Photo: Aaron Doster, USA Today Sports

WEDNESDAY MEDIA UPDATES

***Alvin Kamara, Chris Carson, Matt Breida, DeAndre Hopkins, A.J. Green, and Rob Gronkowski were all limited on Wednesday. All are tentatively expected to play. Julio Jones did not practice but should play.

***Keenan Allen did not practice with a knee injury. His snap count dipped slightly last week but there are no specific concerns from Los Angeles beat writers. We should know more after tomorrow's practice report.

***JuJu Smith-Schuster did not practice with an abdominal injury. Pittsburgh players who do not practice generally do not play. Thursday's participation report is critical. For now, there's no indication Smith-Schuster will not be available.

***Leonard Fournette returned to another limited practice today. Until he returns to a full practice or the Jaguars report that he'll return to the active roster, continue to consider Fournette questionable.

***Rex Burkhead was placed on injured reserve with a neck injury today. It's unclear what's ailing Burkhead. While he's eligible to be designated to return in eight weeks, the soonest he can return is Week 13.

***Joe Mixon worked on the rehab field today rather than participate in individual drills. If the Bengals clear him for drills tomorrow, there's a chance he'll play. More likely, he'll get another week to rehab and recondition and return in Week 5.

***Darren Sproles and Jay Ajayi did not return to practice. Both remain questionable at best for this week. Ajayi is likely closer than Sproles.

***Marcus Mariota continues to improve and the Titans named him the starter this week. While unlikely to be fully recovered, Mariota showed enough last week to be cleared to return. Blaine Gabbert did not practice and should be considered doubtful.

THURSDAY NIGHT INJURY EXPECTATIONS

Here are the key players listed on the practice participation or game status report for Thursday Night Football:

minnesota at los angeles rams

***Dalvin Cook returned to limited practices on both Tuesday and Wednesday. The Vikings list him questionable. Earlier this week, Cook was adamant he would play. By the end of the week, he wasn't as committed, calling himself a game-time decision. This isn't unusual for running backs and hamstring strains. It takes time for the muscle to fully heal, even with low-grade strains. Running backs may be very close to a full recovery but still notice something when running at near full speed. If so, they are still within the window of risk for aggravation. And teams often prefer to rest backs. I'm not sure that's where Cook's recovery stands, but his inability to fully practice is suspicious. Consider him a game-time decision, but questionable at best. If he is active, it's a good sign but there's no guarantee he'll be ready for a sizable workload. Watch for notes and reports throughout the day on Thursday.

Monday Update: Adam Schefter reported overnight the Vikings will work Cook out in pregame before making a final decision but expect him to play. That's not a rousing recommendation but a good sign Cook could be available for 10+ touches tonight.

***The Vikings defense will be without Everson Griffen and Marcus Sherels this week. The Rams defense will likely be without Marcus Peters and Mark Barron after losing Aqib Talib to injured reserve earlier in the week.

EARly week PRACTICE PARTICIPATION & EARLY EXPECTATIONS

The Wednesday and Thursday practice participation reports are our first chance to see which players each NFL team are limiting in practice after the previous week's games. Players limited in mid-week practice aren't necessarily in danger of missing that week's game. But they all need to be watched closely.

*Note: Monday night players with asterisk practice Thursday/Friday/Saturday.

Note: Asterisk denotes Monday night players who practice Thursday/Friday/Saturday.

Follow me on Twitter @JeneBramel for breaking injury news and analysis throughout the week.