NFL Player News

Barkley (hamstring) wasn't spotted at Wednesday's practice, Brooks Kubena of The Athletic reports.

With Barkley already considered week-to-week coming out of Sunday's loss to the Rams, his absence from Wednesday's session is no surprise. Barkley should be considered closer to doubtful for Sunday's game against the Jaguars in London. Will Shipley and Dameon Pierce are currently in line to handle backfield duties after Tank Bigsby (abdomen) was placed on injured reserve Tuesday.

Brooks (ankle) will not practice Wednesday, Matt Schneidman of The Athletic reports.

Brooks was forced from last Sunday's win over the Bucs with the ankle injury, but the nature of his injury is still unknown. If Brooks is unable to play in Week 5 against the Bears, MarShawn Lloyd and Kaleb Johnson would absorb his share of the snaps in what has been a three-man backfield to this point in the season.

Head coach Ben Johnson said Wednesday that Monangai's thumb injury is not an issue, Courtney Cronin of ESPN.com reports.

While Johnson downplayed Monangai's thumb, he did say the running back is feeling the effects of his 30-carry workload from last Sunday's win over the Jets. The Bears could limit Monangai's snaps in practice this week, and it's fair to wonder if D'Andre Swift will step back into the clear lead role for Sunday's divisional matchup with the Packers.

Stevenson (undisclosed) is not expected to practice Wednesday, Taylor Kyles of CLNSMedia.com reports.

Stevenson appeared to injure his leg or knee toward the end of last Sunday's win over the Bills, but it's unclear if his absence Wednesday is related to that issue. Head coach Mike Vrabel expressed some optimism that Stevenson can still play Sunday against the Raiders. If not, TreVeyon Henderson would be set up for a potential breakout week as the clear lead back for New England, though Corey Kiner and Lan Larison could also see work out of the backfield.

Head coach Aaron Glenn said Wednesday that Hall (quadriceps) remains week-to-week, Al Iannazzone of Newsday reports.

Hall seems certain to miss at least one more game with his quad injury. After Braelon Allen played 32 of 34 offensive snaps in last Sunday's loss to the Bears, he should once again be expected to handle an every-down, bellcow role in Sunday's home date with the Browns. Allen is a locked-in fantasy RB2 with RB1 upside.

Dowdle (toe) remained off to the side with the rehab group at Wednesday's practice, Ray Fittipaldo of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports.

Dowdle has missed Pittsburgh's past two games due to a dislocated toe. Starting the week off to the side isn't a good sign for Dowdle's Week 5 availability, but head coach Mike McCarthy did say the running back will do more in practice this week. Jaylen Warren has taken hold of Pittsburgh's backfield and will remain a borderline fantasy RB1 if Dowdle needs to miss another game.

The Eagles elevated Pierce from the practice squad to the 53-man roster Wednesday, Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.com reports.

With the Eagles' practice week kicking off Wednesday, Pierce is getting the nod over Jaydon Blue, as Saquon Barkley deals with a hamstring injury that he suffered in last Sunday's loss to the Rams. Tank Bigsby (abdomen) was placed on injured reserve Tuesday, so there's a real chance Philly's backfield consists of Will Shipley and Pierce against the Jaguars in London on Sunday. Shipley is the hot addition off the waiver wire in fantasy this week, but it's no guarantee that he handles the majority of the rushing work ahead of Pierce, who is a prototypical early-down rusher. Shipley has been the team's preferred passing-down back this season. Pierce is certainly worth a speculative add in most fantasy formats.

The Falcons cut Jones from the practice squad Tuesday, Aaron Wilson of KPRC 2 Houston reports.

Jones stuck around with the Falcons on the practice squad after failing to make the team's 53-man roster at the end of training camp. The undrafted rookie is now a free agent, and he should garner some interest from teams looking to add depth to the backfield.

Miller rushed six time for nine yards and caught two of three targets while losing a fumble in Monday night's 45-24 loss to Atlanta.

Miller was rumored to be on track for a larger workload in Week 4 after starting running back Travis Etienne (hamstring) was placed on injured reserve. Miller was only on the field for 26 percent of the team's offensive snaps, which could have been as a result of a first-quarter fumble that Atlanta ultimately recovered. Veteran Alvin Kamara was on the field for 41 percent of the offensive snaps, turning seven carries into 23 yards and two scores while also reeling in five of seven targets for 35 yards in the contest. It appears as if Miller will operate as the No. 2 option behind Kamara in Etienne's absence, making him a low-upside fantasy option.

Donaldson logged three carries for 18 yards and caught both of his targets for five yards during the Saints' 45-24 loss to the Falcons on Monday. He also added a tackle on special teams.

All of Donaldson's offensive production came on the Saints' final drive of the contest, when the game was already well out of reach. His 28 offensive snaps ended up being tied with Alvin Kamara for most among Saints running backs, with Kendre Miller (19) not far behind. Donaldson was more efficient with his touches than both Kamara and Miller, but for as much as the Saints' run game struggled in the absence of Travis Etienne (hamstring), it's hard to envision Donaldson as the lead back in New Orleans for the foreseeable future. That said, if Donaldson is trusted by head coach Kellen Moore as a backfield blocker on pass protection, then he could operate in an elevated role in Week 5 against the Vikings and their blitz-happy defense under defensive coordinator Brian Flores.