NFL Player News

Robinson (Achilles) isn't expected to play in Friday's preseason game against the Browns, James Johnson of The USA Today reports.

It's not a surprise that Robinson, who remains in the process of recovering from a torn left Achilles' tendon, will be held out of the contest, as the team continues to manage his training-camp workload. Though the Jaguars' unofficial depth chart lists Robinson as a first-stringer, Travis Etienne -- who is listed as the No. 2 option -- has, according to Johnson, "been arguably the most impressive player in camp." Of the two, Etienne, a 2021 first-round selection, is the upside play from a fantasy perspective, but if/when Robinson returns to 100 percent, he'll look to reclaim a key role in a Jacksonville backfield that he led last season while Etienne was sidelined with a foot injury.

Sermon was busy at Wednesday's practice and could see extensive work in Friday's preseason opener versus the Packers, Nick Wagoner of ESPN.com reports.

Sermon took the spotlight Wednesday with Elijah Mitchell not practicing for yet-to-be-disclosed reasons. Candidates for backup work behind Mitchell include Sermon, Jeff Wilson and Tyrion Davis-Price, with the competition seemingly open as the Niners prepare for the start of the preseason.

Gordon missed Wednesday's practice with a foot injury, Aric DiLalla of the Broncos' official site reports.

Head coach Nathaniel Hackett doesn't sound too worried, noting that Gordons' injury is something that needs to be managed during training camp. With Gordon missing some practice time, Mike Boone could rotate in with the first-team offense behind Javonte Williams. The real question, of course, is how the Broncos divide work between Gordon and Williams when both are healthy. Reports from Denver beat writers have been varied, though all seem to agree that Williams has at least been getting a slightly larger share of the first-team work during training camp.

Mixon is unlikely to play in Friday's preseason opener against the Cardinals after head coach Zac Taylor said that a majority of the Bengals' starters will sit out the contest, Paul Dehner Jr. of The Athletic reports.

Given that Mixon is entrenched as the Bengals' starting running back, the team has no need to overwork the 26-year-old during the upcoming exhibition slate. With that in mind, look for the team's focus Friday to be on finding playing time for younger players and those competing for depth slotting.

The Colts expect Hines to catch 60 or more passes this season, Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.com reports.

Teams often try to raise a player's real-life trade value by exaggerating expectations, but in this case, the Colts seemingly want to pump up Hines' fantasy ADP. Head coach Frank Reich said in May that he would pick Hines if he were playing in a fantasy league this year, a not-so-subtle hint that the team has more in mind for the 26-year-old than last year's 56 carries and 57 targets. A big increase in carries wouldn't make much sense unless Jonathan Taylor gets injured, but the Colts could throw more, substitute Taylor out more often on pass snaps and/or deploy more two-back formations. Both backs played all 17 games last season, with Taylor handling a 68.9 percent snap share, Hines at 31.2 percent and the team's other halfbacks combining for 6.9 percent. Additional playing time is a necessity for a big jump in production, as Hines is already close to maxed out in terms of his frequency of being targeted when on the field. He saw the ball on 30 percent of his routes each of the last three years -- a top-10 mark among all pass catchers on each occasion.

Head coach Kliff Kingsbury recently praised Benjamin's progress, saying he "would've never expected him to come this far" based on the running back's limited production over the first two years of his career, Darren Urban of the Cardinals' official site reports. "Early on I didn't know if he could figure it out," Kingsbury said. "Each year he has just gotten progressively better. He's one of the hardest workers on the team now.

Urban adds that no player on the roster has been praised more this offseason than Benjamin, a 2020 seventh-round pick with 40 career touches for 160 yards, all of which came in 2021. Urban further suggests that the No. 2 running back job is Benjamin's to lose, with the top challengers being former Chief Darrel Williams and rookie sixth-round pick Keaontay Ingram. It's a situation to monitor this preseason, with the eventual winner of the backup role sitting one James Conner injury away from a significant workload.

Williams is listed as the starting running back on the Broncos' first unofficial depth chart ahead of Saturday's preseason opener against the Cowboys, Zac Stevens of TheDNVR.com reports.

Williams' placement atop the depth chart doesn't come as a major surprise, as recent reports have indicated that the second-year back has received the slight edge in snaps with the first-team offense in training camp over veteran Melvin Gordon. With Gordon playing on an expiring deal and set to turn 30 next offseason, Denver will likely prepare for the 22-year-old Williams to operate as Option 1A out of the backfield after the two had worked in a near-even timeshare in 2021. With that said, the coaching staff is committed to using multiple backs this season, which should cap the overall upside of both backs when they are healthy. Offensive coordinator Justin Outten recently said the running backs will be on a pitch count this season, further complicating matters for fantasy purposes.

Head coach Doug Pederson said Etienne, quarterback Trevor Lawrence and other starters will play a couple drives in Friday's preseason game against Cleveland, Cameron Wolfe of NFL Network reports.

Etienne will be taking the field for the first time since suffering a Lisfranc injury in the second week of the preseason his rookie year. The 2021 first-round pick may eventually face competition from James Robinson, who is coming back from an Achilles tear, but reports out of camp suggest Etienne has gobbled up first-team reps (and looked good in the process). Meanwhile, Robinson is steadily working his way up to speed.

Felton is likely to settle in atop the depth chart at kick and punt returner after Jakeem Grant exited Tuesday's practice with an Achilles injury, Zack Jackson of The Athletic reports.

Felton is the first line for the return gig, but D'Ernest Johnson, Anthony Schwartz, Ja'Marcus Bradley and Mike Harley could also be used in practice and preseason games. Since the start of the preseason, Felton's chances of making the Week 1 roster have improved considerably. After the Browns drafted Jerome Ford this spring to add to an already crowded running back room, the hybrid back/receiver found himself on the roster bubble. Since then, injuries to several wide receivers gave Felton plenty of reps at the position, and now Grant's injury creates an opportunity for Felton in the return game.

Warren is making a case for a spot on the Steelers' 53-man roster early in training camp, Bob Labriola of the Steelers' official site reports.

Warren joined the Steelers as an undrafted free agent at the beginning of May but has had a strong start to camp. He had the longest rush of the day during Tuesday's live tackling period, breaking several tackles en route to a 15-yard gain. Benny Snell seems to be the likeliest option to serve as the No. 2 running back behind starter Najee Harris, but Warren should have a chance to compete with Anthony McFarland, Mataeo Durant and Master Teague for one of the final spots on Pittsburgh's roster ahead of the regular season.