NFL Player News

Williams (quadriceps) isn't practicing Wednesday, Darren Urban of the Cardinals' official site reports.

Williams injured his quad in the second half of Sunday's 20-15 loss to the Redskins, leaving Elijhaa Penny and D.J. Foster to split backfield work in the fourth quarter. Penny likely would serve as the lead runner if Williams were to miss Sunday's game against the Giants, with Foster potentially also taking on a larger role than usual. Bronson Hill, who was re-signed Tuesday, might also factor into the backfield equation.

Mixon (concussion) practiced fully Wednesday, Paul Dehner Jr. of The Cincinnati Enquirer reports.

Mixon also practiced fully last Friday before being ruled out in advance of the Bengals' Week 15 loss to the Vikings, so it can't be assumed that he's cleared the NFL's concussion protocol just yet. That said, Mixon's continued full participation does bode well for his chances of returning to action Sunday against the Lions. Mixon had been working as the Bengals' lead back before missing the last two contests with the head injury, but he could be eased back into action in Week 16 and split snaps out of the backfield with Giovani Bernard.

Oliver will step in as the Chargers' No. 2 running back if Austin Ekeler isn't able to play with a broken hand over the team's final two games of the regular season, Dan Woike of the Los Angeles Times reports.

Ekeler has mostly made an impact on passing downs and special teams, with the latter still a potential area for contribution if he ends up playing with a club on the hand. Even if Ekeler isn't placed on injured reserve, Oliver may take over as the top backup to workhorse Melvin Gordon. The role likely won't come with many touches, and the Chargers may adjust to Ekeler's absence by using Gordon more often on passing downs.

Elliott (suspension) returned to practice Wednesday, Todd Archer of ESPN.com reports.

Elliott is expected to handle a typical workload this week, which came to pass Wednesday, when he took part in every drill in the portion of practice open to the media, according to Jon Machota of The Dallas Morning News. The running back's mere presence at practice indicates the Cowboys have made the necessary transaction, activating Elliott from the reserve/exempt list, but the team has yet to make an official move. Once Elliott is a part of the 53-man roster again, he seemingly will have to prove himself to head coach Jason Garrett in order to receive a full allotment of snaps Sunday against the Seahawks, per Archer. Assuming he does, Elliott will be licking his chops versus a Seattle defense that allowed 180 yards from scrimmage and four touchdowns to the Rams' Todd Gurley in Week 15.

Cowboys head coach Jason Garrett said Wednesday that he wanted to see how Elliott (suspension) performed in practice this week before committing to using the running back in a full-time role Sunday against the Seahawks, Todd Archer of ESPN.com reports.

Elliott will return to practice Wednesday, marking his first session with the team since Nov. 3 after the Second U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals denied his appeal for a six-game suspension. While Elliott was away from the team to serve the ban, he reportedly kept himself in shape by doing rigorous training in Mexico, offering optimism that he won't miss a beat upon returning to practice for the first time in six weeks. If Garrett is satisfied with how Elliott looks Wednesday and in the Cowboys' subsequent two sessions this week, the second-year player can probably be expected to take back his usual three-down workload Sunday, which would make him a worthy lineup option in the fantasy playoffs.

The Cardinals signed Hill to a contract Tuesday, Darren Urban of the Cardinals' official site reports.

Arizona cut Hill loose prior to Sunday's 20-15 loss to the Redskins, but he'll be brought back as insurance at running back after starter Kerwynn Williams sustained a quadriceps injury in the contest. Even if Williams is ruled out for Arizona's Week 16 game against the Giants, D.J. Foster and Elijhaa Penny would likely factor more prominently into the backfield mix than Hill.

Rodgers did not log any rushing touches and returned two kickoffs for 62 yards in Monday night's 24-21 loss to the Falcons.

Rodgers played only two snaps on offense despite Doug Martin being declared inactive due to a coach's decision. It marked the second straight week that Rodgers was left out of the ground attack altogether, as Peyton Barber was the only running back to log any rushing touches. Head coach Dirk Koetter appears content with having Rodgers limit his participation to special teams for the time being, restricting his modest fantasy value to formats that factor in return yards.

Sims brought in all four of his targets for six yards in Monday night's 24-21 loss to the Falcons.

Sims drew even with Cameron Brate for second on the team in receptions Monday, and it was the running back's second-highest catch tally of the campaign. The 27-year-old has posted at least two grabs in seven consecutive games, but he's logged only 11 rushing touches over that span. Factoring in that he was shut out of the running game entirely against Atlanta despite Doug Martin being declared inactive for the contest, it's clear Sims' modest fantasy value will remain strictly limited to deep PPR formats barring a sudden rash of multiple injuries in front of him.

The Steelers placed Conner (knee) on injured reserve Tuesday, Teresa Varley of the Steelers' official site reports.

Conner underwent surgery earlier in the day to repair the MCL in his right knee, spelling an end to the 22-year-old's rookie campaign. Though he didn't see many snaps behind bell cow Le'Veon Bell this season, Conner generally impressed in spot duty, logging 32 carries for 144 yards (4.5 average) across 14 games. The Steelers signed veteran Stevan Ridley to join Fitzgerald Toussaint in a depth role behind Bell. Conner is expected to be back to full strength for the start of the 2018 season.

Gillislee is expected to rejoin the Patriots' game-day roster Sunday against the Bills with Rex Burkhead (knee) unlikely to be available until the postseason, Mike Reiss of ESPN.com reports.

Since collecting four touchdowns in the Patriots' first two games of the season, Gillislee's inability to bust off big runs resulted in his usage declining in subsequent contests before he was effectively removed from the backfield rotation. With Dion Lewis emerging as the lead back and the more versatile Burkhead and James White representing the top complementary options, Gillislee has been inactive for the Patriots' past six games. Burkhead's absence creates a window of opportunity for Gillislee to reenter the game plan, but it's still expected that Gillislee will rank behind Lewis and White in terms of snap count. If the 5-foot-11, 219-pound Gillislee does get any carries Sunday, they would most likely come in short-yardage situations, given that he offers more size than Lewis (5-foot-8, 195 pounds) and White (5-foot-10, 205 pounds).