NFL Player News

Barner signed a contract with the Ravens on Wednesday.

The Ravens are hoping to use sixth-round pick James Proche as their return specialist, but they'll bring in Barner as a backup plan in case the rookie isn't ready for the assignment. The 31-year-old isn't likely to get much of a chance on offense, where he'll be stuck behind Mark Ingram, J.K. Dobbins, Gus Edwards and Justice Hill on the depth chart at running back.

Barkley said in a recent interview with Zack Rosenblatt of NJ.com that he believes he still has room for improvement, mentioning pass protection as one clear area for growth.

Barkley's pass blocking doesn't really matter for fantasy purposes, as his receiving ability should keep him on the field for all three downs. The only thing to slow him down through two seasons was the high-ankle sprain he suffered last September, and he still managed 1,003 rushing yards, 438 receiving yards and eight touchdowns in 13 games, with 37 percent of his yardage and five of the scores coming in the final three weeks of December. The 23-year-old now enters his third pro season as the popular No. 2 overall pick in fantasy drafts, working under a new coaching staff led by Joe Judge and offensive coordinator Jason Garrett. The Giants aren't likely to rank near the top of the league in carries, but Barkley is nonetheless a viable candidate to lead the NFL in touches. Plus, he already has 10 career runs of 40-plus yards, ranking fourth among active players behind only Adrian Peterson (35), Frank Gore (20) and LeSean McCoy (17).

Breida is the favorite to lead Miami's backfield in receptions and could even occasionally line up as a receiver, Cameron Wolfe of ESPN.com reports.

The Dolphins traded a fifth-round pick to acquire Breida back in April, a move which evidently positioned the 25-year-old to operate as the complementary 'lightning' to backfield mate Jordan Howard's 'thunder.' However, subsequent blows to the team's receiver depth -- Albert Wilson and Allen Hurns both decided to opt out of the season -- could open the window for Breida to carve out much more than a mere third-down role. It wouldn't be out of the question for Breida to compete for occasional usage in three-receiver sets, given that his primary competition will come in the form of Isaiah Ford and Jakeem Grant, neither of whom have yet managed to record 25 receptions or 300 receiving yards in a single year. Moreover, aside from DeVante Parker, the Dolphins don't have a single receiving option who logged more than 600 yards in 2019. As a big-play threat waiting to happen, if Breida is able to parlay Miami's unproven depth into even a modest uptick in target volume, he could provide significant fantasy utility in PPR formats.

Scott is positioned to be the No. 2 running back in Philadelphia, Zach Berman of The Athletic reports.

Scott did nice work in that same role late last year, scoring four TDs over the final four games of the regular season while averaging 4.0 yards on 38 carries and 8.7 yards on 23 catches. He also saw some work on punt and kick returns, so the inevitable Darren Sproles comparisons aren't solely based on his stature (5-foot-6). The Eagles probably wouldn't lean on Scott for huge workloads in the event of a Miles Sanders injury, but it is worth noting that the 25-year-old is listed at 203 pounds, making him stocky moreso than small. Beyond Sanders and Scott, the Eagles have Corey Clement and a trio of undrafted young players in their backfield.

Chubb says he's excited to work with Kareem Hunt in the Cleveland backfield, Scott Petrak of the Elyria Chronicle-Telegram reports.

Chubb was averaging 19.3 carries and 4.0 targets per game at the midway point of 2019, before dropping to 18.0 carries and 2.1 targets over the final eight weeks with Hunt in the lineup. That still left Chubb as one of the more heavily used runners in the NFL, with the Browns even utilizing formations that put him on the field at the same time as Hunt. It isn't clear if those two-back looks will be popular under new coach Kevin Stefanski, who takes over an offense that added TE Austin Hooper and FB Andy Janovich during the offseason. It's thus fair to wonder if Chubb could drop down closer to 15 carries per game, though his performance to this point in his career certainly justifies larger workloads. As such, the backfield split between Chubb and Hunt will be one of the major fantasy storylines to monitor early in the season.

Kamara played through an MCL tear last season, Master Tesfatsion of Bleacher Report reports.

He hurt his knee Week 6 and missed the next two games, with the Saints' injury reports also listing an ankle issue. Kamara then rejoined the lineup after a Week 9 bye and went on to play the final eight games of the regular season, averaging 5.0 yards per carry but only 5.4 per reception. He said in March that he was back at full strength, noting that he'd played most of the 2019 campaign "on one leg, at 75 percent." The versatile running back is now entering the final season of his rookie deal, but he told Nick Underhill of NewOrleans.Football he isn't worried about his contract situation.

Jones, who entered training camp primed for the lead role in the Buccaneers' remade backfield, has been getting early advice from Tom Brady on pass-catching technique out of the backfield, Jenna Laine of ESPN.com reports.

Given Brady's extensive track record of success throwing to his backs, Jones is undoubtedly aware of how important it will be for him to take the next step as a receiver this season. To that end, the third-year back has already been absorbing knowledge from Brady, who Jones says has advised him to run his routes low to the ground and "run my routes like I've already got the ball." The USC product is looking to elevate his game another notch as a runner as well after rushing for 724 yards and six touchdowns at 4.2 yards per carry last season, and Laine reports Jones has bulked up to 225 pounds in his quest for more power. Meanwhile, Scott Smith of the team's official site reports Jones has also focused on upping his knowledge of what defenses like to do in certain scenarios, and that he's honed in on learning his blocking assignments better after being pulled out of a game last season for whiffing in pass protection.

Gibson could eventually fill the role the Washington Football Team had in mind for Derrius Guice, who was released last week, John Keim of ESPN.com reports.

With 4.39 speed in a 228-pound frame, Gibson certainly looks the part of an NFL lead back, but he essentially played just one season at Memphis, where he took most of his snaps as a wide receiver. While coach Ron Rivera made it clear he views the rookie as a running back first and foremost, the team has Gibson sitting in on meetings with both position groups. Even with Guice out of the picture, Gibson's initial role likely will entail some combination of passing-down backfield work, gadget plays and kick returns, rather than regular playing time as a ballcarrier. There should be room for growth throughout the season, as there's no clear dominant force in a Washington backfield that otherwise consists of Adrian Peterson, J.D. McKissic, Peyton Barber and Bryce Love (knee). The rookie third-round pick is the only one of the bunch with potential to combine power, speed and receiving ability. His transition to the NFL may be tricky, but Gibson's long-term ceiling is tantalizing.

The Ravens are expected to sign Barner, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reports.

Barner doesn't have much utility outside of the return game, but for his career he's averaged 23.4 yards on 48 kick returns and 7.7 yards on 72 punt returns. Last season, he even took a punt to the house for the Falcons in a Week 11 matchup against the Panthers. With Baltimore, he's most likely to vie for the primary kick return role with reserve running back Justice Hill.

Vaughn has been activated from the Buccaneers' reserve/COVID-19 list, Scott Smith of the team's official site reports.

Now that Vaughn -- who was placed on the team's reserve list on July 27 -- has been officially activated, the Buccaneers currently do not have any players on their reserve/COVID-19 list. Vaughn, a third-round pick in the 2020 NFL Draft, will now look to carve out a role in the Tampa Bay backfield alongside presumed starter Ronald Jones, with Dare Ogunbowale and recently signed veteran LeSean McCoy also in the mix.