NFL Player News

Mixon (ankle), who is listed as questionable for Sunday's game against the Patriots, is still on track to play, Jordan Schultz of Fox Sports reports.

Aaron Wilson of KPRC 2 Houston echoed the same sentiment Friday, but it's good to see that the star running back hasn't suffered any setbacks coming out of the Texans' final practice of the week as he sets his sights on a return to the lineup following a three-game absence. Dameon Pierce -- who doesn't have an injury designation after missing the last four games with a hamstring issue -- along with Cam Akers and Dare Ogunbowale will be on hand as depth options behind Mixon, who will presumably start and see the bulk of the carries if he's active Sunday.

Jennings was elevated from the Patriots' practice squad to their active roster Saturday ahead of Sunday's Week 6 matchup versus Houston, Aaron Wilson of KPRC 2 Houston reports.

Jennings will get his first elevation -- and potentially his first NFL action -- as a result of New England's starting running back, Rhamondre Stevenson, being ruled out for Week 6 due to a foot injury. Jennings played college ball at Florida A&M and was signed by the Patriots as an undrafted free agent in May. He'll likely work behind Antonio Gibson and JaMycal Hasty in New England's backfield Sunday.

Ward was elevated from the Steelers' practice squad to their active roster Saturday.

This marks Ward's second elevation of the season -- he was first active Week 5, and he tallied two carries for nine yards on three offensive snaps versus Dallas while also logging 14 snaps on special teams. Cordarrelle Patterson (ankle) has been ruled out for this Sunday's game against Las Vegas, but with Najee Harris, Jaylen Warren and Aaron Shampklin all slated to suit up, Ward isn't likely to see much work on offense.

Hull was signed to the active roster by the Colts on Saturday.

With Jonathan Taylor (ankle) out another week, Hull was always going to be on the roster in some capacity come Sunday. The 2023 fifth-round pick didn't play any snaps last week in the loss to Jacksonville, but Hull does represent quality depth behind the likes of Trey Sermon and Tyler Goodson.

Akers could be in line for a drop in touches and snaps in Sunday's game against New England, as Dameon Pierce (hamstring) carries no injury designation into the and Joe Mixon (ankle) is listed as questionable on the Texans' injury report.

Mixon is the Texans' clear lead back when healthy, and if the team saw enough from him to keep him active Week 6, he should start after sitting out the last three games. Even if the Texans opt to give Mixon another game off, Pierce -- who had missed the previous four games -- could still work ahead of Akers as the top option on the ground. While Mixon and Piercer were both sidelined each of the previous three weeks, Akers earned at least nine carries in each contest, but he averaged just 3.7 yards per tote and scored two touchdowns while offering meager contributions in the passing game (three catches for 13 yards).

Ford is expected to maintain the lead backfield role Week 6 against Philadelphia, as both Nick Chubb (knee) and Nyheim Hines (knee) are ruled out on the Browns' injury report.

Ford will top the backfield for a sixth consecutive game, but it hasn't gone well for him or the Browns. He's gained a healthy 5.2 yards per carry but has fewer than 10 carries per game and one touchdown. The team's play caller -- head coach Kevin Stefanski -- has led a game plan thus far that tilted toward the passing game, and the results aren't pretty. Perhaps the coach will shift focus and lean on Ford and the ground game against the league's 20th-ranked rushing defense (128.8 yards per game).

Cook (toe) is expected to practice in limited fashion Saturday and is trending toward playing Monday against the Jets, Adam Schefter of ESPN reports.

Schefter seems plugged into this situation given the Bills technically haven't practiced yet Saturday. Cook was a DNP for both Thursday and Friday practices, so any upgrade seems to be a solid affirmation of the aforementioned report. Expect more confirmation to arrive in the coming days, but should Cook play, both Ty Johnson and Ray Davis would likely continue to operate as a backup platoon out of the backfield.

Head coach Sean McDermott expects Cook (toe) to be listed as questionable for Monday's contest against the Jets, Adam Schefter of ESPN reports.

This news tidbit comes before the Bills will practice Saturday, so it's fair to say there's likely more context to come after this initial announcement. Expect further information later in the day.

Warren (knee) has been upgraded from his prior listed questionable status and will not carry an injury designation ahead of Sunday's game against the Raiders, Burt Lauten of Steelers.com reports.

After logging limited practices Wednesday and Thursday, Warren practiced fully Friday, with coach Mike Tomlin noting afterward that the running back headed into the weekend on a "good trajectory on the upswing." Now that Warren -- who had missed two straight games -- has been cleared to face Las Vegas on Sunday, he's in a position to reclaim a portion of the Steelers' backfield duties alongside Najee Harris, a context that makes him a lineup consideration for those in deeper formats or who are in need of Week 6 RB help due to injuries or bye week issues.

Taylor rushed five times for 16 yards and caught his lone target for 12 yards in Thursday's 36-24 win over Seattle.

Starter Jordan Mason (shoulder) missed chunks of Thursday's victory due to injury, opening the door for Isaac Guerendo (10-99-0) and Taylor to split snaps in the interim. The 49ers' fourth-round rookie had the standout performance in the starter's absence, while Taylor produced just 3.2 yards per tote in his first action on offense this season. The 26-year-old Taylor could maintain a small role in San Francisco's Week 7 game plan if Mason is forced to sit against Kansas City due to the AC joint injury he sustained Thursday.