NFL Player News

Anderson didn't practice Wednesday due to an illness, Bryan Strickland of the Panthers' official site reports.

Considering he's likely dealing with only a short-term concern, Anderson is a good bet to get past the ailment before Sunday's divisional matchup with the Falcons. Working behind Christian McCaffrey in the Week 1 victory over the Cowboys, Anderson earned 12 offensive snaps, which he parlayed into seven carries for 35 yards.

Zenner (back) was waived from injured reserve Wednesday.

Zenner was placed on IR after injuring his back in the Lions' preseason finale. While it isn't clear where he currently stands health-wise, the running back is a versatile special-teams contributor who stands to have a solid chance of being claimed off waivers. If not, Zenner shouldn't have much trouble landing a new deal before long.

Jaguars head coach Doug Marrone admitted he should have given Grant a little more work after Leonard Fournette suffered a hamstring injury in Sunday's 20-15 win over the Giants, Mike Kaye of FirstCoastNews.com reports.

T.J. Yeldon dominated the backfield snaps after Fournette's exit in the second quarter, finishing with 14 carries and three catches on 39 snaps. Meanwhile, Grant only logged six snaps and actually got his lone touch on the opening drive of the game. His usage in the season opener wasn't encouraging, but Grant should at least have a larger role Week 2 against the Patriots if Fournette is unavailable.

Mack (hamstring) suited up for practice Wednesday, Kevin Bowen of 1070 The Fan Indianapolis reports.

Given that Mack was a limited participant in practice last Thursday and Friday, there's a solid chance he'll make his season debut Week 2 against Washington if he's able to practice fully at some point within the next three days. Jordan Wilkins led the Colts with 14 carries for 40 yards in the season-opening loss to the Bengals, with backup Nyheim Hines chipping in five carries for 19 yards and seven catches for 33 yards. If Mack is cleared to play this week, he would presumably reclaim his status as the lead option in the Colts' backfield committee.

Anderson (undisclosed) wasn't spotted at practice Wednesday, Joe Person of The Athletic reports.

It remains to be seen if this is a maintenance day for Anderson or if he's dealing with any sort of injury. The 27-year-old logged 12 snaps in the Panthers' Week 1 win over the Cowboys, working as the clear backup behind Christian McCaffrey (57 snaps). Anderson at least received ample work when he was on the field, carrying seven times for 35 yards.

Conner is in line to serve as the Steelers' lead back Week 2 against the Chiefs after Le'Veon Bell (contract dispute) failed to report to the team Wednesday ahead of its first practice of the week, Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.com reports.

In addition to his ongoing absence from the team, Bell was officially removed from the Steelers' unofficial depth chart Tuesday, suggesting Pittsburgh is preparing to proceed without the three-time Pro Bowler until further notice. That should pave the way for Conner to see another hefty three-down workload after he was on the field for all but seven of the Steelers' 84 offensive snaps in their season-opening 21-21 tie against the Browns, with the second-year player finishing with 192 total yards and two touchdowns on 36 touches (31 carries, five receptions). The other two running backs who were active in the Week 1 contest, Stevan Ridley and Jaylen Samuels, both logged zero offensive snaps.

Coach Pete Carroll said Chris Carson took the lead over Penny in the tailback battle, Brady Henderson of ESPN.com reports.

Carroll went on to say Penny looked "rusty" after having just one full week of practice under his belt leading up to the season opener. Penny was simply outperformed, rushing for eight yards on seven carries while Carson produced 51 yards on as many chances. The Seahawks won't neglect Penny at this time, but the rookie first-round pick needs to prove himself soon in order to keep getting touches.

Martin rushed for 20 yards on four carries and caught two passes on as many targets for a loss of three yards in Monday's loss to the Rams.

Martin accounted for eight less touches than fellow backup running back Jalen Richard, who was heavily involved in the Raiders' aerial attack as he saw 11 targets from quarterback Derek Carr to go along with five carries. Marshawn Lynch led the backfield with 11 carries for 41 yards and a score, so Martin's fantasy value is still restrained to deeper leagues heading into a Week 2 matchup against the Broncos. Martin logged just 10 offensive snaps out of a possible 74 to open the season, compared to 37 for Richard and 27 for Lynch.

The Patriots signed Barner on Tuesday, Mike Reiss of ESPN.com reports.

Barner will likely play a depth role at running back, but is more likely to make an impact as a punt returner. While Patrick Chung is the current Patriot in that role, Barner could potentially get some looks.

Edmonds notched four carries for 24 yards and gathered in all four passes for another 24 yards during Sunday's 24-6 loss to the Redskins.

Edmonds didn't receive a touch until the game was out of hand in the second half, but among his 17 offensive snaps, he was utilized on nearly half of them, finishing third in yards from scrimmage behind Larry Fitzgerald and David Johnson. In a closer contest, Edmonds likely will be hard-pressed to wrench touches from the workhorse that is Johnson. No matter, Edmonds' pro debut is an encouraging sign for his potential in the event a bigger workload is presented to him.