NFL Player News

Bolden (hamstring) was a limited participant in Wednesday's practice, Zack Cox of NESN.com reports.

Bolden was a new appearance on the injury report after playing Week 1 versus the Steelers and recording one carry for seven yards. The Patriots may simply be looking to keep Bolden fresh, and full participation in practice Thursday or Friday would clear up any worries.

Williams (foot) participated in practice Wednesday, Ben Baby of ESPN.com reports.

Williams missed the season opener with this foot injury, but he's now heading in the right direction. According to Tyler Dragon of The Cincinnati Enquirer, Williams said the team's plan is for him to play Sunday versus the 49ers. Although he'd still be in a timeshare with Samaje Perine behind Giovani Bernard, Williams could see increased opportunities if Joe Mixon (ankle) can't go. Keep an eye out for Friday's injury report to have the final verdict on Williams' game status.

Mixon (ankle) didn't participate in Wednesday's practice, Geoff Hobson of the Bengals' official site reports.

While Mixon said that his injured ankle is feeling better, he remains day-to-day after getting banged up in the Week 1 loss to the Seahawks. The Bengals hope to have Mixon available for Sunday's tilt against the 49ers, but if he ends up limited or ruled out for the contest, expect Giovani Bernard to handle the lead-back role.

Mixon noted Wednesday that his ankle is feeling better, Tyler Dragon of The Cincinnati Enquirer reports.

Mixon added that he's hopeful he'll be able play Sunday against the 49ers, but such an outcome is far from a lock. Another update on Mixon should come later Wednesday, when the Bengals' practice report will reveal the extent of his participation in the team's first session of the week.

Coach Bruce Arians said Jones would stick in a backup role Thursday against the Panthers with Peyton Barber retaining the staring gig at running back, Greg Auman of The Athletic reports.

Barber's starting assignment doesn't necessarily kill Jones' weekly or season-long fantasy upside, as Arians noted that he would ride the hot hand between the two backs as Thursday's game rolls along. Jones was the better producer of the two in the Week 1 loss to the 49ers, taking 13 carries for 75 yards while Barber grinded out 33 yards on eight totes. Both backs will still have to contend with Dare Ogunbowale handling the majority of the work on passing downs, but another standout showing from Jones on the ground might be enough for him to push past Barber on the depth chart heading into Week 3.

Edmonds had a five-yard carry during Sunday's 27-27 tie with Detroit. He was targeted once, but was unable to make the catch.

One carry and one target is not a great start and the timing of both paint an even less rosy picture. Edmonds' lone target came on a short pass facing third and long late in the second quarter. His lone carry was on the final play of the first half, allowing the clock to run out. Edmonds didn't get a lot of work as David Johnson's backup in 2018, and now the Cardinals are running their offense with more four-receiver sets and a quarterback who is himself a threat to run the ball. Edmonds is unlikely to get enough touches on any given week to be a fantasy factor.

Freeman accounted for 56 rushing yards on 10 carries, while also registering a five-yard catch during Monday's 24-16 loss to Oakland.

In what appeared to be a bizarro version of the 2018 Broncos backfield, it was Freeman -- and not the electrifying Phillip Lindsay -- who turned out to be Denver's most efficient rusher on a per-carry basis. Largely boosted by a 26-yard scamper that he peeled off midway through the third quarter, Freeman cruised to a 5.6 yards-per-carry clip while Lindsay was contained to fewer than 4.0 yards per rush. It's arguable that Oakland will turn into a proficient run defense with additions of Clelin Ferrell and Vontaze Burfict to the front seven, along with the arrival of rookie enforcer Johnathan Abram. But even with those additions, the Raiders' offering remains a far cry from what the Bears -- coming off a No. 1 finish in rush defense during 2018 -- will bring to the table in opposing Denver's backfield in Week 2.

Perine saw just one snap against the Seahawks on Sunday and wasn't given a carry.

The new addition from the Redskins was up against it with a short time to learn the Bengals offense, but even after Joe Mixon got hurt in the third quarter, the Bengals still didn't look for him.

Jacobs ran for 85 yards and two touchdowns on 23 carries, while adding a 28-yard reception on his only target during Monday's 24-16 win against Denver.

After fielding eight carries per game last year in the Alabama backfield alongside Damien Harris and Najee Harris, the No. 24 overall pick was thrust into a bellcow role Week 1, commanding 82.8 percent of the Raiders' running back touches. A Broncos defense that surrendered the eighth-most 20-plus yard runs last year was susceptible once again to the ground attack Monday night, allowing Jacobs to gain six-plus yards on five of his 23 carries, while twice seeing the powerful rookie back surge his way through stacked goal-line boxes to hit pay dirt from inside the five-yard line. In Week 2, Jacobs will go up against a Kansas City defense that faced just 16 rush attempts from the Jaguars on Sunday, but allowed 5.1 yards per carry on those plays.

Mostert moves up to second on the 49ers' running back depth chart with Tevin Coleman (ankle) already ruled out for Week 2, Jennifer Lee Chan of NBC Sports Bay Area reports.

We got a brief look at Mostert's potential role over the final two and a half quarters of Week 1's matchup against the Buccaneers where he rushed for 40 yards on nine carries. The 27-year-old possesses breakaway speed, as evidenced by his 7.7 YPC in a limited role last season. Matt Breida figures to see the largest share of carries against the Bengals on Sunday, but Mostert could see 30-40 percent of running back touches if last week was any indicator. Coleman currently doesn't have a firm timetable for his return, so Mostert is worth taking a mid-level flier on during the waiver period because Breida has shown signs of being injury-prone early in his career (he even left Sunday's game briefly due to dehydration before returning).