NFL Player News

Mitchell (knee) is viewed as day-to-day as Sunday's game against the Cowboys approaches, Nick Wagoner of ESPN.com reports.

Mitchell sat out the 49ers' Week 4 win over the Cardinals after being added to the team's injury report this past Friday, but it appears as though he has a chance to return to action this weekend. In his absence versus Arizona, Jordan Mason logged three carries for 10 yards while working behind starting RB Christian McCaffrey.

Johnson had one carry for minus-2 yards during Sunday's 23-7 win over the Falcons in London.

JaMycal Hasty suited up for the first time this season as Jacksonville had all four of its tailbacks active, but starter Travis Etienne still dominated the offensive snaps with an 85 percent share. Johnson has just six carries for eight yards and three catches for 15 yards through the first four weeks of the season.

Bigsby rushed three times for 10 yards during Sunday's 23-7 win against the Falcons in London.

The rookie third-round pick played just eight offensive snaps while starter Travis Etienne racked up 23 touches on an 85 percent snap share. Bigsby has 12 carries for 33 yards and two touchdowns through the first four games of the season as he remains nothing more than an insurance policy for fantasy managers.

Mason rushed three times for 10 yards and caught his lone target for 13 yards in Sunday's 35-16 win over Arizona.

Mason was elevated to No. 2 on the depth chart after Elijah Mitchell injured his knee during the practice week. The former wound up playing eight snaps on offense (15 percent) in addition to his usual role on special teams. Christian McCaffrey ran for over 100 yards and scored four of the 49ers' five touchdowns Sunday, leaving little work for Mason despite his elevated role Week 4. The severity of Mitchell's knee injury is currently unknown, but Mason will fill in as the primary backup until his teammate returns to full strength.

Sermon had three carries for seven yards in Sunday's overtime loss to the Rams.

Sermon played on 10 of the offense's 64 snaps as the backup to Zack Moss, who played 53 snaps on offense. Sermon may not play any snaps on offense this week if Jonathan Taylor (ankle) is activated from the reserve/PUP list.

Chandler didn't have a carry and wasn't targeted in the passing game in Sunday's win at Carolina. He played just six snaps, all on special teams.

Cam Akers moved into the backup role behind starter Alexander Mattison in his first game since his trade from the Rams. It looks like Chandler will be limited to special teams and be used sparingly on offense if the top two running backs remain healthy.

Akers had five carries for 40 yards and two receptions for 11 yards on two targets in Sunday's 21-13 win at Carolina.

Akers served as the backup to starter Alexander Mattison, as Ty Chandler didn't play any snaps on offense. Akers took over as the lead back on one series and played on 14 of the offense's 48 snaps, while Mattison played 33 snaps. Mattison had more touches (17 carries and one target) and was efficient with 95 yards at 5.6 YPC. It looks like Akers will have a backup role in the near term if Mattison remains effective as the primary back. However, Akers showed enough of a spark to press for a larger role.

Mitchell (shoulder) could be activated from IR this week according to head coach John Harbaugh, Jonas Shaffer of TheBaltimoreBanner.com reports.

Mitchell suffered the injury in the team's second preseason game and was placed on injured reserve Aug. 31. After missing the mandatory four games, the running back is eligible to return to the active roster and play as soon as Sunday against the Steelers. However, even if activated this week, the Ravens will have a 21-day window to add him to the 53-man roster, so there's no guarantee he'll be suiting up in Week 5.

Rivers rushed nine times for 47 yards and caught both of his targets for 10 yards during Sunday's 29-23 overtime win versus the Colts.

One week removed from fellow backfield mate Kyren Williams playing 100 percent of the snaps against the Bengals, a more traditional split of the rushing work -- 73 percent for Williams, 27 percent for Rivers -- was seemingly a boon for both players. Williams enjoyed his first 100-yard rushing game as a pro, while Rivers set career highs in rushing yardage and rushing attempts and tied his career-best snap total. Rivers has shown flashes of brilliance when given opportunities, and he should remain the primary backup to Williams over Royce Freeman and Zach Evans while serving as a valuable insurance policy for Williams' fantasy managers.

Colts head coach Shane Steichen confirmed Monday that Taylor (ankle) will resume practicing with the team Wednesday, Mike Chappell of Fox 59 News Indianapolis reports.

After spending the first four weeks of the regular season on the reserve/PUP list while continuing his recovery from right ankle surgery in January, Taylor will make his return to practice Week 5 when first eligible. Before landing on the PUP list Aug. 29, Taylor had put in a request to be traded, and while Indianapolis ultimately entertained the request, the team wasn't able to find an offer to its liking. The Colts still could revisit moving Taylor ahead of the Oct. 31 trade deadline, but the running back looks as though he'll put any discord with the organization aside and gear up for a return to game action now that he's fully healthy following surgery. Per Nate Atkins of The Indianapolis Star, Steichen didn't rule out the possibility of Taylor being activated from the PUP list prior to this Sunday's game against the Titans, but for the time being, his return to practice Wednesday will merely open up a 21-day window in which the Colts can evaluate him for a return to the 53-man roster.