NFL Player News

Barkley (ankle) is listed as questionable for Monday's contest against the Buccaneers, Dan Salomone of the Giants' official site reports.

Barkley managed to practice once again Saturday, setting the stage for a possible return from a gnarly ankle injury suffered back in Week 5. The star running back also participated in practice during the team's bye last week week, prompting coach Joe Judge to suggest the 24-year-old was trending in the right direction to play in Monday's contest. Backup Devontae Booker (hip) is also listed as questionable for the aforementioned game and has practiced in limited fashion throughout the week, meaning the Giants could potentially have both backs at their disposal against a dangerous Buccaneers defense.

Dillon is set to make his first NFL start Sunday in Minnesota with the Packers officially ruling top back Aaron Jones (knee) out for the contest, Wes Hodkiewicz of the Packers' official site reports.

After Jones exited last week's 17-0 win over the Seahawks and was later diagnosed with an MCL sprain, the expectation was that he would be sidelined for 1-to-2 weeks. Unsurprisingly, Jones was unable to practice Wednesday through Friday while managing the injury, clearing the way for Dillon to step in as Green Bay's clear lead back this weekend. Through his first two NFL seasons, the 6-foot, 247-pound Dillon has averaged an excellent 4.6 yards per carry, but it's his improvement as a pass catcher in Year 2 that could set him up for a three-down role in his Week 11 start. Dillon is averaging a stellar 10.9 yards per target across his 18 looks on the season, and the Packers' lack of established depth behind him means he'll likely get all the work he can handle so long as the game stays competitive. He's a clear must-start option in all weekly leagues while Jones is sidelined.

Ward (concussion) has been ruled out for Sunday's game against the Seahawks, Darren Urban of the Cardinals' official site reports.

Ward will be sidelined for a third consecutive game after he sustained a concussion in Week 8. He'll have additional time to recover during Arizona's Week 12 bye.

Seattle head coach Pete Carroll said Penny should be in store for a larger role Sunday's game against the Cardinals after the running back didn't see the field in last week's 17-0 loss to the Packers, John Boyle of the Seahawks' official site reports. "I'm really looking forward to Rashaad, really looking forward to seeing where he goes and contributes this week," Carroll said. "He's got a really good role for us and we're anxious to see him get going. As we go through the next couple of weeks, you'll see him continue to be a big part of it."

Penny was phased out of the game plan in Seattle's Week 10 loss to the Packers after he mustered only 16 yards on 13 carries in his first two contests upon returning from a five-week absence due to a calf injury. Fortunately for Penny, No. 1 back Alex Collins (3.3 yards per carry) hasn't performed much better on a larger sample of totes over the past three games, so there could be an opportunity for the 2018 first-round pick to move up the depth chart if he's able to capitalize on more of his chances beginning in Week 11. At the very least, both Penny and Collins should have a longer runway to compete for reps after Carroll announced Friday that the team's top back to open the campaign, Chris Carson, is headed for season-ending neck surgery.

Ollison carried nine times for 34 yards and gained zero yards on two receptions Thursday in the Falcons' 25-0 loss to the Patriots. He reverted to the Falcons' practice squad Friday.

Elevated from the practice squad for the second time this season, Ollison ended up taking on a larger role than expected out of an Atlanta backfield that was without top option Cordarrelle Patterson (ankle). Though Mike Davis (three carries for one yard, three catches for 20 yards) picked up the start, Ollison handily outproduced him on the ground and saw the same amount of snaps (26). Atlanta could bring Ollison back from the practice squad if Patterson isn't ready to play in the team's upcoming game next weekend in Jacksonville, but the former won't make for a compelling fantasy option even if he replicates his Week 11 workload. Ollison doesn't present much of a threat as a pass catcher and is averaging just 2.7 yards on 32 career carries.

