NFL Player News

Ekeler (hand) was a limited participant at Wednesday's practice, sporting a large cast over his broken left hand, Mike DiGiovanna of the Los Angeles Times reports.

Judging by the size of the cast, Ekeler presumably will be limited to a special-teams role if he's cleared to play in Sunday's game against the Jets. His usual duties as a passing-down back are out of the question, and it also appears he would have difficulty taking handoffs. Branden Oliver will thus serve as the top backup to Melvin Gordon, who could get a few extra targets with Ekeler out of the backfield rotation.

Williams (shoulder) was limited at practice Wednesday, Armando Salguero of the Miami Herald reports.

Williams has missed the Dolphins' past three games, but he could be nearing a return to game action. If he does suit up Sunday against the Chiefs, it's unlikely that he would supplant Kenyan Drake as the team's lead back. Drake has been exceptional during Williams' absence, so a complementary role presumably awaits Williams if he is in fact cleared to play Week 16.

Williams (quadriceps) isn't practicing Wednesday, Darren Urban of the Cardinals' official site reports.

Williams injured his quad in the second half of Sunday's 20-15 loss to the Redskins, leaving Elijhaa Penny and D.J. Foster to split backfield work in the fourth quarter. Penny likely would serve as the lead runner if Williams were to miss Sunday's game against the Giants, with Foster potentially also taking on a larger role than usual. Bronson Hill, who was re-signed Tuesday, might also factor into the backfield equation.

Mixon (concussion) practiced fully Wednesday, Paul Dehner Jr. of The Cincinnati Enquirer reports.

Mixon also practiced fully last Friday before being ruled out in advance of the Bengals' Week 15 loss to the Vikings, so it can't be assumed that he's cleared the NFL's concussion protocol just yet. That said, Mixon's continued full participation does bode well for his chances of returning to action Sunday against the Lions. Mixon had been working as the Bengals' lead back before missing the last two contests with the head injury, but he could be eased back into action in Week 16 and split snaps out of the backfield with Giovani Bernard.

Oliver will step in as the Chargers' No. 2 running back if Austin Ekeler isn't able to play with a broken hand over the team's final two games of the regular season, Dan Woike of the Los Angeles Times reports.

Ekeler has mostly made an impact on passing downs and special teams, with the latter still a potential area for contribution if he ends up playing with a club on the hand. Even if Ekeler isn't placed on injured reserve, Oliver may take over as the top backup to workhorse Melvin Gordon. The role likely won't come with many touches, and the Chargers may adjust to Ekeler's absence by using Gordon more often on passing downs.

Elliott (suspension) returned to practice Wednesday, Todd Archer of ESPN.com reports.

Elliott is expected to handle a typical workload this week, which came to pass Wednesday, when he took part in every drill in the portion of practice open to the media, according to Jon Machota of The Dallas Morning News. The running back's mere presence at practice indicates the Cowboys have made the necessary transaction, activating Elliott from the reserve/exempt list, but the team has yet to make an official move. Once Elliott is a part of the 53-man roster again, he seemingly will have to prove himself to head coach Jason Garrett in order to receive a full allotment of snaps Sunday against the Seahawks, per Archer. Assuming he does, Elliott will be licking his chops versus a Seattle defense that allowed 180 yards from scrimmage and four touchdowns to the Rams' Todd Gurley in Week 15.

Cowboys head coach Jason Garrett said Wednesday that he wanted to see how Elliott (suspension) performed in practice this week before committing to using the running back in a full-time role Sunday against the Seahawks, Todd Archer of ESPN.com reports.

Elliott will return to practice Wednesday, marking his first session with the team since Nov. 3 after the Second U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals denied his appeal for a six-game suspension. While Elliott was away from the team to serve the ban, he reportedly kept himself in shape by doing rigorous training in Mexico, offering optimism that he won't miss a beat upon returning to practice for the first time in six weeks. If Garrett is satisfied with how Elliott looks Wednesday and in the Cowboys' subsequent two sessions this week, the second-year player can probably be expected to take back his usual three-down workload Sunday, which would make him a worthy lineup option in the fantasy playoffs.

The Cardinals signed Hill to a contract Tuesday, Darren Urban of the Cardinals' official site reports.

Arizona cut Hill loose prior to Sunday's 20-15 loss to the Redskins, but he'll be brought back as insurance at running back after starter Kerwynn Williams sustained a quadriceps injury in the contest. Even if Williams is ruled out for Arizona's Week 16 game against the Giants, D.J. Foster and Elijhaa Penny would likely factor more prominently into the backfield mix than Hill.

Rodgers did not log any rushing touches and returned two kickoffs for 62 yards in Monday night's 24-21 loss to the Falcons.

Rodgers played only two snaps on offense despite Doug Martin being declared inactive due to a coach's decision. It marked the second straight week that Rodgers was left out of the ground attack altogether, as Peyton Barber was the only running back to log any rushing touches. Head coach Dirk Koetter appears content with having Rodgers limit his participation to special teams for the time being, restricting his modest fantasy value to formats that factor in return yards.

Sims brought in all four of his targets for six yards in Monday night's 24-21 loss to the Falcons.

Sims drew even with Cameron Brate for second on the team in receptions Monday, and it was the running back's second-highest catch tally of the campaign. The 27-year-old has posted at least two grabs in seven consecutive games, but he's logged only 11 rushing touches over that span. Factoring in that he was shut out of the running game entirely against Atlanta despite Doug Martin being declared inactive for the contest, it's clear Sims' modest fantasy value will remain strictly limited to deep PPR formats barring a sudden rash of multiple injuries in front of him.