NFL Player News

Zenner (back) was limited at Wednesday's practice.

Zenner has been hindered for the past three weeks, albeit with no other suggestion that the back injury is serious. His absence in the season opener could free up goal-line and short-yardage work for Dwayne Washington, as the Lions have never displayed much confidence in lead back Ameer Abdullah to handle those responsibilities.

Seahawks coach Pete Carroll said Wednesday that Rawls is dealing with a high-ankle injury, Gregg Bell of The Tacoma News Tribune reports.

The high-ankle sprain would explain why Rawls' injury has lingered longer than initially expected. The issue was first reported Aug. 16, and Carroll said a week ago that Rawls would have been able to play in the preseason finale if the Seahawks had used their starters. It's unclear if the third-year runner suffered a concrete setback or is just struggling to get all the way back to full health. Another update will be available when the Seahawks release their injury report Wednesday evening.

Williams received a $510,000 salary to join the Broncos' practice squad, more than quadrupling the $7,200 per week minimum, Mike Klis of 9 News Denver reports.

The salary suggests Williams won't be kept on the practice squad for long, likely either joining the active roster or getting cut free entirely within the next few weeks. The 2016 fifth-round pick was one of the most surprising cuts of the past weekend, as it had been expected that he'd serve as the top backup to LeSean McCoy in Buffalo. The Broncos seemingly have a deep backfield with C.J. Anderson, Jamaal Charles, De'Angelo Henderson and eventually Devontae Booker (wrist) in the mix, but nobody in the bunch is a safe bet to remain effective all season.

Ekeler is listed as the Chargers' top kick returner on their official depth chart.

Ekeler earned a spot on the team's 53-man roster thanks to his solid performance in the preseason, highlighted by a game against the 49ers in which he compiled 108 total yards. Behind both Melvin Gordon and Branden Oliver on the depth chart, Ekeler might not offer much fantasy value in standard formats, but could serve as an intriguing handcuff in leagues that emphasize return yardage.

With Ezekiel Elliott (suspension) eligible to play Sunday against the Giants, McFadden is likely to serve in a backup role in Week 1, Kevin Seifert of ESPN.com reports.

Elliott's six-game suspension was upheld Tuesday by arbitrator Harold Henderson, but the NFL decided the running back can still play Week 1 because a federal court has yet to rule on the NFLPA's request for a temporary restraining order that would put the suspension on hold while the running back pursues a lawsuit to have it overturned. The court is expected to make a ruling by Friday, at which point there will be some level of clarity regarding Elliott's availability (and McFadden's likely role) this season. McFadden will have a tough time getting more than a handful of touches whenever Elliott is available.

Rodgers won't suit up in Week 1 after the Buccaneers' matchup with the Dolphins was postponed with Hurricane Irma expected to make landfall in South Florida, Kevin Patra of NFL.com reports.

The two teams are scheduled to make up the contest Nov. 19 in Week 11 of the regular season, meaning both the Buccaneers and Dolphins will play 16 consecutive weeks to conclude the campaign. The postponement also means that Rodgers will likely hold down his role as the Bucs' lead tailback at least until Week 5 against the Patriots, when Doug Martin is scheduled to return from his suspension. Martin had initially been eligible to play in Week 4 against the Giants -- when he would have served the final three games of his ban -- but the rescheduled contest ended up pushing back his return date.

After the Buccaneers' Week 1 matchup with the Dolphins was postponed and rescheduled for Week 11 due to the potential impact of Hurricane Irma in South Florida, Martin won't be eligible to return until the Bucs' Week 5 game against the Patriots, Kevin Patra of NFL.com reports.

With three games remaining on his four-game suspension heading into 2017, Martin had been on track to make his season debut Oct. 1 against the Giants, but that's no longer in the cards due to the Week 1 postponement. While the slight delay won't change Martin's season-long outlook much since he's still looking at a 13-game slate, it could affect the roster plans of fantasy owners, who may have been stashing the running back specifically with the intention of deploying him in lineups in Week 4. Until Martin's suspension is completed, Jacquizz Rodgers is expected to head the Bucs' backfield, with Charles Sims serving as the team's top third-down option.

Thomas was waived by the Lions on Monday.

Thomas didn't play a regular season snap in 2016, and he was unable to earn a depth role on the Lions' roster.

Updating a previous report, the Broncos signed Williams to their practice squad Tuesday, Kevin Patra of NFL.com reports.

Williams was one of the most shocking cuts over this past weekend but he will now get a chance to extend his career as a member of the Broncos' practice squad. However, any team could sign Williams to its active roster, or the Broncos could promote the back if they suffer injuries in the backfield this season.

Arbitrator Harold Henderson upheld Elliott's six-game suspension for violations of the personal conduct policy Tuesday, Chris Mortensen of ESPN reports. However, the NFL has taken the position that Elliott can play in Sunday's regular-season opener against the Giants, per Tom Pelissero of NFL.com.

Henderson arrived at his decision at the same time Elliott's request for a temporary restraining order was heard at the U.S. District Court in Sherman, Texas. Once the latter concluded, Pelissero stated the NFL's own decision to allow Elliott to suit up in Week 1 because the district court won't make a ruling until next week. As a result, Elliott may still serve the six-game ban, just not to begin the campaign.