Photo: Dale Zanine, USA Today Sports

WEDNESDAY MEDIA UPDATES

***Todd Gurley missed practice today as he rests a sore knee. Sean McVay told reporters he expects Gurley to play after Gurley reported feeling better early this week. McVay then left the door open for Gurley to miss time saying, "If there's a chance he's going to do something that's going to set him back for the playoffs, that's where we have to make smart decisions." If Gurley doesn't return to limited practice on Thursday, his availability for this week will be in doubt.

***After a limited Friday practice and some slim hope of a return last weekend, James Conner did not practice on Wednesday. Multiple reports suggest Conner has not made enough progress with his high ankle sprain to return this week. That's not surprising -- the injury seemed to be a 3-4 week injury as soon as the Steelers ruled him out the first week. Watch for limited practice and a more optimistic expectation by Friday but Conner remains well to the doubtful side of questionable.

***Odell Beckham Jr missed another practice on Wednesday and Pat Shurmur wasn't reassuring about Beckham status. The most optimistic thing Shurmur said was that the Giants weren't yet planning to put Beckham on injured reserve. Beckham looks doubtful to return this week.

***The Falcons were not as openly optimistic about Julio Jones this week as they have been in past weeks without a Wednesday practice. While Dan Quinn told reporters he was encouraged about Jones' hip injury but acknowledged the team would continue to be cautious with Jones until Friday and then evaluate his health for game day. Expect Jones to play but he may be listed questionable on Friday rather than taken off the injury report.

***Melvin Gordon III has fully practiced this week and is on track to play Saturday. Gordon reportedly would have played last week had the game not been on Thursday night. With a full week to monitor Gordon in practice and game plan with his return in mind, expect the Chargers to give Gordon a full workload.

***T.Y. Hilton told reporters he made his ankle "mad" last week. He's unlikely to practice this week and his status may be more in doubt than in previous weeks.

***Cam Newton will not play again this season as he starts rehab to address ongoing soreness in his throwing shoulder. Expect Newton to work on strengthening and range of motion in the coming weeks. He will likely seek out additional opinions while deciding whether surgery is the best course of action this offseason.

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: Saturday night players practice Tuesday/Wednesday/Thursday.

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

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