NFL Player News

Kamara (hip/ribs) is practicing Friday, Nick Underhill of NewOrleans.Football reports.

Kamara returned to practice Thursday as a limited participant after sitting out Wednesday. Another practice Friday puts him on track to play Sunday at Atlanta.

Pierce (hamstring) wasn't present for the initial portion of Friday's practice, Aaron Wilson of KPRC 2 Houston reports.

As a result, Pierce's status for Sunday's game against the Jaguars remains cloudy. On the plus side for the Texans, Joe Mixon (ankle) was on the field Friday, suggesting that he may be closer to a return to action than Pierce. Houston's upcoming injury report thus is slated to add further context with regard to the composition of the team's Week 4 backfield. In the absence of both Mixon and Pierce last weekend, Cam Akers drew the start at running back versus Minnesota.

Mixon (ankle) was present for practice Friday, DJ Bien-Aime of ESPN.com reports.

The Texans' top back was sidelined both Wednesday and Thursday, as was fellow RB Dameon Pierce (hamstring), but Mixon's presence on the field Friday offers some hope that he'll return to action Sunday against the Jaguars. The team's upcoming injury report will reveal both Mixon's participation level and his Week 4 game status.

Irving (hamstring) returned to practice Friday, Greg Auman of Fox Sports reports.

Irving was a limited participant Wednesday before sitting out entirely Thursday, but he said he feels "pretty great" and should be ready for Sunday's game against Philadelphia. Auman reports that Irving seemed to be moving around without any limitations during the early portion of practice Friday.

Strong (hamstring) has been ruled out for Sunday's game against the Raiders, Daniel Oyefusi of ESPN.com reports.

Strong will miss his second consecutive game after he was injured 10 snaps into Week 2. In his absence, Jerome Ford and D'Onta Foreman will continue to handle the bulk of the work out of Cleveland's backfield in what is a plus spot versus Las Vegas.

Elliott rushed five times for 19 yards and secured his only target for five yards in the Cowboys' 20-15 win over the Giants on Thursday night.

Elliott saw markedly less opportunity on the ground than backfield mate Rico Dowdle, who logged 11 carries. Eight of Elliott's rushing yards also came on one tote, underscoring how tough the sledding was on the ground for the veteran back. Elliott has now seen fewer carries than Dowdle in three consecutive contests, dimming the former's already suspect fantasy outlook considerably heading into a Week 5 road matchup against the Steelers on Sunday, Oct. 6.

Dowdle rushed 11 times for 46 yards and brought in his only target for a 15-yard touchdown in the Cowboys' 20-15 win over the Giants on Thursday night.

Dowdle led the Cowboys in rush attempts and rushing yards, outpacing Ezekiel Elliott by six carries and 27 yards on the night. Dowdle also made good use of his one pass-catching opportunity via his 15-yard scoring reception late in the first quarter, his first touchdown of any kind since Week 14 of last season. Dowdle's rushing totals Thursday also were season highs, giving him some momentum heading into a tough Week 5 road matchup against the Steelers on Sunday, Oct. 6.

Singletary rushed 14 times for 24 yards and brought in his only target for 14 yards in the Giants' 20-15 loss to the Cowboys on Thursday night.

Singletary's 1.7 yards-per-carry average underscores the brick wall he ran into the majority of the night. The veteran back's yardage total was his lowest of the season by far, and it came on the heels of a two-game stretch where he accumulated 160 rushing yards and two touchdowns on 32 carries alongside a 5-43-0 receiving line. Singletary's first opportunity to bounce back from the season-worst performance comes in a Week 5 road matchup against the Seahawks on Sunday, Oct. 6.

Coach Kyle Shanahan said Thursday on 104.5 KNBR that the 49ers will "probably turn it up here in the next couple of weeks" with McCaffrey (calf/Achilles). "We'll start testing it out here sooner rather than later," Shanahan added.

Because McCaffrey was placed on injured reserve prior to the 49ers' Week 2 loss at Minnesota, he won't be eligible to practice until before a Week 6 road matchup with the Seahawks. Having said that, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reported Sept. 15 that McCaffrey could miss six weeks or perhaps more than that. If San Francisco ultimately designates McCaffrey to return from IR, he'd have three weeks to test out his Achilles before the team would need to make a decision to activate him. The hope is that his recent visit to Germany to meet with a specialist will aid in the recovery of what's been ailing McCaffrey, but for as long as he's sidelined, the 49ers will entrust most of the backfield reps to Jordan Mason.

Walker (oblique) practiced in a limited capacity Thursday, Michael-Shawn Dugar of The Athletic reports.

Going back to last week, Walker has put together back-to-back capped sessions as he draws closer to completing his recovery from the oblique injury that he suffered Week 1 against the Broncos. According to Bob Condotta of The Seattle Times, Walker was in pads and had his helmet during warmups Thursday. The Seahawks have a pair of practices remaining during Week 4 prep in which Walker can demonstrate his health before the Seahawks may give him a designation ahead of Monday's game at Detroit. If he's able to return, there's a chance he could split reps with No. 2 RB Zach Charbonnet, though Walker has averaged 16.9 touches per game in two-plus seasons as a pro.