NFL Player News

Williams (hamstring) has been ruled out for Sunday's contest against the Dolphins, Michael Rothstein of ESPN.com reports.

Despite the bye week, Williams will miss his second straight contest with the hamstring injury. Atlanta's secondary is healthy outside of Williams, so his absence shouldn't impact its defensive rotations, but Fabian Moreau will likely once again take over punt-returning duties from the rookie.

Herbert could see his workload decrease after Damien Williams (illness) was activated off the reserve/COVID-19 list in time for Sunday's game against the Buccaneers.

The Bears haven't officially stated who will take over as the starter given Saturday's development, but it wouldn't be surprising to see both Williams and Herbert revert back to the Week 5 workload split, when the duo combined for a near even share of 34 carries. Herbert's excellence against the Packers last week could help him earn the larger share of the aforementioned split, especially if Williams has to work back into game shape after testing positive for COVID-19, but looming over the complicated situation is the fearsome Buccaneers run defense, which has held opponents to a miniscule 54.8 rushing yards per game. As a result, neither Herbert nor Williams profiles as an upper-tier fantasy play save for deeper formats.

Williams (illness) was activated from the reserve/COVID-19 list Saturday and will be eligible to play in Sunday's contest against the Buccaneers.

Williams needed to wait the mandatory 10-day period in order to be cleared off the reserve/COVID-19 list because he was not vaccinated, so it's somewhat surprising he was able to complete the turnaround so quickly. The veteran back enters a complicated situation after rookie Khalil Herbert thrived in the lead role last week, accumulating 112 total yards and a touchdown. Regardless of who ends up getting the majority of the workload, Sunday figures to be a difficult matchup with the immovable Buccaneers run defense on tap.

Washington (neck) has missed consecutive practices ahead of Monday's matchup with the Seahawks.

Washington's status for Week 7 will become more clear once Saturday's practice report is revealed. When healthy, he is primarily used on special teams to go along with providing depth at running back.

McNichols (ankle) is questionable for Sunday's game against Kansas City, Turron Davenport of ESPN.com reports.

McNichols was limited at practice Thursday and Friday but has a chance to suit up Sunday after he aggravated an ankle injury in last week's win over the Bills. Even if he's available against the Chiefs, the 25-year-old is unlikely to play a significant role while operating as Derrick Henry's backup.

Cincinnati head coach Zac Taylor confirmed Perine will be available for Sunday's game against the Ravens, but the running back won't have a set role for the Week 7 matchup, Geoff Hobson of the Bengals' official site reports.

After a week-long stint on the reserve/COVID-19 list, Perine returned to practice Thursday and looks to be back to full speed. Though Perine had served as the clear No. 2 back behind starter Joe Mixon through the first five games, his absence in the Week 6 win over the Lions allowed rookie Chris Evans to see his largest role to date. Evans was efficient with his 16 snaps (four carries for 18 yards, three receptions for 49 yards and a touchdown), and his strong showing may have allowed him to leapfrog Perine in the pecking order. Taylor noted that Evans and Perine are both capable pass catchers, runners and blockers, so no particular game script would seem to suit one better than the other.

Evans (hamstring) doesn't have an injury designation for Sunday's game against the Ravens after practicing fully Friday.

While Samaje Perine was on the reserve/COVID-19 list in Week 6, Evans saw increased reps and logged four carries for 18 yards and caught all three targets for 49 yards and a touchdown in the Bengals' win over the Lions. Now that Perine is back in the team's backfield mix, it's unclear how the Bengals plan to divide the change-of-pace work behind top back Joe Mixon will be divided Sunday. Per Geoff Hobson of the Bengals' official site, head coach Zac Taylor noted that the team doesn't necessarily have set roles in mind for Evans and Perine, given that they can both catch, protect and run.

Bolden (thigh) is listed as questionable for Sunday's game against the Jets after logging limited practices this past week.

Given that he practiced all week, there's a solid chance that Bolden -- who logged 11 of New England's 54 offensive snaps in last Sunday's loss to the Cowboys -- will suit up this weekend. However, even if that's the case, it's unclear how involved he'll be as a change-of-pace option versus the Jets, with rookie Rhamondre Stevenson seemingly transitioning to a larger role behind lead back Damien Harris.

Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski said he's hopeful that Chubb (calf) will be able to play in the team's Week 8 game against the Steelers on Oct. 31, Scott Petrak of the Elyria Chronicle-Telegram reports.

Chubb sat out his second straight game Thursday due to his calf injury, and with Kareem Hunt landing on injured reserve earlier in the week with a calf strain of his own, it was D'Ernest Johnson who picked up the start at running back in the Browns' 17-14 win over the Broncos. Though Johnson (22 carries for 146 yards and a touchdown) did his part to keep the Cleveland ground game rolling, Stefanski would surely welcome the return of Chubb, who is averaging more than five yards per carry for the fourth consecutive season. Because of the longer turnaround for the Week 8 contest, the Browns will resume practicing Monday, so fantasy managers could gain some early clarity on whether Chubb is trending toward a return to the lineup or a third consecutive absence.

Head coach Kyle Shanahan said Hasty (ankle) will be activated from injured reserve prior to the 49ers' game Sunday against the Colts, Nick Wagoner of ESPN.com reports.

Coming out of a Week 6 bye, the 49ers designated Hasty to return from IR ahead of their first Week 7 practice Monday. With Shanahan noting that Hasty incurred no setbacks with his sprained ankle throughout the week of practice, the 25-year-old should be ready to step back into a change-of-pace role Sunday behind Elijah Mitchell and Trey Sermon, the 49ers' top two options on the ground. Expect an official roster move to be made no later Saturday.