NFL Player News

Drake rushed seven times for 82 yards and a touchdown in Monday night's 45-21 loss to the Panthers. He also caught both of his targets for 10 yards.

Drake's night was highlighted by a 66-yard touchdown run during the third quarter. Although that marked Miami's best play of the game, and Drake's second rush of 40-plus yards in as many weeks, it came while the Dolphins were down 24 points. Nonetheless, considering Damien Williams only managed 19 yards on his nine carries, it seems Drake's big-play ability should see him spearhead the team's Week 11 rushing attack.

McCaffrey rushed five times for 23 yards and a touchdown in Monday night's 45-21 win over the Dolphins. He also caught three of seven targets for 27 yards and another score.

McCaffrey was efficient with his touches on a night when top tailback Jonathan Stewart went for 110 yards on 17 carries. Not only did McCaffrey take a zone-read handoff four yards for Carolina's opening touchdown, but he piled on with a two-yard touchdown grab along the sideline during the third quarter. In doing so, the rookie has now scored five times over the past six games, sending him into the Panthers' bye week full of confidence.

The Ravens released Rainey on Monday, Jeff Zrebiec of The Baltimore Sun reports.

Rainey's release opens up a roster spot for the addition of offensive lineman Andrew Donnal, formerly of the Rams. Furthermore, it could be a sign that wide receiver Michael Campanaro is ready to return to his return-man role on special teams, in addition to Danny Woodhead (knee), who's been designated to return from IR and should return to the fold within a matter of weeks.

Williams (illness) is listed as active for Monday night's game against the Panthers.

Williams missed practice both Thursday and Friday, but added recovery time afforded by the Dolphins' Monday night kickoff has enabled him to suit up against Carolina. In doing so, he'll continue to work in a backfield timeshare with Kenyan Drake. It's an arrangement that led to Drake logging 37 out of a possible 67 snaps on offense in Miami's Week 9 loss to the Raiders, while Williams saw action on 30 snaps. In the process, Drake recorded nine carries for 69 yards, while hauling in all six of his targets for 35 yards. For his part, Williams ran seven times for just 14 yards, but managed to make his mark in the passing game, catching all six of his targets for 47 yards and a TD. With a similar arrangement likely on tap Monday, Williams is worth a dart in PPR formats.

Perine will take over as the starting running back while Rob Kelley misses time with ankle and knee injuries, John Keim of ESPN.com reports.

With Kelley slated to miss multiple games and even in danger of landing on injured reserve, Perine will have an extended opportunity to lead the Washington rushing attack. He failed to impress while filling in for an injured Kelley earlier this season, managing only 116 yards on 40 carries (2.9) in Weeks 2 and 3 against the Rams and Raiders. The rookie fourth-round pick has a long gain of just 12 yards on 66 carries, and he doesn't figure to see more than a couple targets per game. That said, he figures to get the goal-line carries in a productive offense, with the potential to improve his rushing efficiency as he becomes more comfortable with the pro game. Perine will start off with a road matchup against the red-hot Saints defense Week 11.

Vereen had five carries for 11 yards and four catches for 27 yards Sunday at San Francisco.

Vereen's role had shrunk the last few games, but he saw more snaps Sunday and got back involved as a pass catcher. As a third-down back, his ceiling is limited, especially in this offense.

Redskins coach Jay Gruden confirmed that Kelley (ankle/knee) will miss multiple games, even saying that the running back may be placed on injured reserve later this week, John Keim of ESPN.com reports.

Kelley suffered a high-ankle sprain and MCL sprain in Sunday's 38-30 loss to Minnesota, giving way to Samaje Perine after the Redskins' third possession of the game. The rookie fourth-round pick out of Oklahoma will take over as Washington's lead runner, a role he previously handled (with minimal success) in Weeks 2 and 3 when Kelley was battling a rib injury. Perine doesn't have great pass-game skills and is averaging only 3.2 yards on 66 carries with a long gain of 12, but he should essentially be locked in for double-digit touches each week for as long as Kelley's unavailable. Chris Thompson could also pick up a bit of extra work, and the Redskins presumably will sign a third running back.

Mack had seven carries for seven yards and two receptions for 19 yards on four targets in Sunday's loss to Pittsburgh.

Mack played 25 snaps on offense compared to Frank Gore's 34 snaps. Mack will likely see more playing time later in the season as the Colts look toward 2018, but he'll have a prominent yet secondary role in the meantime. Mack offers big-play ability, but his upside is limited by Indy's overall struggles on offense.

Kelley (ankle/knee) has been diagnosed with a high-ankle sprain and a grade 1/2 MCL sprain, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reports.

Either injury on its own likely would cause Kelley to miss at least one game. Given that he suffered both at the same time, he's presumably facing the prospect of a multi-game absence, starting with Sunday's contest in New Orleans. The Redskins will turn to Samaje Perine as their early-down thumper, with passing-down back Chris Thompson potentially also taking on some of the vacated snaps. Perine had 40 carries over a two-week stretch when Kelley was injured earlier this season, but the rookie ran for only 116 yards (2.9 per carry) and didn't score a touchdown or contribute much in the passing game. Thompson remains the best bet for production, despite slumping a bit the past couple weeks.

Jones is expected to miss 3-6 weeks with an MCL injury, Adam Schefter of ESPN reports.

Jones and Ty Montgomery (ribs) were both knocked out of Sunday's 23-16 win over the Bears, leaving Jamaal Williams and fullback Aaron Ripkowski as the only options in the backfield. Devante Mays is also on the roster but was inactive for Sunday's game, and he could step into a meaningful role if Montgomery is unable to play Sunday against the Ravens. Montgomery and Jones had been splitting work, with the latter getting most of the carries and the former getting most of the passing-down snaps. Williams finished Sunday's victory with 20 carries for 67 yards, but his long gain went for just seven yards and he only caught one pass.