NFL Player News

Mitchell (finger) didn't practice Thursday.

Mitchell has yet to resume practicing in any capacity since Sept. 25 and is viewed as week-to-week after recently undergoing what head coach Aaron Glenn termed as a small procedure on his hand. Following Friday's practice, the wideout will likely be officially ruled out for Sunday's game against the Patriots, which will mark his fourth consecutive absence.

Downs (rest/hamstring) upgraded to full participation at Thursday's practice.

Downs was listed as limited Wednesday due to rest and a hamstring injury. The inclusion of rest in the reason for his limitations suggested the wide receiver wasn't dealing with a significant injury, but it's still encouraging to see that notion confirmed one day later with Downs' return to full participation. Downs is set to maintain a prominent role in Indianapolis' passing game Sunday against the 0-5 Titans.

Head coach Kyle Shanahan said Thursday that the 49ers will "hold off" on placing Samuel (hamstring) on IR due to the team's bye in Week 8, Vic Tafur of the Athletic reports.

It was reported earlier in the week that Samuel would miss multiple weeks; however, the 49ers are stopping short of placing him on injured reserve for the time being due to how the schedule sets up. Samuel is set to miss at least the Week 6 game against the Commanders and likely the following game against the Falcons before the team gets a bye. Week 9 seems to be the earliest potential return date for the veteran.

Head coach Kyle Shanahan said Evans won't practice Thursday due to rib and Achilles injuries, Cam Inman of The San Jose Mercury News reports.

Evans has been tending to strained ribs since a Week 3 matchup with the Cardinals, playing through it the last two contests to the tune of a 12-189-1 line on 18 targets during that stretch. Shanahan attributes Thursday's absence to not only that, but what he calls Achilles soreness, per Nick Wagoner of ESPN.com. The mere mention of Achilles can be concerning, but in the end, the situation will be monitored to see if Evans' status for Monday's game against the Commanders is at all threatened.

Head coach Kyle Shanahan said Thursday that Robinson (ankle) has an "outside chance" to return from injured reserve for the 49ers' Week 7 game versus the Falcons but is more likely to be activated following the team's Week 8 bye, David Lombardi of SFStandard.com reports.

Robinson is on the mend from a right high-ankle sprain, which he sustained in the 49ers' Week 2 win over the Dolphins. The 49ers have a dire need for reinforcements at receiver with Deebo Samuel (hamstring) out through the bye and three other wideouts currently on IR, but unless he has his 21-day window opened next week and looks better than expected in practice, Robinson doesn't look like he'll be able to help the team until its Week 9 game versus the Raiders.

Kirk (calf) had his 21-day practice window opened Thursday.

This is a mildly surprising move, as head coach Kyle Shanahan described Kirk on Monday as "unlikely" to resume practicing this week. Kirk was given a designation to return when he was initially placed on IR prior to the start of the regular season, so the plan has always been for the veteran wide receiver to make it back to action at some point during the season. His practice participation level will bear monitoring, as Kirk will likely need to ramp up to full participation before he gets a chance to suit up for game action. San Francisco's banged-up wide receiver room could certainly use the reinforcements, as Deebo Samuel (hamstring) is expected to miss Monday's game against the Commanders, while Demarcus Robinson (ankle), De'Zhaun Stribling (ankle) and Ricky Pearsall (knee) all remain on IR.

Rice (hamstring) isn't participating in Thursday's practice, Matt Derrick of ChiefsDigest.com reports.

Coming out of the Chiefs' Week 5 bye, Rice has been a spectator for both of the team's first two practices of the week while he continues to recover from the hamstring injury he sustained in an Oct. 4 win over the Raiders. Kansas City hasn't yet closed the door on Rice suiting up Sunday against the Chargers, but he'll almost certainly need to practice in some capacity Friday to put himself on a path to play.

Moore (ankle) remained a non-participant at Thursday's practice, Rob Demovsky of ESPN.com reports.

Moore injured his ankle in the Week 5 win over the Bears and seems to be trending toward a Week 6 absence Sunday against the Cowboys, which would open the door for Bo Melton and J. Michael Sturdivant to take on larger roles behind Christian Watson and Matthew Golden. The Packers would also need to find an alternative option to return kickoffs and punts if Moore sits, with Sturdivant, Melton, Golden and Pierre Strong among the top candidates to contribute in those situations.

Smith was not seen with his helmet during the media viewing period Thursday,Tim McManus of ESPN.com reports.

Smith is nursing hamstring and toe injuries and it appears he'll be missing his second straight practice Thursday. He has missed back-to-back games and doesn't seem to be trending towards a return in Week 6 against the Panthers. The Eagles will already be missing Jalen Hurts (blood clot) for Sunday's game.

Brown (ankle) said Thursday that it's "up in the air" whether he'll be available for Sunday's game against the Jets, and that the decision will ultimately be made by head coach Mike Vrabel, Evan Lazar of the Patriots' official site reports.

Brown practiced Wednesday after having his 21-day window to return from injured reserve opened. "I felt pretty good," Brown said regarding Wednesday's practice, during which he was listed as limited. "It's one step at a time." The flashy offseason acquisition has missed the past four games due to a sprained ankle sustained in the second half of New England's season-opening loss to Seattle. A loss to the Jets on Sunday would drop the Patriots to third in the AFC East standings, but New England's passing game has been trending in the right direction despite Brown's ongoing absence, as Drake Maye has a 7:1 TD:INT over the past two games after posting a 1:6 ratio through Week 3.