NFL Player News

Patterson was on the field for eight of the Patriots' 69 snaps on offense in Thursday's 38-24 win over the Colts.

Patterson caught both of his targets in the game for 11 yards and even managed to help deep-leaguers with a one-yard TD catch. The return of Julian Edelman from a four-game suspension as well as the likelihood that Josh Gordon's snap counts will increase in the coming weeks doesn't leave a whole lot of work for Patterson in the Patriots offense. That said, he should continue to see return work and remains capable of breaking off the occasional big play when the coaching staff finds creative ways to get the ball into his hands.

Chubb could be bound for more carries in Sunday's game against the Ravens after rushing for 105 yards and two touchdowns on his three totes in the Week 4 loss to the Raiders, Patrick Maks of the Browns' official site reports.

Despite logging only three offensive snaps in the contest, Chubb's pair of explosive scoring jaunts earned him NFL Rookie of the Week honors. With veteran Carlos Hyde locked in as the Browns' lead runner and Duke Johnson handling most of the passing-down work, Chubb hasn't mustered more than three touches in any contest this season. Any effort to get Chubb more work would likely come at the expense of Hyde, who has scored five touchdowns but is averaging a meager 3.4 yards per carry across 83 attempts this season.

Wilkins had six carries for 39 yards and two receptions for nine yards in Thursday's loss to New England.

Wilkins played just 18 snaps on offense compared to 56 snaps for Nyheim Hines. With Indianapolis falling behind early, the Colts turned to Hines as their pass-catching back (seven catches for 45 yards) but Hines also had 15 carries (for just 45 yards). Despite a 6.5 YPC on Thursday, Wilkins hasn't been able to establish himself as a running back who should get the majority of workload and it's worrisome to see Hines used as heavily as he was Thursday. Wilkins may have missed his window for a breakout with Robert Turbin back from a suspension and Marlon Mack likely returning at some point from a hamstring injury.

Breida (shoulder) is listed as questionable for Sunday's game against the Cardinals, Nick Wagoner of ESPN.com reports.

Breida was a limited practice participant throughout the week after aggravating his preseason shoulder injury during Sunday's 29-27 loss to the Chargers. He still managed to gain 71 yards on nine carries and three catches while handling his highest snap share (63.3 percent) so far this season. Breida seems to be on the right track for Sunday's 4:25 ET kickoff against the Cardinals.

Cook (hamstring) was a limited practice participant Friday and is listed as questionable for Sunday's game in Philadelphia, Chris Corso of the Vikings' official website reports.

Cook opened Friday's practice on a side field doing rehab work, but he said he got some reps later in the session and is now considered a game-time decision for Sunday, per Chris Tomasson of the St. Paul Pioneer Press. It's a tricky situation for anyone with interest in using Cook and/or backup running back Latavius Murray, considering the kickoff of the Week 5 game is scheduled for 4:25 p.m. EDT and Minnesota simply hasn't been able to run the ball this season. What's more, the Vikings may try to limit Cook's touches even if he's cleared to play, especially after he suffered a setback during the Week 4 loss to the Rams. Cook was listed as a non-participant on the Wednesday and Thursday injury reports this week.

Bolden (hamstring) is listed as questionable for Sunday's game against the Bengals, Armando Salguero of the Miami Herald reports.

Bolden was unable to practice Wednesday after logging 18 snaps on special teams in Week 4, but he improved to limited participation Thursday before returning in full Friday. Given his progression in activity level throughout the week, Bolden figures to suit up Sunday while providing depth at running back behind Kenyan Drake and Frank Gore.

Clement (quadriceps) didn't practice at all this week and is listed as questionable for Sunday's game against Minnesota, Martin Frank of The Delaware News Journal reports.

The failure to log any sort of practice participation suggests Clement is more likely to sit than to play, but his status may not be known for sure until the Eagles release their inactive list approximately 90 minutes before Sunday's 4:25 p.m. EDT kickoff. With Darren Sproles (hamstring) already ruled out, Wendell Smallwood is a candidate to see double-digit touches while working behind Jay Ajayi in a backfield that always uses multiple players.

Walton is expected to remain the Bengals' top backup running back Sunday against the Dolphins with Joe Mixon (knee) returning from a two-game absence and Giovani Bernard (knee) likely to be sidelined for 2-to-4 weeks, Paul Dehner Jr. of The Cincinnati Enquirer reports.

While Mixon was out, Bernard stepped in as the Bengals' lead back, leaving Walton to handle the No. 2 role. Bernard essentially served as a three-down workhorse in both of those contests, as Walton only garnered seven touches (five carries, two receptions) while seeing the field for only 35 of a possible 138 offensive snaps (25 percent). Mixon should ultimately dominate the snaps much like Bernard had, but coach Marvin Lewis suggested that Mixon would be eased back into the mix after his conditioning dipped while he was sidelined with the injury. With that in mind, Walton might take on a slightly more expanded workload Sunday than he had in either of the previous two games, though probably not a large enough role for him to be a usable fantasy option in most settings.

Though Mixon (knee) has been cleared to play Sunday against the Dolphins, coach Marvin Lewis said the 22-year-old could be eased into the backfield mix in his return from a two-game absence, Paul Dehner Jr. of The Cincinnati Enquirer reports.

After requiring a scope of his right knee Sept. 15, Mixon proved his health by practicing Wednesday through Friday, concluding his preparations for Sunday with a full participation in the final session of the week. While it appears all is sound with his knee, Mixon's conditioning took a hit while he rehabbed the injury, so Lewis may not be eager to hand the second-year back a massive workload right away. Unfortunately for the Bengals, change-of-pace option Giovani Bernard (knee) won't be available to relieve Mixon after sustaining an MCL sprain that will likely sideline him for 2-to-4 weeks, so it appears rookie Mark Walton will handle the top backup role against Miami.

Steelers offensive coordinator Randy Fichtner said Thursday that he's eager to get Conner more involved in the ground game, Chris Adamski of TribLive.com reports. "I probably just need to do a better job heating him up," Fichtner said, referring to giving Conner more carries. "It's just like quarterbacks, too. You get into a rhythm. And all good running backs, they need that rhythm."

After handling 31 carries for 135 yards and two touchdowns in the Week 1 tie with the Browns, Conner has been limited to a combined 32 totes over the past three games, which have yielded just 97 yards (3.0 per carry) and one score. Game flow contributed to Conner's single-digit carry loads in Weeks 2 and 4, but Sunday's home game against Atlanta could prove more favorable for the 23-year-old. Conner and the Steelers, who enter the weekend as a slight favorite in the contest, will take aim at a Falcons defense that has yielded 5.0 yards per carry (29th in the NFL) and six rushing touchdowns (second-most in league). Conner's prospects could be boosted even further after the Falcons already ruled out run-stuffing defensive tackle Grady Jarrett (ankle) for the game.