Is this the week KC Chiefs kicker Harrison Butker returns to action? He’s practicing...

After not playing in four straight games, Chiefs kicker Harrison Butker finally appears to be trending in the right direction.

Butker, who has been dogged by a nagging left-ankle injury suffered in the team’s season-opening victory at Arizona, was able to practice again Thursday — his second consecutive day of practice — stirring optimism that he could be available for Sunday afternoon’s key AFC game against the Buffalo Bills at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium.

“I feel good,” Chiefs special teams coordinator Dave Toub said of Butker’s chances to return Sunday. “I mean, he looked good. As long as we don’t have any setbacks, I mean, we’ve just got to keep working him. We’ll see. We’re not ready to say, ‘Yeah, he’s in.’ We got to wait, but he looked good.”

Butker hasn’t dressed for a game since sustaining the Week 1 injury, but he put in a limited practice Wednesday. Getting him onto the field two straight days represents a positive sign in his recovery. Toub noted that Butker, who had been rehabbing with a one-step kicking process, is back to his “normal steps” when approaching the football.

The Chiefs are covered at kicker regardless of Butker’s health Sunday: fill-in Matthew Wright drilled a team-record 59-yard field goal in Week 5. The Chiefs have been taking their time to evaluate Butker’s readiness.

“He’s day-to-day, really,” Toub said. “We’ll get both guys ready and make a decision.”

The Chiefs later in the afternoon designated Butker as a full participant in Thursday’s practice, yet another positive sign for his recovery.

Meanwhile, the Chiefs were practicing Thursday without three key defensive players, including two starters. Defensive end Frank Clark, who was limited Wednesday with an illness, and cornerback Rashad Fenton (hamstring) were not going to practice. Fenton, who misses a second straight day of work, was hurt Monday night against the Raiders.

Rookie safety Bryan Cook, who also missed a second straight day of practice, is recovering from a concussion suffered Monday night. Defensive lineman Tershawn Wharton (torn ACL) wasn’t on the field, either.

The Chiefs said everybody else on their roster was practicing. That included cornerback Chris Lammons, who didn’t practice Wednesday because of a hip injury, and first-round rookie cornerback Trent McDuffie.

The Chiefs on Wednesday designated McDuffie to return from injured reserve. Wednesday therefore marks the opening of a 21-day window in which the Chiefs must decide whether to activate him to their 53-player roster. McDuffie, who hurt his hamstring in the opener and has not played since, could return to action as soon as Sunday’s game. He will not carry a practice designation because he is still on injured reserve.

Lammons, tight end Travis Kelce (hip, back), linebacker Nick Bolton (quad), right guard Trey Smtih (pectoral), wide receivers Mecole Hardman (heel), JuJu Smith-Schuster (quad, hamstring) and Skyy Moore (ankle) and defensive end Mike Danna (calf) all practiced fully.

The Chiefs added safety Justin Reid to Thursday’s practice report with a hand injury, and he was able to put in a full practice.