NFL Player News

Barkley (ankle) is practicing Friday, Pat Leonard of the New York Daily News reports.

The report notes that Barkley was "moving pretty well" during individual drills in his second day back on the practice field. He returned Thursday as a limited participant and seems to be making a bid to play in Monday's game against Seattle, though it'll nonetheless be surprising if he upgrades from limited to full Friday.

Rodriguez (illness) has been ruled out for Sunday's game against the Eagles, Matthew Paras of The Washington Times reports.

Rodriguez was downgraded to DNP Thursday after being limited Wednesday. With Rodriguez on the shelf, Derrick Gore looks like a prime candidate to be promoted from the practice squad to fill RB3 duties behind Brian Robinson and Antonio Gibson.

Sanders (groin) didn't practice Friday and is listed as questionable for Sunday's game against the Vikings.

Sanders appears truly questionable after failing to practice Friday following limited showings Wednesday and Thursday. If Sanders is inactive ahead of Sunday's 1 p.m. ET kickoff, Chuba Hubbard would likely start and get most of the backfield snaps, with Raheem Blackshear being the only other back on the active roster while Tarik Cohen and Jashaun Corbin reside on the practice squad. For what it's worth, head coach Frank Reich said Friday that he's optimistic Sanders will play, according to Joe Person of The Athletic.

Reynolds did not record a carry during Thursday's win over Green Bay.

Reynolds logged one offensive snap and only made an impact returning kickoffs on special teams with David Montgomery back to carry the rushing load. Especially after proving to be more than a Montgomery injury away from a notable role, Reynolds has returned to fantasy irrelevance for the time being.

Sanders (groin) is present for Friday's practice but doesn't have a helmet, Darin Gantt of the Panthers' official site reports.

The report notes that Sanders didn't look concerned, but he may nonetheless end up with a designation on the final injury report ahead of Sunday's game against Minnesota. He dealt with a groin injury in August and was a limited practice participant Wednesday and Thursday this week. If things were to take a turn for the worse, Chuba Hubbard would step in as the Panthers' lead back and likely get at least 15 touches.

Gibbs rushed eight times for 40 yards while securing four of five targets for 11 yards during Thursday's 34-20 win over the Packers.

After logging 59 percent of the offensive snaps in Week 3, Gibbs dropped to 38 percent with the return of David Montgomery from a thigh bruise. The workload split may have been surprising simply given the questionable tag with which the latter entered the game, but the distribution of carries definitely was surprising after Montgomery handled 32 totes to Gibbs' eight. While Gibbs did see three more targets in the passing game, the rookie had minimal involvement in the red zone while Montgomery racked up three touchdowns. This overall usage makes Gibbs most valuable in full PPR formats, but it is clear his value is capped across the board with Montgomery handling so much of the rushing volume. Up next is a Week 5 matchup at home against the Panthers.

Patterson (thigh) is listed as questionable for Sunday's game against the Jaguars in London, Tori McElhaney of the Falcons' official site reports.

Patterson hasn't yet played this season, but he logged a pair of limited practices ahead of the Falcons' Week 4 tilt. It's not yet clear whether he'll be able to suit up in London, but Atlanta doesn't need to rush him along before he's fully healthy, with Bijan Robinson and Tyler Allgeier both performing well early in the season.

Montgomery rushed 32 times for 121 yards with three touchdowns while catching both of his targets for 20 yards during Thursday's 34-20 win over Green Bay.

Despite speculation over Montgomery's level of involvement coming off a thigh injury, the veteran back wound up reclaiming full control of the backfield from rookie Jahmyr Gibbs, who finished with eight carries and five targets. The extent to which he did so was nothing short of shocking, as Montgomery tied his career high in rushing attempts. With four touchdowns in his first three games with the Lions, Montgomery appears to have picked up right where Jamaal Williams left off in 2022. The good times could keep rolling in a Week 5 matchup with a Panthers team that has allowed the second-most rushing touchdowns (six) through the end of Week 3.

Dillon rushed five times for 11 yards and failed to bring in his only target in the Packers' 34-20 loss to the Lions on Thursday night.

Dillon's backfield mate Aaron Jones returned from a two-game absence due to a hamstring injury, but the two players actually logged the same amount of carries. The real culprit in the sparse overall usage for Green Bay's ground attack was the big first-half deficit the Packers found themselves in, plus the fact they were never able to whittle a 24-point halftime deficit to less than 10 at any time in the second half. Dillon will likely return to his normal complementary role alongside a presumably healthy Jones during a Week 5 road matchup against the Raiders on Monday night, Oct. 9.

Jones (hamstring) rushed five times for 18 yards and secured one of two targets for minus-4 yards in the Packers' 34-20 loss to the Lions on Thursday night.

Making his first appearance since Week 1 due to a hamstring strain, Jones didn't have to worry about testing his previously ailing leg too stringently. A game script that saw Green Bay already down 14-3 after one quarter and 27-3 at the half essentially nullified the viability of the Packers' ground attack, leaving Jones tied with AJ Dillon for the team lead in rush attempts. Jones will now have plenty of extra time to get back to full health if he isn't already, as the Packers don't retake the field until Monday night, Oct. 9 against the Raiders.