NFL Player News

Hightower (knee) logged his first game action as a 49er on Saturday, carrying the ball three times for a loss of one and fumbling once in a preseason loss to Denver.

San Francisco went down early and only controlled the ball for 21 minutes, so Hightower wasn't afforded many opportunities to showcase his abilities. On a positive note, the 31-year-old was healthy enough to suit up after missing last week's contest with a minor knee ailment. Carlos Hyde is clearly the 49ers' top running back option after receiving all of the first-team carries in both preseason contests, leaving Hightower to compete with Joe Williams for meaningful backup touches this season.

Foreman rushed seven times for 17 yards and a touchdown while securing both of his targets for 66 yards in Saturday's 27-23 preseason win over the Patriots.

The rookie third-rounder turned heads once again Saturday, one week after making a splash in his preseason debut with nine carries for 76 yards. Foreman took a short pass from fellow first-year player Deshaun Watson and turned it into a 63-yard gain in the third quarter, setting up the latter's two-yard rushing score two plays later. Foreman then got into the end zone himself following a fourth-quarter interception of the Patriots' Jimmy Garoppolo, driving in from four yards out to give the Texans a 26-23 lead. While incumbent Lamar Miller still projects to begin the season as the lead back, Foreman has certainly moved the needle over his first two weeks of game action. He'll look to make another strong impression next Saturday night against the Saints.

Mixon rushed six times for 16 yards but did turn his only target into a 16-yard reception during Saturday's preseason loss to Kansas City.

This wasn't a strong outing from Mixon, and he was outperformed by Jeremy Hill (28 yards on six carries). However, the Oklahoma product won't lose footing in the pecking order because of a mediocre preseason showing, and it was also encouraging to see him active in the passing game. Mixon projects to open the season in the running-back committee, anyway. However, the rookie rusher owns tremendous upside and could emerge as the lead back at some point in 2017, and it could be sooner than later. After all, he's a superior athlete to Hill, and Giovani Bernard (knee) still hasn't suited up for a preseason game yet.

McKinnon lost six yards on his only rushing attempt and had one reception for eight yards in Friday's preseason loss at Seattle. He also gained 10 yards on his only kickoff return.

McKinnon missed Minnesota's first preseason game with a lower leg injury. He'd begin the season as the backup to Dalvin Cook if Latavius Murray (ankle) remains out. However, McKinnon doesn't otherwise look to have a significant role in the offense. He could win the kickoff return job as he's battling Rodney Adams and Stacey Coley for the role.

Anderson had seven carries for 24 yards and a touchdown and caught all three of his targets for 13 yards in Saturday's preseason game against the 49ers.

With Paxton Lynch starting and rarely looking downfield, Anderson was the clear centerpiece of the Denver offense while playing the first four drives of the game. The 26-year-old back caught a seven-yard pass on a 3rd-and-6 on the opening drive, and then got three straight carries from the one-yard line on the next series, converting the last of those for a touchdown. With Jamaal Charles (knee) and Devontae Booker (wrist) unavailable, De'Angelo Henderson operated as the No. 2 back and gained 50 yards on eight touches. Anderson is locked in as the starter, but Denver figures to use some combination of Charles, Booker and Henderson to even out the workload.

Perine carried eight times for 45 yards and secured his only target for 29 yards in Saturday's 21-17 preseason loss to the Packers.

The rookie was significantly better than in last week's preseason opener, putting together impressive chunk plays both on the ground and through the air. Perine was directly involved in the first four plays of the Redskins' first possession of the second half, taking a short pass 29 yards on one of those touches. He rattled off a 14-yard run on a subsequent possession and appeared much more comfortable overall in his second NFL contest. With starter Rob Kelley once again struggling (nine carries, nine yards), Perine could take another major step forward if he's able to produce a successful encore performance a week from Sunday versus the Bengals.

Kelley carried nine times for nine yards and secured one of two targets for five yards in Saturday's 21-17 preseason loss to the Packers.

As was the case last week, Kelley found tough sledding on the ground, and he's now totaled 12 carries for 11 yards over two preseason contests. Meanwhile, promising rookie Samaje Perine shined in his opportunity (74 yards on nine touches), presumably putting more pressure on Kelley with respect to the top tailback job. Both backs are likely to see plenty of playing time in next week's contest against the Bengals, with the results potentially pivotal to the slotting at the position moving forward.

McFadden rushed nine times for 59 yards and lost a fumble while catching his lone target for four yards in Saturday's preseason Week 2 win over the Colts.

McFadden and Alfred Morris both got work with the first-team offense, though the latter didn't see his first carry until McFadden had already rushed seven times. While the former Raider averaged a robust 6.6 yards per carry, he didn't do himself any favors by putting the ball on the ground in the red zone. Still, McFadden will prove valuable during Ezekiel Elliott's six-game suspension if this workload breakdown carries over into the regular season.

Mack had five carries for 45 yards and two receptions for 14 yards in Saturday's preseason loss at Dallas.

Mack showed a spark in his first preseason game as he'd missed Indy's first game with a shoulder injury. While likely stuck behind Frank Gore and Robert Turbin, the fourth-round rookie could make a case for a change-of-pace role with another strong outing or two this preseason. He may have the most upside of any of the backups if Gore were to get hurt.

Williams rushed seven times for 12 yards in Saturday's 21-17 preseason win over the Redskins.

With Ty Montgomery (leg) sitting Saturday, it was Williams working as the first-team tailback and seeing five of his seven touches during the Packers' 75-yard opening possession. The rookie has reportedly been solidifying his status as the top backup to Montgomery during camp, although his work in preseason games thus far (11 carries, 26 yards) has been rather lackluster. With Montgomery's status cloudy at the moment, Williams is likely to see some extended opportunity in the Packers' third preseason contest next Saturday against the Broncos