NFL Player News

Foreman is hoping for an increased role Sunday against the Colts, Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle reports.

Foreman was surprisingly replaced by Alfred Blue last week, days after the rookie running back didn't practice in protest over comments made by team owner Bob McNair. Foreman and head coach Bill O'Brien both insisted that wasn't the reason why the rookie played one offensive snap and had zero carries in a Week 8 loss to the Seahawks. The coach attributed the change in the running back depth chart to Blue outperforming Foreman in practice. Leading up to Week 9 against Indianapolis, O'Brien said Foreman did a good job in practice, which suggests a return to normalcy in the backfield. And this becomes an important storyline for fantasy owners in the wake of quarterback Deshaun Watson's season-ending knee injury. With Tom Savage at the helm, the Texans are expected to have a renewed focus on the ground attack.

Following the Tuesday trade that sent Jay Ajayi to the Eagles, Williams and Kenyan Drake are slated to head the Dolphins' backfield Sunday against the Raiders, Omar Kelly of the South Florida Sun-Sentinel reports.

Kelly suggests that Drake will likely serve as the Dolphins' lead back in base packages, while Williams seems likely to continue in his role as Miami's third-down back, and perhaps as the team's preferred goal-line option. While neither player is a high-percentage fantasy play in Week 9 thanks to the looming timeshare, with six teams on bye this week and Ajayi owners scrambling for running-back help, the duo could offer some degree of utility as plug-in options.

Following Tuesday's trade that sent Jay Ajayi to the Eagles, Drake and Damien Williams are in line to head the Miami backfield Sunday against the Raiders, Omar Kelly of the South Florida Sun-Sentinel reports.

Drake is expected to serve as the Dolphins' lead back in base packages, while Williams appears poised to continue in his role as Miami's third-down back, plus he profiles as the team's likely preferred goal-line option. Until this timeshare yields added clarity in terms of the team's backfield workload distribution, neither player is a high-percentage fantasy play in Week 9. That said, with six teams on bye this week and plenty of Ajayi owners scrambling for a replacement, Drake is certainly worth a roster spot to see how this situation plans out.

Breida (knee) was a full participant in Friday's practice and doesn't carry an injury designation for Sunday's game against the Cardinals, Mike Jurecki of Arizona Sports 98.7 FM reports.

Breida opened the week with a pair of limited practices, but his involvement in all drills Friday clears the way for him to serve in his usual backup role behind starter Carlos Hyde. Though Breida has logged no fewer than three carries in any game this season, his 3.9 yards per tote don't exactly make a compelling case for him to earn a larger workload.

Ellington (quadriceps) is listed as questionable for Sunday's game against the 49ers, Mike Jurecki of Arizona Sports 98.7 FM reports.

Ellington was a limited participant at practice Friday for the third consecutive day, resulting him earning a questionable designation for the Cardinals' second game in a row. With the team coming off a bye to give the veteran running back an additional week to heal up from the injury, Ellington's chances of playing Sunday would appear much greater than in the Week 7 game against the Rams, for which he was inactive. Ellington won't be in store for a major role behind lead back Adrian Peterson if he's active this time around.

Washington (concussion) was a full practice participant Friday.

The upgrade from limited participation Thursday to a full session Friday puts Washington on track to play Monday against the Packers. He'll continue to fill a limited role behind Ameer Abdullah, likely get most of his work in short-yardage and goal-line situations.

Cowboys head coach Jason Garrett said Friday that he doesn't believe it will be difficult for Elliott to get back to full speed in time for Sunday's game against the Chiefs, Todd Archer of ESPN.com reports. Elliott returned to practice Friday after the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit granted a temporary stay on his six-game suspension earlier in the day.

After a judge denied Elliott a stay Monday to activate the suspension, the NFLPA filed an emergency motion to appeal the ruling and was able to delay the running back's ban for at least one more game. Since the Second Circuit is on track to hear Elliott's request for an injunction early next week, it's possible that his suspension could be reinstated prior to the Week 10 matchup with the Falcons, barring another successful appeal. While the ongoing legal matter continues to cast uncertainty on Elliott's availability for the second half of the season, his lack of participation in practices Wednesday and Thursday while he remained away from the Cowboys shouldn't have much of an impact on his fantasy outlook for the current week. In fact, the extra time off to rest might prove beneficial for Elliott, who carried the ball a season-high 33 times in the Week 8 victory over the Redskins.

Jones (ankle) was ruled out for Sunday's game in Houston.

Jones didn't practice this week as a result of the ankle injury. The former Redskins running back is positioned no better than third on the Colts' depth chart and won't be in line for many touches behind Frank Gore and Marlon Mack once he's healthy.

West (calf) has been ruled out for Sunday's game in Tennessee.

With Alex Collins sitting at 6.0 yards per carry, it's not clear that West will even have a significant role in the offense once he's healthy. He hasn't played or practiced since re-injuring his calf on the opening drive of a Week 5 win over the Raiders.

Kelley (ankle) is listed as questionable for Sunday's game in Seattle, Stephen Czarda of the Redskins' official website reports.

Kelley played through the same injury the past two games and managed limited practice participation throughout this week. He should be available Sunday in Seattle, but he'll be running behind a banged-up offensive line while facing a defense that has held opposing running backs to 3.0 yards per carry and 59.2 rushing yards per game in its past four contests. Kelley has topped 30 scrimmage yards just once in five tries this season.