NFL Player News

Seattle placed Penny (ankle/fibula) on injured reserve Friday, John Boyle of the Seahawks' official site reports.

Penny's move to IR was merely a formality after he underwent season-ending surgery Tuesday to repair his left ankle and fractured fibula. The transaction opens up a spot on the 53-man roster, but it's unclear if Seattle plans to use it on another running back. Seattle already claimed Tony Jones off waivers from New Orleans earlier this week to add depth behind rookie Kenneth Walker, who is expected to step into a lead role out of the backfield beginning with Sunday's game against the Cardinals.

Hill (hamstring) is listed as doubtful for Sunday's game against the Giants.

Though Hill was able to practice in a limited fashion this week, he's trending toward being inactive Sunday. If he's out, Kenyan Drake would be a candidate to log added change-of-pace work behind J.K. Dobbins, with Mike Davis also in reserve. Moreover, it's also possible that Gus Edwards (knee) could be activated from the PUP list in advance of Sunday's contest.

Vikings head coach Kevin O'Connell said Mattison (shoulder) will be listed as questionable for Sunday's game against the Dolphins, Alec Lewis of The Athletic reports.

According to Ben Goessling of the Minneapolis Star Tribune, O'Connell thinks Mattison will be able to suit up Sunday, but official confirmation on the running back's status won't come one way or the other until the Vikings release their inactive list 90 minutes prior to the 1 p.m. ET kickoff. If available, Mattison should handle his usual complementary role behind Dalvin Cook, though Mattison could see at least a slight drop from the season-high 46 percent snap share and 12 touches he took on during last week's win over the Bears.

Head coach Kliff Kingsbury said Williams (knee) won't play in Sunday's game against the Seahawks, Darren Urban of the Cardinals' official site reports.

As expected, the sprained knee Williams suffered in the Week 5 loss to the Eagles will keep him out for at least one game, with Kingsbury also expressing uncertainty about the running back's chances of making it back for a Thursday night contest Week 7 against the Saints. Top back James Conner (ribs) is also set to sit out in Seattle, likely leaving Eno Benjamin in position to start and handle a lead role out of the Arizona backfield. Rookie sixth-round pick Keaontay Ingram and practice-squad call-up Corey Clement are expected to handle depth roles behind Benjamin.

Head coach Kliff Kingsbury said Conner (ribs) won't play Sunday against the Seahawks, Darren Urban of the Cardinals' official site reports.

Kingsbury also ruled out fellow running back Darrel Williams (knee), and expressed uncertainty about Conner's and Williams' chances of being available for the Cardinals' Week 7 game against the Saints next Thursday. For at least Week 6, the absences of Conner and Williams likely paves the way Eno Benjamin to step into a lead role out of the backfield, while rookie sixth-round pick Keaontay Ingram and practice-squad call-up Corey Clement are expected to fill depth roles behind him.

Barkley (shoulder) doesn't have an injury designation for Sunday's game against the Ravens after practicing on a limited basis Wednesday through Friday.

The right shoulder injury Barkley suffered in the third quarter of last Sunday's win over the Packers in London knocked the running back out of the game for a spell in the third quarter, but he returned for the Giants' subsequent possession in the fourth quarter and delivered a 41-yard reception and a short touchdown plunge on the drive. Barkley's limitations in practice this week suggest that he might not be 100 percent recovered from the shoulder issue, but it's also possible the Giants may just have wanted to give him some extra maintenance. Regardless, Barkley is on track to play this weekend, and the shoulder issue isn't expected to dramatically affect him from a performance or workload standpoint.

Rams head coach Sean McVay said that Akers won't play Sunday against the Panthers after missing practice for the past two days for what was listed as a personal matter, Jourdan Rodrigue of The Athletic reports.

McVay wouldn't go into specifics about Akers' situation and declined to speculate on when the 23-year-old running back might rejoin the team, merely noting that Akers is "working through some things." Akers' absence for at least the Rams' Week 6 contest should free up more work for Darrell Henderson, who had already cleared 50 percent of snaps in each of the Rams' first five games but has served mainly as a change-of-pace/pass-catching option the past three weeks. Henderson should be in store for more early down work sans Akers, though reserve back Malcolm Brown is still likely be involved on offense in some capacity.

Ravens head coach John Harbaugh said Friday that Edwards (knee) is "getting close to a return," Jeff Zrebiec of The Athletic reports.

Harbaugh didn't elaborate much further on the matter, but the fact that the coach didn't directly address Edwards' status for Sunday's game in New York against the Giants suggests that the Ravens might be inclined to wait another week before activating the running back from the PUP list. Edwards, who resumed practicing Oct. 5, is working back from the torn ACL he suffered last September and may need a few more workouts to get back to full speed following the year-long layoff. If Edwards isn't activated for Week 6, Justice Hill would likely be on track to serve as the top understudy to J.K. Dobbins, assuming Hill can overcome his own hamstring injury that kept him out Week 5.

Harris said Friday that he had the steel plate removed from his left foot and feels that he's back to 100 percent health after battling a Lisfranc sprain in training camp, Teresa Varley of the Steelers' official site reports.

Harris suffered an aggravation of the foot problem Week 1 against the Bengals and was forced to exit that contest, but he hasn't missed any games since. Though he's suited up in every game this season, Harris has mustered just 3.2 yards on 69 carries and has gained only 64 yards on 13 receptions (4.9 yards per catch). While poor quarterback and offensive-line play have likely factored into Harris' struggles to some extent, playing though the foot injury may have also played a part in his diminished effectiveness. Harris' positive outlook about his health is good news, but it doesn't necessarily indicate he's due to take a big jump forward in performance the rest of the way while his team context remains poor.

Gibson rushed five times for 35 yards, brought in three of four targets for 18 yards and returned one kickoff for 27 yards in the Commanders' 12-7 win over the Bears on Thursday night.

As expected, Gibson played a clear backup role behind rookie Brian Robinson, and he actually was very efficient on a per-touch basis. Gibson also made his debut in the kickoff returner role, but moving forward, he may not get enough opportunities from scrimmage on a week-to-week basis to have any true fantasy reliability unless an injury strikes Robinson.