NFL Player News

Coach Brandon Staley noted Friday that he's optimistic Ekeler (hamstring) will play in Sunday's season opener against Washington, Daniel Popper of The Athletic reports.

Ekeler's return to practice in a limited fashion Friday initially offered hope that he'd have a chance to suit up this weekend after not practicing Wednesday or Thursday. Now things are looking up even more, after Staley relayed that the running back "looked good out there" during the team's final practice session of the week. With that, Ekeler appears to be heading in the right direction as Sunday's 1:00 p.m. ET kickoff approaches.

Perine (foot) practiced fully Friday but still is listed as questionable for Sunday's game against the Panthers.

Perine's full participation in Friday's practice suggests he's trending in the right direction, but the second-year running back was unable to shed his injury label. While Perine opens the season fourth on the Jets' backfield depth chart, New York's pecking order at running back remains fluid due to the lack of an established No. 1 option.

Penny (calf) doesn't have an injury designation for Sunday's game at Indianapolis, John Boyle of the Seahawks' official site reports.

The Seahawks enter Sunday with five healthy running backs, though at least one presumably will be placed on the inactive list. Chris Carson figures to get the start and most of the carries, but Penny could be the second man up, at least for early downs. The other options are Alex Collins, Travis Homer and DeeJay Dallas.

Ekeler (hamstring) is listed as questionable for Sunday's season opener against Washington after returning to a limited practice Friday, Daniel Popper of The Athletic reports.

We'll look for added context with regard to Ekeler's Week 1 status leading up to the contest, but fortunately for those considering the running back in fantasy lineups, the Chargers kick off at 1:00 p.m. ET on Sunday. In the event that he's limited or out this weekend, Justin Jackson, Joshua Kelley and Larry Rountree are next up for the team's backfield touches.

Ekeler (hamstring) participated in the media-access portion of Friday's practice, Gilbert Manzano of The Orange County Register reports.

Ekeler logged back-to-back DNPs to start the week, so his presence on the field Friday is encouraging. The Chargers' final Week 1 injury report will reveal the running back's participation level as well what, if any, injury designation he will carry into Sunday's season opener against Washington.

Barkley (knee) is officially listed as questionable for Sunday's game against Denver, Pat Leonard of the New York Daily News reports.

Speaking Friday morning, Giants coach Joe Judge said Barkley would play in the game if he avoided setbacks during Friday's practice. Then, after practice, Barkley still wouldn't comment on his status for Sunday, though he did acknowledge that he'd made it through Friday's session without incident. He thus appears on track to play, with Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reporting as much Friday afternoon. Even so, cautious fantasy managers will want to check back for the Giants' inactive list approximately 90 minutes before the 4:25 p.m. ET kickoff Sunday. In all likelihood, it'll be Barkley's first game since the ACL and MCL tears last September

Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reports that Barkley (knee) will play in Sunday's game against the Broncos

It isn't quite clear if Rapoport is relying on a source or just reading between the lines like everyone else. Either way, Barkley has made steady progress over the past few weeks, and he finished Friday's practice without any setbacks a few hours after coach Joe Judge had said that a setback-free session would allow the running back to play in Sunday's game. For his part, Barkley once again avoided commenting on his Sunday availability, merely saying he won't know the decision until after he's met with team officials and medical staff. Final word should come down at some point this weekend as the Giants prepare for a 4:25 p.m. ET kickoff Sunday.

Barkley (knee) avoided any setbacks during Friday's practice, saying afterward that he'll meet with team leaders and the medical staff to make a decision on his availability for Sunday's game against Denver, Jordan Raanan of ESPN.com reports.

Barkley made his comments about two hours after coach Joe Judge had told reporters the running back would play in Sunday's game if he avoided setbacks during Friday's practice. It now appears that happened, but Barkley has been crystal-clear that he won't be the one to comment on expectations for Week 1. While all the recent signs point toward him suiting up, it'd still be nice to have confirmation one way or the other before game day. The Giants host the Broncos at 4:25 p.m. ET on Sunday.

Edwards (knee) will be placed on injured reserve by the Ravens.

After previously losing both J.K. Dobbins (knee) and Justice Hill (Achilles) to season-ending injuries, Edwards is the latest Baltimore back to hit IR. In the wake of the team's string of backfield injuries, Latavius Murray is poised to join the Ravens' active roster alongside Ty'Son Williams and Trenton Cannon, while Le'Veon Bell and Devonta Freeman are candidates to be elevated from the team's practice squad.

Coach Joe Judge relayed that Barkley (knee) has "one more hurdle" to clear in practice Friday in order to play in Sunday's season opener against the Broncos, Ralph Vacchiano of SportsNet New York reports.

Per Judge, at this stage it would take a setback at practice Friday for Barkley not to suit up Week 1. It remains to be seen if the running back heads into the weekend with any sort of injury tag, but it looks like he'll be out there Sunday in some capacity. If that's the case, what sort of workload he'd be handed out of the gate is unclear, but once Barkley reestablishes the health of his knee, he'll reclaim his role as the Giants' undisputed top back ahead of Devontae Booker and rookie sixth-rounder Gary Brightwell.