NFL Player News

Breida (ankle) was listed as limited on Wednesday's practice report, Nick Wagoner of ESPN.com reports.

Breida has tended to an ankle injury for more than two months and actually aggravated it near the conclusion of Sunday's overtime win over the Seahawks. The 49ers quickly ruled out Breida the last time he suffered an aggravation Week 14, but on this occasion, he kicked off the week with a limited session. Coming off a performance with 96 yards from scrimmage on 22 touches, Breida may have difficulty upholding that standard this weekend against the Bears' second-ranked run defense. The presence of rookie Jeff Wilson, who is averaging 4.4 yards per carry on his 52 totes, could spur the 49ers to roll with a more even split of the backfield workload.

Conner (ankle) didn't practice Wednesday, Teresa Varley of the Steelers' official site reports. "I am trying. It's day-by-day," Conner said Wednesday, in reference to his outlook for Sunday's game against the Saints. "These high-ankle sprains are deceiving. I can walk around fine, not limping. When I am out there on the field, cutting and stuff, it's not ready yet."

Conner has already missed two games with the high-ankle sprain and appears in serious jeopardy of missing another. If he's unable to go this weekend, the Steelers would once again turn to Jaylen Samuels -- who carried 19 times for 142 yards in the Week 15 win over the Patriots -- to head their backfield, with Stevan Ridley on hand in reserve.

Drake (shoulder) was a full participant at Wednesday's practice.

Limited to non-contact work at practice the past month, Drake no longer has any restrictions as the Dolphins prepare for a Week 16 home game against Jacksonville, per Joe Schad of The Palm Beach Post. The third-year pro could take on a bit more work with Frank Gore (foot) on injured reserve, but it was rookie Kalen Ballage who served as the lead ballcarrier after Gore went down in Sunday's 41-17 loss to the Vikings.

Penny (knee) won't practice Wednesday, but he has a shot to do some work during Thursday's session, Curtis Crabtree of Sports Radio 950 KJR Seattle reports.

Unable to practice in any capacity last week, Penny is now in danger of missing a second straight game Sunday against the Chiefs. Gregg Bell of The Tacoma News Tribune believes the Seahawks' recent signing of running back Bo Scarborough is a hint that Penny may be out for a while longer. Chris Carson handled 22 of the team's 29 backfield carries during last week's 26-23 loss to the 49ers, with Mike Davis contributing five totes and eight receptions.

Mixon was limited at practice Wednesday by a wrist injury, Paul Dehner Jr. of The Cincinnati Enquirer reports.

Mixon logged 52 of the Bengals' 80 offensive snaps in the Week 15 win over the Raiders, carrying 27 times for 129 yards and two TDs and nabbing two receptions for one yard. Given that hefty workload, it's likely that Mixon's limitations Wednesday were maintenance-related. He should be good to go for Sunday's game in Cleveland.

Ekeler (neck/concussion) didn't practice Wednesday, Eric D. Williams of ESPN.com reports.

Back-to-back missed sessions do not bode well for Ekeler's chances of playing Saturday against the Ravens, though his Week 16 status is of less import than it has been of late. The Chargers are expected to get Melvin Gordon (knee) back from a three-game absence this weekend, so Ekeler would be relegated to a complementary role in the backfield if he's able to suit up.

Zenner could retain a steady role on offense for the Lions' final two games of the season after Kerryon Johnson (knee) was placed on injured reserve Wednesday, Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press reports.

With the rookie second-round pick officially out of the picture, Zenner should remain at the front of a backfield committee over the final two weeks of the regular season. He leads the Lions with 22 carries over the past two games, most recently getting the starting nod over LeGarrette Blount in Sunday's 14-13 loss to the Bills. A Week 16 matchup with the Vikings doesn't look too appealing, though Zenner could push for an even larger share of the workload after Blount fell flat on his face (19 carries for 42 yards) the past two games. Either way, Theo Riddick will continue to handle passing downs in a struggling, injury-plagued offense.

Kelly could face competition out of the backfield from the newly signed C.J. Anderson and holdover Justin Davis (shoulder) behind injured starter Todd Gurley (knee), Lindsey Thiry of ESPN.com reports.

The new addition hints at legitimate concern about Gurley and/or Davis missing Sunday's game in Arizona. The situation should sort itself out in the coming days, with Kelly potentially finding himself in a workhorse role if both injured teammates end up sitting. Anderson might be the best of the bunch after Gurley, but the 27-year-old won't have much time to learn a new offense. This isn't a situation where the Rams can afford to be extra cautious, as one more loss might push them out of a first-round bye.

Cunningham lost a yard on his only carry during Sunday's 24-17 win over the Packers.

The touch was Cunningham's first since Week 6. He's battled an ankle injury in the interim, but the lack of action is most certainly primarily due to Jordan Howard's and, to a lesser extent, Tarik Cohen's prominent roles in the run game. Cunningham hasn't had more than three carries in a game this season and, even if something were to change Sunday, the 49ers and their top-10 run defense are unlikely to give up much to the veteran back.

Freeman posted four carries for seven yards and hauled in his only target for one yard during Saturday's 17-16 loss to the Broncos.

During the second half of the season, Freeman has served as the primary change-of-pace option to starter Phillip Lindsay, earning between 12 and 36 percent of the offensive snaps over the last five games. After posting 30-plus yards from scrimmage in three of the first four of those contests, Freeman actually posted a career-low eight scrimmage yards while playing 25 percent of the snaps on offense Week 15. Barring an injury to Lindsay or fellow reserve Devontae Booker, Freeman seems to be locked into a minimal role in the Broncos' 18th-ranked offense.