NFL Player News

The Steelers placed McFarland (undisclosed) on injured reserve Wednesday, Teresa Varley of the Steelers' official site reports.

McFarland made the initial 53-man roster, but he can now be ruled out for the first three games of the season. The Steelers are left with Benny Snell and Kalen Ballage as depth options behind potential three-down workhorse Najee Harris. It's possible McFarland handles the No. 2 backfield role once he recovers from his unspecified injury, according to Mark Kaboly of The Athletic.

The Broncos placed Boone (quadriceps) on injured reserve Wednesday.

Denver carried Boone on its initial 53-man roster released Tuesday, so he will be eligible to return from IR as early as the team's Week 4 game against the Ravens. With Royce Freeman having been waived, Nate McCrary will operate as the Broncos' third option at running back in the meantime.

Mattison (undisclosed) won't practice Wednesday, Dane Mizutani of the St. Paul Pioneer Press reports.

Mattison has been sidelined with an undisclosed issue since Aug. 23. With less than two weeks remaining before the Vikings' Sept. 12 season opener in Cincinnati, Mattison's status will warrant close monitoring. With Kene Nwangwu (knee) also not practicing, starter Dalvin Cook is currently the only healthy running back on the Vikings' roster.

McFarland (undisclosed) is a candidate to win the top backup gig behind No. 1 running back Najee Harris, Mark Kaboly of The Athletic reports.

McFarland only handled 39 offensive touches in 11 appearances as a rookie last season, but his only competition for the No. 2 role is Benny Snell and Kalen Ballage, both of whom have underwhelmed in their respective careers. However, the 2020 fourth-round pick has also been sidelined due to an undisclosed injury since late August, which could result in McFarland moving to IR before Week 1. Should that occur, McFarland would be forced to miss the Steelers' first three games.

Hill (ankle) will take part in practice Wednesday, Jeff Zrebiec of The Athletic reports.

A return to practice 12 days before the season opener puts Hill in good position to play, though just a week ago he seemed to be losing his battle with Ty'Son Williams for one of the Ravens' final roster spots. J.K. Dobbins' season-ending ACL injury created room for both Williams and Hill to land backup roles, while Gus Edwards will join forces with quarterback Lamar Jackson to spearhead the Baltimore rushing attack. Even if he's limited to passing downs or a change-of-pace role Week 1 at Las Vegas, the 23-year-old Hill now sits just one injury away from likely having fantasy relevance.

Giants head coach Joe Judge said Barkley (knee) will have an "increased" workload at Wednesday's practice, Jordan Raanan of ESPN.com reports.

Judge already has relayed that he won't make a decision on Barkley's status for the Giants' Week 1 game against the Broncos until next week, but the running back's progress still is worthwhile to mention. Barkley hasn't taken hits, and Wednesday's session is in shells and not pads, so he's unlikely to get rid of his non-contact jersey just yet. That'll likely be the final step in his journey to get all the way back from the ACL and MCL tears he suffered in his right knee last September.

Atlanta signed Foreman to the practice squad Wednesday, John Deighton of the team's official site reports.

Foreman and fellow running back Caleb Huntley both inked with the Falcons' practice squad after clearing waivers. Atlanta currently only has Qadree Ollison and Cordarrelle Patterson on the roster behind starter Mike Davis, so both Foreman and Huntley could be real candidates to bump up to the 53-man squad should any positional injuries occur.

The Broncos informed Freeman on Wednesday that he will be waived, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reports.

Freeman appeared to be in a position to begin the coming season as the Broncos' No. 3 back due to Mike Boone's quadriceps injury, but with the team making waiver claims Wednesday, the 2018 second-round selection was let go. Melvin Gordon and Javonte Williams continue to top Denver's backfield depth chart.

The Broncos claimed McCrary off waivers on Wednesday, Zac Stevens of TheDNVR.com reports.

McCrary spent the offseason in Baltimore, but he'll now get a chance to compete for a depth role in Denver's running back room. The undrafted rookie out of Saginaw Valley State didn't play in 2020, but in 2019 he rushed for 1,060 yards and 10 touchdowns on just 167 carries.

Kamara and the Saints will play their Week 1 game against the Packers in Jacksonville after the contest was moved from New Orleans due to the impact of Hurricane Ida, Amie Just of The New Orleans Times-Picayune reports.

It's a change that benefits Green Bay, with the Saints essentially losing a home game at the Superdome and instead playing outdoors in what likely will be hot weather. Kamara is still a strong RB1 play in all formats, but it's possible he plays a few less snaps than usual if it's a hot day in Jacksonville.