NFL Player News

Lions general manager Bob Quinn said he has big hopes for Abdullah in 2018, Michael Rothstein of ESPN.com reports.

Abdullah lost work to undrafted rookie Tion Green down the stretch last season, taking only 15 carries over the final three weeks after returning from a two-game absence due to a neck injury amidst rumors he was essentially a healthy scratch for the second game. The 2015 second-round pick has never lived up to expectations, and the Lions' recent signing of LeGarrette Blount hints at something quite different from what Quinn said Tuesday when asked about Abdullah. Theo Riddick will be locked in on passing downs while Blount likely handles goal-line work and at least some of the early down carries, so Abdullah likely will need to compete for a committee role that's not especially conducive to fantasy production. He may even find his roster spot in jeopardy if the Lions use an early- or middle-round draft pick on a running back.

Panthers coach Ron Rivera said Artis-Payne will have the opportunity to replace Jonathan Stewart as the team's power back, ESPN.com's David Newton reports.

A 2015 fifth-round pick, Artis-Payne has taken 99 carries for 422 yards (4.3 average) and four touchdowns in 23 career games, with most of that work coming in contests Stewart missed. The Panthers haven't signed a replacement since losing the 31-year-old to the Giants in free agency, and they probably won't prioritize running backs early in the draft after using the No. 8 overall pick on Christian McCaffrey last year. The likeliest plan features McCaffrey getting a sizable uptick from last year's 117 carries (7.3 game), dominating passing downs while splitting early down work with Artis-Payne or another player. Barring an injury to his more talented teammate, Artis-Payne would have a tough time matching Stewart's total of 198 carries (in 15 games) from last season. It also won't come as any surprise if the Panthers bring in competition during the middle rounds of the upcoming draft, or perhaps in the late stages of free agency.

Cook (knee) is ahead of schedule in his rehab and is expected to be a partial participant at Organized Team Activities in May, Brian Murphy of The St. Paul Pioneer Press reports.

Selected 41st overall in last year's draft, Cook was on his way to a huge rookie season prior to tearing his ACL in Week 4. He'll likely be limited throughout the offseason and possibly into training camp, but the timing of the injury gives him more than 11 months to recover before Week 1 of 2018. With Jerick McKinnon now in San Francisco, the Vikings could ask Cook to take on a larger pass-catching role in Year 2, though Latavius Murray is still around to handle some of the carries. Cook had 74 carries for 354 yards (4.8 average) and two touchdowns and 11 catches for 90 yards on 16 targets in only 3.5 games last season.

Broncos general manager John Elway maintains that Anderson may or may not be back with the team for 2018, Mike Klis of 9News Denver reports. "C.J. obviously had a great year for us last year," said Elway. "We'll see where that takes us. Obviously, there's a lot of moving parts to it when you talk about the (salary) cap and all those type things, too, so we'll continue to work on it and see what happens."

Elway made similar comments Feb. 28, and while the Broncos haven't brought in any competition through the first two weeks of free agency, they still have time to bolster a running-back room that also includes 2016 fourth-round pick Devontae Booker and 2017 sixth-round pick De'Angelo Henderson. Anderson had a career-best 1,007 rushing yards while averaging 4.1 per carry in an otherwise lifeless offense last season, and yet his status remains tenuous because the Broncos can escape his entire $4.5 million cap hit for 2018 without leaving any dead money on the books, per OverTheCap. The Broncos ideally would find a trade partner, but they eventually could end up releasing Anderson if they add more talent in the draft or the late stages of free agency.

Cunningham is visiting the Buccaneers on Sunday, Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports reports.

This is Cunningham's first reported visit in free agency, with the 27-year-old finally drawing some interest now that the top running backs are off the market. He'd likely compete for a passing-down role and special teams work in Tampa Bay, potentially serving as a low-cost replacement for fellow free agent Charles Sims. Cunningham had nine carries for 29 yards and 20 catches for 240 yards and two touchdowns in 14 games with the Bears last season. He's averaged 4.3 yards on 180 career carries and 6.7 yards on 147 targets (113 receptions).

Drake will be joined in the backfield by Frank Gore, who is signing a one-year contract with the Dolphins, Adam Beasley of The Miami Herald reports.

Given that the Dolphins were rumored to have interest in trading for C.J. Anderson, the addition of Gore isn't necessarily a bad thing for Drake's 2018 outlook. The durable veteran turns 35 in May, coming off three straight seasons in Indianapolis averaging less than 3.9 yards per carry. While he'll have a role in the offense, Gore doesn't figure to challenge Drake for the lead job, after the 2016 third-round pick closed out last season with 91 carries for 444 yards (4.9 average) and 17 catches for 150 yards over the final five weeks.

The Chiefs are expected to sign Williams (shoulder) on Thursday, Adam Teicher of ESPN.com reports.

In the aftermath of the Jay Ajayi trade to Philly last year, Williams and Kenyan Drake entered into a timeshare in Miami. Williams was productive in four subsequent starts, averaging 63.5 yards from scrimmage per game and scoring one touchdown. That said, he suffered a dislocated left shoulder in the latter contest, a Week 12 loss in New England, and proceeded to miss the rest of the season. His absence allowed Drake to gain a stranglehold on the Dolphins' top RB gig, so Williams subsequently explored the market as an unrestricted free agent this month. Upon landing with the Chiefs, Williams' rehab will continue as he aims for participation at the start of training camp, when he'll compete with Spencer Ware (knee), Charcandrick West and Akeem Hunt (ankle) for reps behind clear-cut starter Kareem Hunt.

Grant signed his second-round tender to remain with the Jaguars on Thursday, Josina Anderson of ESPN reports.

It seemed unlikely a team would match a $2.9 million offer for a backup running back, though Grant did take 10 days from the original offer to consider his options. Things are now less murky in the Jacksonville backfield following Chris Ivory's release, but Leonard Fournette is still the unquestioned leader, with T.J. Yeldon in line to serve as the primary backup. Grant may be third in the pecking order, but he will see plenty of work as a valuable asset on special teams.

Michael re-signed Wednesday with the Colts on a one-year deal, Andrew Walker of the team's official site reports.

Michael spent the entire 2017 campaign on injured reserve after getting hurt in training camp. The Colts don't seem to harbor any concern about Michael's health heading into the 2018 campaign, so he should be in attendance when offseason workouts begin next month. With the Colts electing not to bring back Frank Gore, Michael could have a chance to battle Marlon Mack, Robert Turbin and Josh Ferguson for snaps.

Free-agent addition Jeremy Hill is expected to challenge Gillislee for the Patriots' power-back role, Mike Reiss of ESPN.com reports.

Hill's arrival followed the departure of Dion Lewis, the team's top rusher last season. With versatile Rex Burkhead and pass-catching back James White seemingly locked into roles in the Patriots' backfield attack, Gillislee and Hill are on track to jostle for early-down and short-yardage work. It's possible that the player who lags behind in that job battle could be eventually be cut, but either way Gillislee has much to prove before regaining fantasy relevance on the heels of a 2017 campaign in which he was a healthy scratch for much of the second half of the season.