NFL Player News

Swift (groin) remained a limited practice participant Thursday, Tim Twentyman of the Lions' official site reports.

The groin injury has been affecting Swift's practice reps all season, but after he played in each of the previous five games, there's little reason to worry about him sitting out Sunday against the Bengals. He's kicked off Week 6 prep with a pair of limited practices, and so long as he can maintain that level of activity or upgrade to full work Friday, he should be ready to handle his normal lead role out of the backfield this weekend.

The Bears placed Williams (foot/knee) on the reserve/COVID-19 list Thursday.

Williams was a limited participant at practice Wednesday due to foot and knee injuries, but those now look to be secondary concerns after he landed on the reserve/COVID-19 list. While it's unclear if Williams has tested positive for the virus or is being deactivated due to a close-contact situation, he'll still be subject to the NFL's health and safety protocols. Not only will Williams need to be asymptomatic in order to rejoin the Bears, but he'll also need to test negative for the virus on two occasions at least 24 hours apart, so he could be hard pressed to gain clearance ahead of Sunday's game against the Packers. With Williams' Week 6 status now in doubt and with David Montgomery (knee) on injured reserve, rookie Khalil Herbert could be in position to step in as the Bears' clear lead back Sunday.

Williams' absence Thursday was the result of a hip injury and an illness, Tim Twentyman of the Lions' official site reports.

Williams appeared on the Lions' initial Week 6 injury report as a limited participant at Wednesday's practice, with only the hip issue attached to his name. His downgrade to no activity a day later with a new health concern in tow likely points to the illness being at the root of his absence, rather than any sort of setback with his hip. So long as he can get back on the field in some capacity Friday, Williams would still be in good position to complement D'Andre Swift (groin) out of the backfield during Sunday's game against the Bengals.

McCaffrey (hamstring) was a officially a non-participant at practice Thursday, Darin Gantt of the Panthers' official site reports.

McCaffrey wasn't on the field Thursday for the portion of the practice that was open to the media, and he apparently didn't fit in any work behind the scenes either. The lack of activity one day after he practiced on a limited basis is a discouraging sign for McCaffrey's chances of putting an end to a two-game absence Sunday against the Vikings, though the Panthers will wait and see what the running back can do at Friday's session before deciding on his status. On Wednesday, head coach Matt Rhule labeled McCaffrey as "50-50" for Sunday's contest, but the 25-year-old's odds may have taken a hit after his absence from practice. If McCaffrey misses another contest, rookie Chuba Hubbard would be in store for his third straight turn as Carolina's lead back.

Williams (hip) wasn't present for the open portion of Thursday's practice, Detroit Free Press reports.

Unless Williams fit in some work behind the scenes, he'll go down as a non-participant on Thursday's practice report. Williams was a limited participant Wednesday due to the hip issue, so he's seemingly trending in the wrong direction as Sunday's game against the Bengals. Though he's seen his role in the passing game shrink since drawing nine targets Week 1, Williams has remained involved on the ground as a secondary option behind D'Andre Swift (groin). Williams has logged double-digit carries in each of the past three games, averaging 4.2 yards per tote during that stretch.

Mattison (shoulder) returned to practice Thursday, Chad Graff of The Athletic reports.

After logging a DNP to begin Week 6 prep, Mattison seemed to be matching what Dalvin Cook (ankle), who was limited Wednesday, did one day later. If both end up with LP next to their names on Thursday's injury report, the Vikings could be trending toward a direction where it's the usual backfield Sunday at Carolina, with Cook as the No. 1 and Mattison on hand as his top backup. In any case, the activity level for Cook and Mattison will be known later Thursday.

Mixon (ankle) was spotted off to the side during Thursday's practice and is set to go down as a non-participant, James Rapien of SI.com reports.

Though head coach Zac Taylor said Mixon was moving around well after practicing on a limited basis Wednesday, the running back's inability to join his healthy teammates on the field a day later isn't the most encouraging sign for his availability this weekend in Detroit. While managing the ankle injury ahead of last week's loss to the Packers, Mixon saw a light workload, playing only 18 snaps while getting 11 touches (10 carries, one reception). Fantasy managers may have been hoping Mixon would be ready to handle his normal three-down duties this weekend, but his absence from practice Thursday suddenly leaves his ability to do that in question.

Gordon (hip) will practice Thursday in a limited capacity, Aric DiLalla of the Broncos' official site reports.

The limited activity marks a step forward for Gordon, who went down as a non-participant during the Broncos' first Week 6 practice Wednesday. After managing a lower leg contusion heading into last week's loss to Pittsburgh, Gordon is nursing a new injury this week, but he once again is expected to be ready to go for game day. Even so, another timeshare arrangement could be in the offing for Gordon in Sunday's game against the Raiders; he's logged 65 snaps and has handled 22 touches over the past two contests, while rookie Javonte Williams has been on the field for 53 plays while taking 21 touches.

Chubb (calf) wasn't spotted at practice Thursday and is set to go down as a non-participant on the Browns' injury report, Scott Petrak of the Elyria Chronicle-Telegram reports.

Chubb's absence from a second straight practice suggests his lack of reps Wednesday may not have only been for maintenance purposes. Though the Browns provided no indication that Chubb was bothered by the calf injury Week 5 on his way to rumbling for a season-high 161 yards in a loss to the Chargers, the running back's status for a Week 6 matchup with the Cardinals is in question. If Chubb is able to get back on the practice field Friday in at least a limited capacity, it would alleviate some concern about his availability for Sunday's game, but he could still still take a designation into that contest.

Gibson (shin) was a limited practice participant Thursday, Nicki Jhabvala of The Washington Post reports.

Gibson showed up on the injury report ahead of Washington's Week 4 road trip to Atlanta with what he later revealed to be a stress fracture in his shin. In the meantime, his practice reps have been capped to make sure he's available for game day, as offensive coordinator Scott Turner revealed Thursday. "He's good. He's not limited. We take care of him during the week, and we make sure he's ready to go, but as of now, once Sunday hits he's ready to go," Turner told John Keim of ESPN.com on Thursday. The result has been 34 carries for 123 yards and three touchdowns and four catches (on four targets) for 24 yards over the last two games.