NFL Player News

Redskins coach Jay Gruden said Wednesday that he has full confidence in Kelley and is excited about having him as the starter, Mike Jones of The Washington Post reports.

Samaje Perine's big preseason outing over the weekend may have reinvigorated the discussion regarding Washington's backfield, but Gruden's comments suggest Kelley is secure in his role as the Week 1 starter. That doesn't mean Perine won't also be heavily involved, nor does it mean Kelley will be immune to eventually losing the starting job. Gruden just doesn't seem to view it as a true job battle, which means Perine will need to continue his strong work in practice and preseason games if he's going to open the season with a significant share of the rushing workload. Passing-down specialist Chris Thompson will also be heavily involved, particularly when the Redskins can't establish the run and/or are forced into catch-up mode.

Dayes rushed five times for 15 yards and snagged five catches for 29 yards in Monday's preseason tilt against the Giants.

Dayes led the Browns in receptions versus the Giants and showed explosiveness on a 10-yard rushing attempt. Coach Hue Jackson has praised Dayes throughout camp, and all signs point to the rookie making the roster as the third running back.

Magee carried the ball four times for 15 yards and hauled in two passes (three targets) for two yards during Monday's preseason contest with the Giants.

Magee duplicated his serviceable rushing stats from the first preseason game, but the 5-foot-9 back out of LSU may find himself on the outside looking in with the team's third-string running back competition. Matthew Dayes -- who is also vying for the job -- showed his value in the passing game Monday with five catches, earning praise from coach Hue Jackson. Meanwhile, Magee's two receptions went for a lowly two yards. The 24-year-old will likely see more touches in the next two contests and still has a reasonable chance to make the roster.

Williams, who missed Tuesday's practice due to a minor knee injury, is back practicing Wednesday, Joe Buscaglia of 7 ABC Buffalo reports.

As expected, this was just a minor ailment and the second-year player will get right back to it. Williams remains the handcuff to LeSean McCoy, and given McCoy's age and perhaps a plan for the Bills to keep his body away from goal-line scrums, a decent fantasy sleeper in what looks to be a run-based offense.

Williams suffered a knee injury in a previous practice and is listed as day-to-day, Vic Carucci of The Buffalo News reports.

No one is making this sound like anything serious, so we'll see if Williams can return to action soon and suit up for the Bills' third preseason game.

Crossan (undisclosed) is a free agent after reaching an injury settlement with the Colts.

The undrafted rookie is now free to explore other options. If he's brought in, expect it to be for extra competition with the possibility of becoming a return man.

Daniels (undisclosed) showed up to practice in full gear Tuesday, Erik Scalavino of the Patriots' official site reports.

The undrafted rookie likely won't find any offensive duties with the Patriots, but he could find himself in a special teams role. If Daniels doesn't make the team, however, he's shown efforts in the preseason that are worthy of a practice squad spot.

Hunt (hamstring) is working his way back into action but hasn't practiced this week, Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle reports.

When healthy, Hunt has been battling Tyler Irvin for primary kick return duties but finds himself buried on the depth chart at running back. Although Hunt's injury is considered minor, any missed time may hurt his chances of making the Texans' final roster.

Gillislee (hamstring) was a full participant during Tuesday's practice, Mike Reiss of ESPN.com reports.

Gillislee's lingering hamstring injury appears to finally be on the mend with the Patriots' first regular-season contest approaching in just over two weeks. Although he'll likely be the top candidate to assume the No. 1 spot on the depth chart at running back, fellow backfield weapons James White, Dion Lewis and Rex Burkhead figure to vulture not only snaps, but fantasy production as well given the team's variety in offensive scheme on a weekly basis. Optimistically, Gillislee's ability to handle short-yardage situations could result in a majority of the rushing touchdowns among his peers.

Gillislee (hamstring) was present for the start of practice Tuesday, Mike Reiss of ESPN.com reports.

As Reiss points out, with 16 days left until the Patriots' season opener, the "urgency (is) picking up" for Gillislee, who, when healthy, appears best-equipped to absorb the the greatest share of the team's short-yardage duties dominated last year by LeGarrette Blount. That said, with fellow newcomer Rex Burkhead also in the mix, in addition to pass-catching aces James White and Dion Lewis, the Patriots' tendency to divide weekly carries in a game-plan-specific manner figures to lead to some volatile fantasy production from any member of the team's deep and versatile backfield.