NFL Player News

Gibson, who is listed as questionable for Sunday's game against New Orleans, revealed Friday that he's been playing through a stress fracture in his shin, noting that it doesn't hurt badly and doesn't seem too serious, Sam Fortier of The Washington Post reports.

Between his comments Friday, the fact he played last week and his limited practice participation Thursday and Friday, the young running back appears well on his way to suiting up this Sunday. However, the revelation about a stress fracture adds to concern about his chances of staying on the field throughout the season, not to mention the possibility of an in-game aggravation in the coming weeks. Gibson picked up 16 touches and handled a 55-percent snap share in a close win over the Falcons in Week 4, playing through his stress fracture without any obvious limitations after a mid-week addition to the injury report last Thursday.

Williams (hamstring) is listed as doubtful for Sunday's game against the Jets, Michael Rothstein of ESPN.com reports.

With safety Erik Harris (calf) also listed as doubtful, the Falcons' depth in the secondary will be tested across the pond. Williams has also been working as the team's punt returner, so Atlanta will need to find someone else to handle that role if Williams sits out Sunday as expected. Cordarrelle Patterson has extensive experience as a return man, but Atlanta may not want to pile more onto his plate given Patterson's significant involvement on offense as both a running back and wide receiver.

Hines (shoulder) returned to practice Friday, Joel A. Erickson of The Indianapolis Star reports.

The Colts will release their second injury report of the week later Friday, which will reveal Hines' participation level. Regardless, his return to the field in any capacity after not practicing Thursday is a good sign with regard to his status for Monday's game against the Ravens. If available for the contest, Hines will continue to work in a change-of-pace role behind Indy's top back, Jonathan Taylor.

McCaffrey (hamstring) is listed as doubtful for Sunday's game against the Eagles, David Newton of ESPN.com reports.

This comes as somewhat of a surprise after McCaffrey made optimistic comments Thursday afternoon and then reportedly made it through Friday's practice without setbacks. None of that has been contradicted, but it is possible the Panthers never truly had Week 5 in mind for a return, preferring to play it safe even if McCaffrey shows good progress on the practice field. While coach Matt Rhule did leave the door open for McCaffrey's status to change before Sunday, it now seems more likely than not that Chuba Hubbard will get another start. Hubbard shared snaps with Rodney Smith and Royce Freeman in last week's loss to Dallas, with the rookie accounting for only 47 percent of the playing time but 13 of the 16 RB carries.

Cook (ankle) is listed as questionable for Sunday's game against Detroit.

Chris Tomasson of the St. Paul Pioneer Press reports that Cook did "some work" at Friday's practice, following non-participation Wednesday and Thursday. The star running back did play through the same ankle sprain last week after missing just one game, but he took only 51 percent of Minnesota's offensive snaps in a 14-7 loss to the Browns and then admitted a few days later that his ankle was still bothering him. While Cook also said that he plans to continue playing through pain/discomfort, fantasy managers should probably treat him as a game-time decision ahead of the 1:00 p.m. ET kickoff this Sunday. Backfield mate Alexander Mattison becomes a top-10 play at RB for Week 5 if Cook is ultimately inactive for the highly favorable matchup.

Coach Pete Carroll suggested Friday that Penny (calf) could return for Week 6 against Pittsburgh, Bob Condotta of The Seattle Times reports.

Penny's potential return takes on added importance with Chris Carson bothered by a neck injury, though at this point the 2018 first-round pick may be stuck behind Alex Collins as well. Still, the Seahawks hope to get Penny back from IR in Week 6, as he'd at least be another option for their banged-up offense. Penny last played in Week 1.

Head coach Kliff Kingsbury said Friday that Edmonds (shoulder) will be a game-time decision for Sunday against the 49ers, Darren Urban of the Cardinals' official site reports.

Edmonds' return to practice Friday, though likely in a limited capacity, gives him a shot to avoid his first missed game since November 2019. Shared workloads have helped Edmonds stay healthy since then, and it's possible the Cardinals give him fewer snaps and touches than usual if he suits up this weekend. He's been sharing work with James Conner, who is tied for second in the league with four rushing touchdowns despite averaging only 43 rushing yards and 6.5 receiving yards per game. Conner should be good for more than that if Edmonds ends up on the inactive list ahead of Sunday's 4:25 p.m. ET kickoff.

Gibson (shin) is listed as questionable for Sunday's game against New Orleans, Nicki Jhabvala of The Washington Post reports.

Gibson played through the same shin issue last Sunday following a mid-week addition to the injury report, taking 14 carries for 63 yards and a touchdown while playing 55 percent of the snaps in a 34-30 win over the Falcons. He'll likely play again this weekend, but fantasy managers should still check in Sunday to make sure Gibson isn't on the inactive list ahead of the game's 1 p.m. ET kickoff. He gets a tough matchup against a Saints defense that has allowed just 3.1 yards per carry to date.

McCaffrey (hamstring) made it through Friday's practice without any setbacks, David Newton of ESPN.com reports.

He'll likely be listed as questionable on the final injury report, but Newton suggests the running back is on track to play. McCaffrey missed last week's loss to Dallas, with Chuba Hubbard taking 13 of Carolina's 16 running back carries despite playing only 47 percent of snaps (Royce Freeman and Rodney Smith also picked up work). Should McCaffrey return for Sunday's game against the Eagles, there's no assurance he'll immediately return to his typical every-down role, but he could still be reasonably productive without a full snap load.

Edmonds (shoulder) is on the field for Friday's practice, Darren Urban of the Cardinals' official site reports.

A return to practice after missing sessions Wednesday and Thursday should give Edmonds a shot to make it back for Sunday's game against the 49ers. If not, James Conner could be headed for a three-down role, with Jonathan Ward and Eno Benjamin (hamstring) providing depth. The Cardinals also have Tavien Feaster on their practice squad, but Conner and Edmonds are the only backs that have taken touches for the team this season.