NFL Player News

Abdullah didn't see any snaps in Sunday's preseason win over the Vikings.

The same applies to the Raiders' top back Josh Jacobs, as well as versatile special teams ace Brandon Bolden, which paved the way for Brittain Brown, Austin Walter, Kenyan Drake and Zamir White to handle the carries in the team's second preseason game. Heading into training camp, there wasn't much fantasy buzz about Abdullah, but at this stage the 29-year-old appears to be making a push to overtake Drake as the team's top change-of-pace back. With that in mind, Albert Breer of SI.com noted Friday that Abdullah is "carving out a real role," and if he indeed emerges as a key pass-catching threat out of the Las Vegas backfield, the 2015 second-rounder could resurface on the PPR radar.

Kamara's legal case won't necessarily impact his availability this season, ESPN's Adam Schefter reports (per Field Yates of ESPN).

Schefter says it's looking "more and more likely" that the assault charges against Kamara won't lead to a suspension in 2022. That's partially because court dates keep getting pushed back, with the most recent postponement being from Aug. 5 to Sept. 29. It's not clear how much of that, if any, is an intentional strategy by Kamara's lawyers. The case reportedly involves video evidence that shows Kamara punching a man multiple times, but the NFL often prefers to let legal situations play out in court before ruling on a league suspension. It does seem like something that will cost Kamara at least a game or two -- and quite possibly more -- at some point in the not-so-distant future, and he isn't totally out of the woods as far as 2022 is concerned.

Rivers was waived by the Cardinals on Sunday, Darren Urban of the Cardinals' official site reports.

Rivers signed with Arizona as an undrafted free agent at the beginning of May, and he played just three offensive snaps during Friday's preseason opener against the Bengals. He spent five collegiate seasons at Fresno State, and it's not yet clear whether he'll land a role with another professional team.

Chandler rushed five times for 50 yards in Sunday's 26-20 preseason loss to the Raiders.

Chandler made an impressive debut by tearing through the Raiders' backup defense (key starters were healthy scratches). The results are impressive nonetheless, as the rookie fifth-rounder posted an productive final season at North Carolina in 2021 (182 carries for 1,092 yards and 13 touchdowns). The Vikings have one of the more stacked running back rooms in the league, so Chandler could find himself on the practice squad to begin the season if he can't leapfrog Kene Nwangwu, who also stood out Sunday. Both young backs will get another chance to compete when Minnesota takes on the 49ers on Saturday.

Jacobs didn't appear in the Raiders' 26-20 preseason win over the Vikings on Sunday.

Jacobs was one of the few starters to play during the Hall of Fame Game against the Jaguars, but he didn't take the field Sunday. Ameer Abdullah was also held out for rest purposes, so Zamir White served as the starting running back and rushed five times for 13 yards while securing two of three targets for four yards. Jacobs racked up 44 yards from scrimmage during the Raiders' first exhibition Coach Josh McDaniels refuted speculation this week that the Raiders are looking to trade Jacobs, and the 2019 first-rounder seems to be the frontrunner to serve as the team's starting running back this year in spite of his surprising Hall of Fame Game appearance.

Nwangwu (leg) rushed seven times for 41 yards and caught both of his targets for 18 yards in Sunday's 26-20 preseason loss to the Raiders.

Nwangwu looked crisp in his return from a minor soft-tissue injury to his leg, flashing the explosiveness that he displayed as a rookie returner last season (two kick-return touchdowns). The 24-year-old figures to have a lock on the kickoff return job in Minnesota, but he has carried over his excellent YPC totals -- albeit in smaller sample sizes -- from his time at Iowa State (5.9 YPC in his final two seasons). Nwangwu probably won't see enough playing time with the talented one-two combo of Dalvin Cook and Alexander Mattison ahead of him on the Vikings' running back depth chart, but there appears to be potential future fantasy goodness within this young athlete, should the opportunity arise for him to see enough touches on a per-week basis at some point this year (or with another club in the future). As for 2022, Nwangwu will have to fend off Ty Chandler (five carries for 50 yards Sunday) to keep his spot at third on the depth chart heading into the regular season.

Warren rushed six times for 34 yards while securing four of five targets for 30 yards and a touchdown during the Steelers' 32-25 preseason win over the Seahawks on Saturday.

Although Anthony McFarland started Saturday's preseason opener, Warren led the team in touches and topped 60 yards from scrimmage while also reaching the end zone. Warren has generated plenty of buzz over the first few weeks of training camp and certainly appears to be in the competition for backfield work behind starter Najee Harris with just under a month remaining until the start of the regular season.

McFarland rushed seven times for 56 yards during the Steelers' 32-25 preseason win over the Seahawks on Saturday.

McFarland made some big plays early in training camp and drew the start during Saturday's preseason opener since Najee Harris and Benny Snell (knee) didn't take the field. McFarland was on the field for 25 percent of Pittsburgh's offensive snaps and led the team in rushing yards while also returning kicks. Snell, McFarland and Jaylen Warren are competing for backfield work behind Harris ahead of the regular season.

White started Sunday's preseason game against the Vikings -- with Josh Jacobs being a healthy scratch -- rushing five times for 13 yards and catching two of three targets for four yards.

White wasn't able to replicate his strong showing from the Hall of Fame Game on Aug. 4 (75 total yards), but his status as the starter bodes well for his prospects of moving up the depth chart as a rookie. With Jacobs looking healthy for the start of the regular season, White's best-case scenario might end up being a change-of-pace/third-down role where he gets to flash his big-play ability with a handful of touches each week. For fantasy purposes, there might not be enough volume for the fourth-round pick to be a viable option early on, but he's a name to monitor, should he carve out a larger role. A clearer picture of the backfield depth chart may emerge during the Raiders' third preseason game at Miami on Saturday.

Drake rushed four times for 15 yards and caught both of his targets for 17 yards in Sunday's 26-20 preseason win over the Vikings.

Starter Josh Jacobs (rest) and veteran backup Ameer Abdullah (rest) were both held out of this contest after getting heavy work in the Hall of Fame Game last week, so rookie Zamir White started and split work with Drake. The latter looked sharp with his six touches in head coach Josh McDaniels' new offense. Drake will duke it out with the aforementioned running back options this preseason to determine the pecking order behind Jacobs. So far, it doesn't look great for the 29-year-old.