NFL Player News

Barkley (ankle) wasn't spotted on the field during the open portion of Wednesday's practice, Jordan Raanan of ESPN.com reports.

While Giants head coach Joe Judge has said he won't yet rule Barkley out Sunday's game against the Panthers, the star running back's continued absence from practice to begin Week 7 likely has him trending toward sitting out a second straight contest. Devontae Booker operated as New York's top running back with Barkley sidelined Week 6, accounting for 69 scrimmage yards on 16 touches in a blowout loss to the Rams. Barkely will have two more chances to increase his practice activity ahead of Sunday's tilt.

Kelley carried the ball four times for seven yards in Sunday's 34-6 loss to the Ravens.

Kelley continued to serve as the backup behind Austin Ekeler for the second straight week. The Chargers struggled to move the ball on offense Sunday, resulting in a rough fantasy day for most of the team's skill-position players.

Funk (hamstring) was placed on injured reserve Tuesday.

This move comes as no surprise, as the running back was ruled out for the remainder of the season Monday. The 23-year-old mostly operated as a special teams option this year, only playing 17 offensive snaps in six contests.

Gordon (hip) was a full participant at Tuesday's walkthrough, Aric DiLalla of the Broncos' official site reports.

During Week 6 prep, Gordon kicked it off as a non-participant and capped it with back-to-back limited sessions, so he appears to be in better shape as the Broncos prepare for Thursday's visit to Cleveland. On the season, Gordon has received at least 50 percent of the offensive snaps and earned 11-plus touches in all six contests, ultimately averaging 13.8 touches for 75.2 yards from scrimmage per game while scoring two TDs on the ground.

The Vikings released Abdullah on Tuesday.

Abdullah's release was the corresponding move to allow Kene Nwangwu to take a spot on the active roster as the third-string back behind Dalvin Cook and Alexander Mattison. Abdullah has a fairly lengthy track record in the league, so he should find a home either on another active roster or on a practice squad.

Nwangwu (knee) was activated from injured reserve Tuesday.

Nwangwu was designated to return to practice in late September and the team clearly feels he looks good enough to rejoin the active roster. The Vikings released Ameer Abdullah in a corresponding move, leaving Nwangwu as the third-string running back behind Dalvin Cook and Alexander Mattison.

Johnson is slated for his first career start Thursday versus the Broncos after fellow running back Nick Chubb (calf) was ruled out and Kareem Hunt (calf) went on injured reserve, Jake Trotter of ESPN.com reports.

Since joining the Browns in May 2019 after a stint with Orlando in the AAF, Johnson has been active for all 40 of the team's games, including the postseason. Overall, he's produced a 5.0 YPC on his 40 rushes, and he's also hauled in 10 of 12 targets for 92 yards. Cleveland has a decision to make with Baker Mayfield and his left non-throwing shoulder for Week 7, but if he plays the team could opt to be more ground-based to keep pressure off the fourth-year quarterback. In any case, Johnson seems poised to be the Browns' top option on early downs, while Demetric Felton likely will be the main change-of-pace back and John Kelly will sit third on the RB depth chart as long as Chubb and Hunt are sidelined.

McKinnon rushed three times for 10 yards and reeled in one pass for another five yards on four targets Sunday versus Washington.

McKinnon was involved a bit more in the offense this week, finishing with four touches compared to just three last week while amassing a season-high four targets. That being said, he actually played a smaller snap share (28 percent) than he did last week (32 percent) and doesn't seem to have enough usage to warrant fantasy consideration in most formats.

Coach Kevin Stefanski has ruled out Chubb (calf) for Thursday's contest against the Broncos, Jake Trotter of ESPN.com reports.

The Browns placed backfield mate Kareem Hunt (calf) on injured reserve earlier Tuesday, and now Chubb himself will miss a second game in a row. With the top pair on the pine, the team will turn to D'Ernest Johnson as the presumed starting running back Week 7, with Demetric Felton and John Kelly available behind him. Chubb's next chance to suit up will arrive Sunday, Oct. 31 versus the Steelers.

The Browns signed Kelly to the active roster from the practice squad Tuesday, Nate Ulrich of the Akron Beacon Journal reports.

Kelly will provide some emergency depth in Cleveland's banged up running back room, with a Thursday night matchup against Denver just around the corner. In corresponding transactions, Kareem Hunt (calf) and Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah (ankle) have been placed on IR.