NFL Player News

Barkley (undisclosed) "limped off the field" after attempting to break a tackle during 11-on-11 drills Monday, Zack Rosenblatt of The Newark Star-Ledger reports. The running back returned to the field afterward but was held out of the last two periods of practice.

Given that Barkley rejoined his teammates, this appears to be a minor issue, though we'll revisit his status to see if he's able to practice fully the next time the Giants convene. Barkley, the team's undisputed top back, approaches the 2020 campaign as one of the top-ranked players in fantasy football, part of an elite running back tier that also includes Christian McCaffrey and Ezekiel Elliott.

Gordon (ribs) returned to practice Monday, Jeff Legwold of ESPN.com reports.

Gordon was removed from Thursday's practice and held out over the weekend. His quick return confirms it was a minor injury, one that shouldn't have any impact on his Week 1 role. Early reports from training camp suggested Gordon and Phillip Lindsay had been working in an even split with the first-team offense, though it's mostly expected that Gordon will take a larger share in the regular season.

Scott (lower body) returned to practice Monday, Eliot Shorr-Parks of Sports Radio 94 WIP Philadelphia reports.

The Eagles listed Scott as day-to-day, while lead back Miles Sanders (lower body) is considered week-to-week. That means Scott should now have an opportunity to take extra reps with the first-team offense, though Sanders is expected to resume practicing before the season opener.

Gibson had a couple nice runs with the first-team offense at the beginning of Monday's practice, Kyle Stackpole of the official team website reports.

Washington seems to be taking a mix-and-match approach with its running backs, splitting first-team reps between Gibson, Adrian Peterson, Bryce Love, J.D. McKissic and Peyton Barber. While Peterson remains the favorite for the Week 1 start, it's Gibson who offers the highest ceiling for fantasy value down the road, combining pass-catching skill with 4.39 speed in a 228-pound frame. Peterson and Barber are early down bruisers with minimal receiving ability, while McKissic is an undersized passing-down specialist. Gibson, and maybe Love, at least have the theoretical upside to earn playing time in a variety of situations. We'll continue to monitor the division of practice reps leading up to Week 1.

Jones and the other Bucs running backs continued to struggle with drops Monday morning, Scott Smith of the team's official site reports.

Coach Bruce Arians commented on the backfield pass-catching struggles after Sunday's practice, in which Jones was guilty of at least two drops, per Rick Stroud of The Tampa Bay Times. Smith notes that Jones had an impressive catch in 1-on-1 drills Monday morning, but the general pattern coming from Bucs camp suggests his receiving work has been subpar. It sounds like the other Tampa Bay running backs haven't been much better, with the possible exception of passing-down specialist Dare Ogunbowale. While it increasingly seems unlikely for Jones to take away some of the work that went to Ogunbowale last season, we do have Arians on record referring to RoJo as the "main guy" in his backfield. Jones figures to enter Week 1 as the lead runner, but he'll probably be looking over his shoulder if he doesn't start the season strong.

Montgomery shed six pounds in the offseason and looks noticeably quicker on the practice field, Dan Wiederer of the Chicago Tribune reports.

Although Montgomery ran for just 3.7 yards per carry as a rookie, the offensive line frequently failed to open holes for him, and he often ran on obvious running downs against stacked boxes. Unless a line that wasn't addressed in the offseason takes a big step forward, it'll be difficult for Montgomery to show massive improvement. However, he's the unquestioned leader for early-down work, and his expected volume indicates he offers a stable floor for a player being drafted outside the top-24 running backs in average drafts.

Akers lost a fumble during Saturday's scrimmage, Jordan Rodrigue of The Athletic reports.

At first glance, a rookie being stripped in what has to be considered an exhibition game in this unprecedented preseason is worrisome. However, it was All-Pro Aaron Donald who dislodged the ball, and Akers' early-season fantasy outlook might have even improved with sophomore Darrell Henderson sustaining a hamstring strain Saturday. Henderson is questionable for Week 1, and while veteran Malcolm Brown was the first running back on the field during the scrimmage, he doesn't offer the same athleticism or big-play potential as Akers. It's definitely still a murky depth chart, but Akers probably remains the best long-term option for fantasy managers from the Los Angeles backfield.

Head coach John Harbaugh said Hill is dealing with a soft-tissue injury, Jeff Zrebiec of The Athletic reports.

Harbaugh didn't elaborate on the nature of Hill's injury, so it's a concerning report considering the wide range of outcomes. If Hill is forced to miss any time, it'll mainly affect special teams, where Hill features as a kick returner.

Evans (undisclosed) didn't participate in Sunday's practice, Turron Davenport of ESPN.com reports.

There's no indication of why Evans didn't practice Sunday, and it could simply be a maintenance day. The rookie third-round pick has been a bit inconsistent in training camp with fumbles, but his explosiveness has been evident, making him one of the more useful fantasy backups if he stays healthy.

Mike Reiss of ESPN.com believes that Harris has put himself in a good position to be "a primary option (in the Patriots' running game) alongside Rex Burkhead" to start the coming season.

Per Reiss, Harris' "fresh legs and soft hands in the passing game" have helped the second-year back take advantage of the continued absence of Sony Michel, whose Week 1 status is cloudy as he continues to recover from May foot surgery. If Michel isn't ready to start the season and Lamar Miller (knee) is unable to make a late push for early-down work once he joins practice, it's starting to look like Harris could have a chance to head the team's backfield in New England's opener, with the versatile Burkhead also on hand and James White available in his usual change-of-pace/pass-catching role.