NFL Player News

Mixon (knee) wasn't in uniform Thursday and won't participate in the Bengals' practice, Katherine Terrell of ESPN.com reports. He will continue to work out on the rehab field with the rest of the Bengals' injured players, according to Jay Morrison of The Athletic reports.

Mixon's activity Thursday amounts to no discernible change compared to what he was able to do Wednesday, when he was back on the rehab field for the first time since undergoing arthroscopic surgery on his right knee nearly two weeks ago. The running back will probably need to fit in at least a limited practice or two before having a realistic shot at returning to game action, and that seems increasingly unlikely to happen before Sunday's tilt with the Falcons. With Mixon presumably out for the second straight week, Giovani Bernard will get another turn as the Bengals' undisputed lead runner after logging 57 of 65 offensive snaps in the team's Week 3 loss to the Panthers.

According to Adam Schefter of ESPN, Minnesota is optimistic that Cook (hamstring) will suit up Thursday against the Rams, despite his "questionable" designation.

Cook is coming off back-to-back limited practices, but it appears the team still wants to see how he looks during pregame warmups before making an official determination. Fantasy owners will surely want to circle back roughly 90 minutes before the 8:20 PM ET kickoff, but even an "active" status doesn't necessarily guarantee high usage for the second-year back, especially if he isn't 100 percent. The Rams are a top-10 rushing defense through three games with 96.7 yards on the ground allowed per contest, and Latavius Murray should have some type of role in the game as well.

Cook (hamstring) is listed as questionable for Thursday's game against the Rams, Chris Tomasson of the St. Paul Pioneer Press reports.

Neither Cook nor anyone associated with the Vikings has specified the nature of his hamstring issue, but he didn't take part in an official practice until this Tuesday, more than a week removed from suffering the injury. With back-to-back limited showings behind him, he's made a few steps in the right direction, but it's unclear if the activity will be enough to please the Vikings' training staff. Perhaps working in his favor is a comment from head coach Mike Zimmer, who told Tom Pelissero of NFL.com on Tuesday that "there's a possibility" Cook is active Thursday. That said, a pregame workout likely will be the determining factor in Cook's availability.

Breida (knee) was a limited practice participant Wednesday, Cam Inman of The San Jose Mercury News reports.

Breida was working out on the side during the part of practice open to the media, after which he must have fit in at least some individual drills. Getting listed as limited Wednesday is a good sign for his upcoming availability, but even if he plays Sunday versus the Chargers, he may not be himself due to the hyperextended knee he sustained Week 4. Meanwhile, backfield mate, Alfred Morris was able to ditch his ankle injury following Wednesday's session, so Morris could receive even more touches than the 14 per game he has averaged thus far if Breida is unable to do the same.

Mack (hamstring) returned to a limited practice Wednesday, Andrew Walker of the Colts' official site reports.

Mack was withheld from practice all of last week before sitting out Sunday's loss to the Eagles. As a result, Jordan Wilkins drew his second start of the season at running back in place of Mack, who also sat out the Colts' season opener. Now that he's back at practice, Mack is a candidate to re-enter the backfield mix this weekend against the Texans, though he would probably work in some form of a timeshare with Wilkins.

Breida (knee) worked out on a side field at Wednesday's practice, Cam Inman of The San Jose Mercury News reports.

In the aftermath of Sunday's loss to Kansas City, Breida was diagnosed with a hyperextended right knee, an injury he played through en route to gaining 117 yards from scrimmage on 13 touches. While he doesn't appear as if he'll practice Wednesday, he was seen walking without any hint of a limp, per Matt Barrows of The Athletic. Assuming the 49ers proceed with caution, Breida may not extend beyond a limited showing this week. In the meantime, expect Alfred Morris (ankle), who practiced Wednesday, to receive first-team reps.

Kamara was limited at Wednesday's practice due to a knee injury, Luke Johnson of The New Orleans Times-Picayune reports.

The Saints had the luxury of Mark Ingram and even Adrian Peterson for a time last season to ease some of the backfield burden, but Ingram's four-game suspension has left Kamara as one of the NFL's few remaining bell cows through the first three weeks in 2018. As evidence, Kamara leads the league in yards from scrimmage with 430 while playing 81 percent of the Saints' offensive snaps. Despite popping up on the injury report with a knee concern, Kamara at least took some reps, which is a positive sign as he embarks on Week 4 prep. Look for his status to receive clarification as the week progresses.

Mixon (knee) was listed as a non-participant during Wednesday's practice, Geoff Hobson of the Bengals' official site reports.

On the plus side, Mixon was spotted on the rehab field for the first time since his Sept. 15 arthroscopic knee procedure. The running back wasn't wearing pads when he stretched with the team beforehand, then proceeded to work out on the side with the Bengals' other injured players. More updates on Mixon's status will follow over the Bengals' subsequent two practices this week, but the assumption is that he'll miss a second straight contest Sunday against the Falcons. If that's the case, Giovani Bernard -- who was limited by a thigh issue Wednesday -- would continue to lead the Cincinnati backfield.

Breida isn't practicing Wednesday due to knee and calf injuries, Matt Maiocco of NBC Sports Bay Area reports.

Breida was diagnosed with a hyperextended knee after Sunday's 38-27 loss to Kansas City, piling up 117 scrimmage yards despite missing some time during the first half. It wasn't known that he was also battling the calf injury, but there's no reason to believe either issue is serious. Jimmy Garoppolo's season-ending knee injury is probably the bigger concern for Breida's fantasy value, as the 49ers likely will have trouble scoring points with C.J. Beathard under center. Alfred Morris (ankle) and Raheem Mostert would stand to benefit if Breida isn't available for Sunday's game against the Chargers.

Barner officially re-signed with the Patriots on Wednesday.

Reports surfaced a day earlier suggesting that Barner's return to New England was imminent, but he wasn't added to the 53-man roster until the Patriots cleared a spot for him by surprisingly placing Rex Burkhead (neck) on injured reserve. Barner bolsters the team's backfield depth with Burkhead out of the mix, but at 5-foot-9 and 195 pounds, the 29-year-old is unlikely to gain much traction in the rushing attack. As it stands now, he slots in behind top back Sony Michel and pass-catching ace James White, with most of Barner's initial snaps instead expected to come on special teams.