Chiefs head coach Andy Reid didn't commit to Edwards-Helaire (knee) making his return from injured reserve for Sunday's game against the Cowboys, but he suggested the running back was trending toward being available for the contest, Charles Goldman of USA Today reports. "Yeah, I'll get with [Chiefs athletic trainer Rick Burkholder] here and just make sure that everything is OK," Reid said Friday. "We'll go from there, but [Edwards-Helaire] had a good week of practice."

Edwards-Helaire was practicing with the team for the second straight week, after the Chiefs initially designated him for return from IR on Nov. 10. The second-year back looks to be making good progress in his recovery from an MCL sprain of his left knee, but he won't be an option to play Sunday until the Chiefs activate him from IR prior to Saturday's 4 p.m. ET deadline for Week 11 roster moves. Though Edwards-Helaire served as Kansas City's lead back before suffering the knee injury Week 5, he could find himself as part of a timeshare at the position with Darrel Williams upon rejoining the 53-man roster.

Benjamin (groin) doesn't have an injury designation for Sunday's game against the Seahawks.

Benjamin received the green light for the weekend after he turned in a full practice Friday following limited showings Wednesday and Thursday, per Darren Urban of the Cardinals' official site. He'll serve as the No. 2 option out of the backfield behind James Conner, who is set to make his second straight start with Chase Edmonds (ankle) on injured reserve.

Jacobs (knee) doesn't carry an injury designation for Sunday's game against the Bengals after practicing in a limited fashion this past week.

Jacobs, who rushed seven times for 16 yards and caught all five targets for 20 more yards in this past Sunday's 41-14 loss to the Chiefs, is thus in line to head the Raiders' Week 11 backfield, with Kenyan Drake on hand to work in a complementary role and Jalen Richard a candidate to handle some change-of-pace snaps if he's able to play through a rib injury that has him listed as questionable. To date, Jacobs has averaged 42.3 rushing yards and 21.3 receiving yards while tallying five TDs through seven games, numbers that put him on the fantasy lineup radar in most formats.

Sermon will likely serve as the 49ers' top backup running back behind Jeff Wilson in Sunday's game against the Jaguars with Elijah Mitchell (finger) listed as doubtful and JaMycal Hasty (ankle) ruled out for the contest, Cam Inman of The San Jose Mercury News reports.

Mitchell wasn't able to practice in any capacity this week after undergoing surgery Tuesday to address a fractured finger on his right hand, so his expected absence should clear the way for Wilson to start and serve as San Francisco's lead back. Though Sermon, a rookie third-round pick, was expected to challenge for that role this season, he hasn't been able to gain much traction in the running attack even after Raheem Mostert (knee) suffered a season-ending injury Week 1. Sermon hasn't played an offensive snap since Week 5, but the depleted state of the San Francisco backfield should be enough for him to step in as the No. 2 option this week, as the only other back on the roster (Trenton Cannon) has been treated almost exclusively as a special-teams player. Since Sermon hasn't shown much aptitude as a receiver either, Shahanan might not be inclined to rely on the rookie for the passing-down role that belonged to Hasty. Instead, the 49ers could lean on Wilson as a three-down workhorse, with Sermon subbing in mainly on early downs when the starter requires a breather.

Wilson is expected to step in as the 49ers' lead back Sunday against the Jaguars with Elijah Mitchell (finger) listed as doubtful for the game, Cam Inman of The San Jose Mercury News reports.

Mitchell has played more than half of the 49ers' offensive snaps and handled double-digit touches in all seven of his appearances this season, but Wilson looks to be the next man up for work out of the backfield with Mitchell likely to need a week off to recover from surgery to repair a broken finger. In addition, pass-catching specialist JaMycal Hasty (ankle) has been ruled out for the contest, which could clear the way for Wilson to handle a three-down role this weekend. Head coach Kyle Shanahan hasn't entrusted the remaining two healthy backs on the roster, Trey Sermon and Trenton Cannon, with roles on offense since Week 5, with both backs either being healthy inactives or contributors only on special teams in each of the past four contests. At least for this week, Wilson looks like a worthy starter in just about every fantasy league.