NFL Player News

Ward (concussion) is not practicing Wednesday, Howard Balzer of SI.com reports.

Ward will need to fully clear the league's concussion protocol before returning to game action, making his status for Sunday's game against the 49ers still uncertain. Through the first eight weeks of the season, Ward has primarily contributed on special teams.

Carolina designated McCaffrey (hamstring) to return from injured reserve Wednesday, Darin Gantt of the Panthers' official site reports.

As a result, the Panthers have a 21-day window in which to activate McCaffrey or leave him on IR. Assuming McCaffrey experiences no setbacks in practice the next three days, the Panthers could have the star running back available Sunday against the Patriots, but Carolina won't have to officially activate him until Saturday if they intend to have him play this week. Chuba Hubbard has been filling in as the team's lead back in McCaffrey's absence, but he would presumably move into a complementary role in the event that McCaffrey is cleared for the Week 9 matchup.

Perine played only 14 offensive snaps in a Week 8 loss to the Jets without netting a carry, but he did catch both his targets for 16 yards.

This was a bit of a surprise, given Perine's usage the previous week against the Ravens and the absence of Chris Evans against the Jets. It's a sign that the Bengals believe Joe Mixon's ankle is fully healed, as this was the kind of workload Perine was seeing prior to Mixon's injury.

Patrick was released from the 49ers' practice squad Tuesday.

Patrick was waived by San Francisco in mid-October but stuck around the team on the practice squad. With JaMycal Hasty now healthy and back in the fold and Jeff Wilson (knee) nearing his return from the PUP list, the 49ers have plenty of depth at running back for now.

McKinnon played just 13 offensive snaps in Monday's game versus the Giants.

McKinnon didn't wind up with any carries for a second straight week and didn't make any catches either. Derrick Gore notably played more snaps than him as well, so there isn't much to like in terms of McKinnon's fantasy prospects.

Williams rushed nine times for 35 yards and secured two of four targets for 13 yards in Sunday's 17-10 win over Washington.

Williams continued to split rushing duties with Melvin Gordon, handling nine carries to Gordon's 10. It was Gordon, however, who managed to make the most of his opportunities, scoring once through the air and once on the ground. Fantasy managers hoping that the rookie would take over the Denver backfield by this point will have to wait, but it appears the Broncos are married to the idea of using both backs in a tandem. In the event of an injury to Gordon, Williams' fantasy value would skyrocket, but his true ceiling will remain capped for now. Next up, the Broncos will take on the Cowboys in Week 9.

Foreman was signed to the Titans' practice squad Tuesday.

Foreman joins fellow running backs Dontrell Hilliard and Adrian Peterson on the Titans' practice squad, and they are candidates to be elevated to the active roster with Derrick Henry expected to be out for an extended period. The Texas product was with Tennessee last season and carried the rock 22 times for 95 yards across six appearances. Nonetheless, Jeremy McNichols and Peterson (once promoted from the practice squad as expected) seem likely to operate as the lead backs, with Foreman and Hilliard merely acting as depth options.

Williams was released from Washington's practice squad Tuesday, Nicki Jhabvala of The Washington Post reports.

Williams latched onto Washington's practice squad after failing to make the initial 53-man roster. He will now have to look for a new opportunity after the Football Team replaced him with fellow running back Wendell Smallwood.

Pollard carried the ball seven times for 26 yards and caught his only target for one yard in Sunday's 20-16 win over the Vikings.

The Cowboys' rushing game couldn't get a whole lot going with Cooper Rush under center instead of Dak Prescott (calf), but Minnesota stacking the box allowed the backup QB to throw for 325 yards. Pollard's eight touches was his smallest workload since Week 1, but with Prescott expected back Week 9 against the Broncos, the running back is likely to see double-digit touches once again.

Brightwell did not play an offensive snap during Monday's 20-17 loss against the Chiefs.

Brightwell has yet to record an offensive snap since the Giants' Week 3 loss against the Falcons. The 2021 sixth-round pick has failed to make a name in the Giants' rushing attack despite an injury to All-Pro running back Saquon Barkley (ankle). In Barkley's absence the team has relied exclusively on running backs Devontae Booker and Elijhaa Penny. Monday's contest saw only Booker register any carries for the Giants, totaling 60 yards on 15 attempts.