Detroit's goal to "control the clock," according to Chris Burke of the Athletic. As it appears Swift is neither Detroit's first or second option when they want to do so, the rookie may be hard to trust in games when the Lions are expected to try to dominate the time of possession.

Homer could be in line for more volume following news that Carson suffered a first-degree knee sprain in Sunday's 38-31 win over the Cowboys, Adam Schefter of ESPN reports.

Carson went down with a fractured hip Week 16 last year, making Homer the de facto No. 1 RB until the team signed Marshawn Lynch for a postseason push. Homer was quite effective in place of Carson, especially as a pass catcher, reeling in 14 of 17 passes for 88 yards over four games, including the postseason. He was a bit inconsistent on the ground, but he's been more dependable this year, recording 39 yards on eight carries (4.9 YPC). Considering Homer and Carlos Hyde both recorded 16 offensive snaps Week 3, Carroll could determine the lead back Week 4 versus the Dolphins with a "hot hand" approach, a position he's been fond of in the past. Homer has a competitive advantage with his pass-catching ability -- Hyde caught just 10 passes over 16 games in 2019 -- and his speed (4.48-second 40), but he's about 27 pounds lighter than Hyde. That could make Hyde a better goal-line back if this shapes up as a timeshare, but Homer may get a majority of the work on passing downs.

Pollard did not receive a carry and caught his only target for a five-yard loss in Sunday's 38-31 defeat at the hands of the Seahawks.

Ezekiel Elliott did not have a good game, committing numerous drops, slipping in his own end zone for a safety, and averaging only 2.4 yards a carry, but even in those circumstances Pollard didn't get a chance to make an impact. It seems as though it will take an injury to Elliott for the Cowboys' No. 2 running back to have any kind of fantasy value.

Dillon did not take the field for an offensive snap in Sunday's 37-30 victory over the Saints.

Dillon had five carries late in a Week 2 blowout after recording two totes in his first game as a pro, but he did not get even one chance to run the ball Sunday with the Packers relying solely on their three veteran backs. He still has some long-term intrigue, but as things stand he's merely extra depth in the Packers backfield.