Raheem Mostert calls his ankle injury "a little hiccup." Will it impact the Dolphins offense?

Two valuable offensive starters for the Miami Dolphins returned to practice on Thursday, which is a good indicator that they will be in the lineup for Sunday morning's AFC showdown against the Kansas City Chiefs.

Raheem Mostert, who is nursing an ankle injury he suffered in Miami's 31-17 win over the New England Patriots, returned to practice on Thursday, participating on a limited basis.

Tight end Durham Smythe, who suffered a left ankle sprain against the Patriots and was sporting a walking boot earlier this week, also returned to practice on Thursday, participating on a limited basis. 

Mostert, who happens to be Miami's leading rusher having gained 520 yards and scored 10 rushing touchdowns on his 97 carries, has sat out most of this season's Wednesday practices, either because of a lingering injury or for what the team labels veteran rest.

But he's confident he'll be in the lineup come Sunday.

"Feeling a lot better. It was just a little hiccup, but now we’re doing good," said Mostert, who has also caught 19 passes for 151 yards and two touchdowns. "[I'm] Ready to go.”

If Mostert's participation is limited the Dolphins would likely lean on Jeff Wilson, who will be playing in his third game back from a ribs and finger injury that got him placed on injured reserve, and Salvon Ahmed, who is averaging 3.2 yards per carry on his 16 rushes.

The Dolphins have one more game before rookie sensation De'Von Achane, who is averaging a league-high 12.1 yards per carry, is elgible to come off injured reserve because of the knee injury he suffered last month.

Dolphins coach Mike McDaniel warned that Smythe's one of the team's toughest players, which hints that the ankle injury won't keep the starting tight end from playing against the Chiefs, filling his role as run blocking facilitator and personal protector for quarterback Tua Tagovailoa.

While Smythe, who has pulled down 14 passes for 151 yards this season, is not heavily targeted in the passing game, he averages 49 offensive snaps per game. Last week rookie Smythe played 51 snaps despite suffering the injury early in the game.

If Smythe can't play, or has his snap count limited Julian Hill will likely assume his role. The Dolphins also have veteran tight end Tyler Kroft on the active roster, and Tanner Conner and Nick Bowers are the tight ends on the practice squad. Miami can elevate two practice squad players up to the game day roster per game, and Conner has already been elevated twice this season.

Dolphins have two new injuries

Braxton Berrios, the Dolphins slot receiver and primary return specialist, was limtied during Thursday's practice because of a hamstring injury. Berrios had been limited in previous practices because of a knee injury....

Cornerback Justin Bethel, who is primarily used as a special teams contributor, was limited on Thursday because of a foot injury that is new.

Robert Hunt, the Dolphins' starting right guard for the past four seasons, sat out his second practice because of a hamstring, which decreases the probability that he'll play on Sunday. If Hunt doesn't play the Dolphins would likely be starting two inexperienced offensive linemen at guard against the Chiefs, which features Chris Jones, one of the NFL's most talented defensive tackles.

Cornerback Xavien Howard and center Connor Williams, two valuable starters who have been shelved because of their groin injuries, continue to participate in practice on a limited basis, as does receiver River Cracraft, who in his 21-day window to return from a shoulder injury, and offensive tackle Terron Armstead, who began his 21-day window to return from IR on Wednesday.

Whether Armstead is cleared to return to the starting lineup depends on how he performs in practice this week, and how the medical staff feels about the left knee he injured in Miami's 48-20 loss to the Buffalo Bills earlier this month.

Armstead would have had a complete month to rest the injury by the time Miami kickoff Sunday's 9:30 a.m. game.