NFL Player News

Williams (quadricep) doesn't have an injury designation for Thursday's game in Kansas City, Troy Renck of Denver 7 News reports.

Williams was inactive for this pat Sunday's loss to the Jets after being listed as a full practice participant Friday, but he'll get the green light to play Week 6 after full sessions Tuesday and Wednesday. He should step back in as the lead runner, albeit with Jaleel McLaughlin as a threat to steal carries and Samaje Perine as a strong candidate for some of the passing-down snaps. Prior to sitting out Week 5, Williams averaged 12 carries for 46 yards and 2.7 catches for 14 yards over the first three weeks of the season, handling snap shares ranging between 42 and 45 percent in each contest. A larger role is possible as the season progresses and Williams is further removed from last year's ACL tear, though McLaughlin's impressive performance to date will also be a factor.

Gibbs (hamstring) said that he probably won't know until Friday if he'll be healthy enough to play Sunday at Tampa Bay, Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press reports.

Gibbs strained his hamstring in practice last Friday and ended up missing Detroit's blowout win over the Panthers on Sunday. He was then held out of practice Wednesday, though he seems hopeful to get back on the field in at least a limited capacity by the end of the week. If Gibbs doesn't end up playing this weekend, the Lions will have Craig Reynolds and possibly Zonovan Knight (shoulder) as depth options behind lead runner David Montgomery. Lions running backs coach Scottie Montgomery said Wednesday that Gibbs is "right where he should be" and is deriving extra motivation from the knowledge that his early impact hasn't met outside expectations.

Barkley (ankle) practiced in a limited capacity Wednesday, Dan Salomone of the Giants' official site reports.

During the media-access portion of Wednesday's session, Barkley was operating with his right ankle heavily taped and also looked similar to how he appeared last week when he ran with the ball, per Pat Leonard of the New York Daily News. The Giants have two more chances to evaluate Barkley's health before determining whether he'll carry a designation into Sunday's game at Buffalo. Head coach Brian Daboll told Jordan Raanan of ESPN.com on Monday that Barkley's Week 6 availability has "yet to be determined."

Homer (hamstring) was unable to practice Wednesday.

The vast majority of Homer's playing time this season has occurred on special teams, as he's earned only two snaps on offense through five games. With the Bears' top two running backs in Khalil Herbert (ankle) and Roschon Johnson (concussion) also sitting out Wednesday, there's an opening for Homer to get some run on offense if he can get past his own health concern. In any case, the current healthy backs on Chicago's active roster are D'Onta Foreman, Darrynton Evans and Khari Blasingame.

Johnson (concussion) was a non-participant at Wednesday's practice.

Johnson is six days removed from suffering a concussion last Thursday in Washington, so his inability to practice yet in any fashion isn't a promising early sign for his chances of playing Sunday against the Vikings. All of Johnson, Khalil Herbert (ankle) and Travis Homer (hamstring) sat out practice Wednesday, leaving D'Onta Foreman, Darrynton Evans and Khari Blasingame as the Bears' current healthy backfield options.

Herbert (ankle) didn't practice Wednesday.

Herbert attempted to play through a balky ankle last Thursday at Washington but eventually stuck to the sidelines for roughly the last quarter or so. Afterward, he told Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.com that he expected to be "fine" moving forward, but it was later revealed by Josina Anderson of CBS Sports that Herbert was diagnosed with a high-ankle sprain. Considering such injuries are accompanied by multi-game absences, it's no surprise Herbert wasn't able to practice to begin Week 6 prep. Meanwhile, Roschon Johnson (concussion) and Travis Homer (hamstring) also sat out Wednesday's session, leaving D'Onta Foreman, Darrynton Evans and Khari Blasingame as the Bears' only healthy backfield options at the moment.

Demercado is listed behind Keaontay Ingram (neck) on Arizona's Week 6 depth chart, Bo Brack of GoPHNX.com reports.

Demercado was among the most popular waiver adds of the week after he played every single snap in the second half of Sunday's loss to Cincinnati and finished the game with 11 touches for 57 yards and a touchdown. James Conner's (knee) move to injured reserve Tuesday opens up Arizona's backfield for the next four games, but hopes of Demercado handling a heavy workload could be complicated by Ingram's expected return from a two-week absence this Sunday against the Rams. Ingram opened the season as the team's No. 2 back, with he and Demercado then sharing the backup role Weeks 2 and 3 after Ingram finished with minus-4 rushing yards in the season opener. Head coach Jonathan Gannon danced around relevant questions Wednesday, telling Brack that whomever plays will get touches.

Minnesota designated Nwangwu (back) for a return from injured reserve Wednesday, Craig Peters of the Vikings' official site reports.

The transaction opens a 21-day window for Minnesota to evaluate Nwangwu in practice before he would have to be added to the 53-man roster or remain on IR for the rest of the season. After missing the first five games of the season, Nwangwu could be available as soon as Sunday against Chicago if the Vikings are satisfied with how he looks in practice this week. Once he's activated, Nwangwu will likely step in as the Vikings' top kickoff returner and could also play running back snaps in passing situations.

Gibbs (hamstring) isn't practicing Wednesday, Justin Rogers of The Detroit News reports.

Gibbs' absence to begin Week 6 prep isn't a major surprise after he was added to the injury report last Friday, downgraded from "questionable" to "doubtful" Saturday and then made inactive ahead of this past Sunday's win over Carolina. Unless he can fit in some on-field activity Thursday or Friday, he'll be in danger of sitting out another game when the Lions travel to Tampa this weekend.

Cardinals head coach Jonathan Gannon said Ingram (neck) is expected to play Sunday against the Rams, Bo Brack of GoPHNX.com reports.

If so, Ingram will return from a two-game absence at a convenient time, with the Cardinals having placed James Conner (knee) on injured reserve Tuesday. Emari Demercado played every snap on offense in the second half of Sunday's loss to Cincinnati, and while the rookie remains the best bet to step in as Conner's primary replacement Week 6, the Cardinals could still have room for Ingram and/or Tony Jones to get some touches.