NFL Player News

The Chargers placed Ekeler on injured reserve Friday.

Ekeler will thus miss at least three games, meaning that he won't be back any sooner than the Chargers' Week 8 tilt against the Jaguars. That's of course a best-case scenario, and it's quite possible Ekeler remains on IR beyond that, given that original estimates pegged his anticipated recovery timetable in the 4-to-6-week range. In Ekeler's absence, Joshua Kelley and Justin Jackson will head the team's backfield, with one of Kalen Ballage, Troymaine Pope or Darius Bradwell a candidate to be promoted from the team's practice squad in advance of Monday's game against the Saints to offer additional support.

Mostert (knee) is taking part in practice Friday, Nick Wagoner of ESPN.com reports.

Mostert missed the 49ers' past two games but returned to practice as a limited participant Wednesday and Thursday. An upgrade to full participation Friday would put him on track to play in Sunday's game against Miami, though he could also have a shot to suit up if he remains limited. The 49ers will release their final injury report later Friday.

Mixon (shin) is listed as questionable for Sunday's game against the Ravens, Tyler Dragon of The Cincinnati Enquirer reports.

For a second time in as many weeks, Mixon will take a questionable tag into game day, but fantasy managers shouldn't have much reason to fear an absence. After the shin injury limited his participation in practice Thursday, Mixon was on the field again Friday, with Ben Baby of ESPN.com noting that the running back was "going through drills with no problems." So long as the Bengals don't have to abandon the run game early in the road matchup with a favored Baltimore squad, Mixon should be in store for a healthy workload coming off a huge Week 4 in which he ran 25 times for 151 yards and two scores while catching all six of his targets for 30 yards and another touchdown.

The Dolphins promoted Ahmed to the active roster from the practice squad Thursday.

Ahmed's promotion coincides with Austin Jackson (foot) being placed on IR. The undrafted rookie out of Washington, who previously spent the offseason in San Francisco, stands to handle a depth role in Miami's backfield.

Moss (toe) is listed as a limited participant on Friday's estimated practice report.

The Bills didn't actually hold a practice session Friday, so it isn't surprising to see Moss tagged with the same activity level he managed Wednesday and Thursday. The rookie running back hasn't played since Week 2, but he'll now get a few extra days to get healthy with Buffalo's Week 5 matchup against the Titans having been postponed until Tuesday.

Vaughn (chest) finished Thursday night's 20-19 loss to the Bears with zero carries and two receptions (three targets) for five yards. He also lost a fumble.

Vaughn exited the game after getting injured on a play in which he fumbled at his own 26-yard-line following a short catch with 1:37 remaining in the first half. The Bears went on to score on a 12-yard grab by Jimmy Graham with 36 seconds remaining, and Vaughn did return in the second half but didn't see the field much. The rookie should have his status updated in coming days, with the Buccaneers having some extra time before a Week 6 matchup against the Packers on Sunday, Oct. 18.

Jones rushed 17 times for 106 yards and brought in three of five targets for 19 yards in the Buccaneers' 20-19 loss to the Bears on Thursday.

Jones had the backfield all to himself Thursday, as Leonard Fournette (ankle) was surprisingly active but didn't log a carry, nor did rookie Ke'Shawn Vaughn before leaving the game just before halftime with a chest injury. Jones put forth an efficient night, one where he ripped off a game-long 37-yard run and still averaged a solid 4.3 yards per rush on his other 16 carries. The USC product has now eclipsed the 100-yard mark twice in five days, and his relatively modest but steady involvement in the passing game is certainly a plus. Jones will look to carry over the momentum into a Week 6 showdown with the Packers on Sunday, Oct. 18.

Patterson caught three passes for 38 yards and rushed three times for seven yards in Chicago's 20-19 win over the Buccaneers on Thursday.

Patterson had his greatest success on a pair of short receptions on which he was in space and was able to gain yardage after the catch, but he didn't see enough volume to turn it into a big fantasy day. Overall, he's yet to find the end zone this season, and the 45 yards he produced in this game was his highest total of the season, making him a difficult player to trust in fantasy lineups.

Montgomery rushed 10 times for 29 yards and a touchdown while adding seven catches for 30 yards in Chicago's 20-19 victory over the Buccaneers on Thursday.

Montgomery had very little room to run against a Buccaneers defense that's been among the stingiest in the league against opposing running backs, though he was able to pile up a number of short receptions while also scoring on a goal-line carry to give him a solid fantasy day. Since the team lost Tarik Cohen (knee) for the season, Montgomery has seen most of the backfield work, and he should continue to see enough volume to be a high-floor fantasy starter.

Vaughn is questionable to return to Thursday's game against the Bears as he deals with a chest injury.

Vaughn went back to the locker room just ahead of halftime to get checked out. Should he not be able to return, look for Ronald Jones and Leonard Fournette to handle the workload as the only two remaining backs on the active roster.