NFL Player News

Perine had six carries for 15 yards and dropped his lone target in Thursday's preseason opener against the Ravens.

Perine fumbled on the snap preceding his dropped pass, though he at least managed to recover the ball. Clearly working behind Rob Kelley and Chris Thompson, the rookie did nothing on the ground to improve his standing, and to make matters worse, Perine also struggled in pass protection, according to ESPN.com's John Keim. Perine still has time to push for a role, but Thursday's performance supports the notion that Kelley is a favorite for the Week 1 starting gig.

West had five carries for 23 yards and a touchdown in Thursday's preseason opener against Washington.

West was targeted on Baltimore's first offensive snap and later finished the team's third drive with three consecutive carries for 18, zero and two yards, with the last going for a score. Javorius Allen also got work on that series, but he wasn't efficient and isn't nearly the threat to West that a healthy Kenneth Dixon (knee) would've been. West should have a sizable leash in the lead role this year, albeit with Danny Woodhead handling most of the pass catching.

Grant rushed eight times for 120 yards and a touchdown and wasn't targeted in the passing game during Thursday's preseason opener at New England.

Grant eclipsed the production of Leonard Fournette, Chris Ivory and T.J. Yeldon combined on his first touch of the game, taking Jacksonville's first offensive play of the second half the distance for a 79-yard touchdown. His other seven totes weren't bad, either, as he still averaged 5.9 yards per carry when factoring out the long touchdown. The 25-year-old running back out of Auburn notched 122 yards in last season's finale and could challenge the aforementioned trio for playing time if he continues churning out performances of this caliber.

Kamara gained 35 yards on four carries in Thursday's 20-14 preseason loss to the Browns.

Though Kamara finished fourth on the team in carries, he led the way with a healthy 8.8 yards per carry and ripped off an impressive 22-yard gain at one point. He seems unlikely to usurp significant playing time from Adrian Peterson and Mark Ingrahm this season, but Kamara could leapfrog Travaris Cadet and Daniel Lasco in the pecking order if he delivers more performance such as this in the future.

Magee carried four times for 15 yards and a touchdown in Thursday's 20-14 preseason win over the Saints.

Magee received the most carries behind starter Isaiah Crowell in this one, plunging into the end zone from a yard out early in the fourth quarter. Rookie Matthew Dayes tallied nine yards and a touchdown of his own on three carries, and is likely Magee's chief competition for the third spot on the running back depth chart behind Crowell and Duke Johnson.

Drake carried four times for 21 yards in Thursday's 23-20 preseason win over the Falcons. He also caught his only target for a two-yard gain.

Though Drake received limited run, he flashed his elusiveness on a couple of nice gains en route to an average of 5.3 yards per carry. Damien Williams and De'Von Smith each saw more action than Drake, but he should have first crack as a complementary option to Jay Ajayi during the regular season. After receiving just 33 carries in 2016, Drake will look to stake his claim for added usage this year.

Coach Sean McDermott said after Thursday's game that Williams suffered a hamstring injury against the Vikings, Mike Rodak of ESPN.com reports.

Williams was easily Buffalo's best rusher Thursday as he took four carries for 39 yards -- including a 17-yard scamper. Unfortunately, he suffered a hamstring injury during the course of the game, but McDermott did not immediately elaborate on the severity of the ailment. The Bills figure to have a further update on Williams' hamstring injury in the near future.

Williams rushed for 39 yards on four carries and caught a pass for seven yards during Thursday's preseason opener against the Vikings.

Williams broke off runs for eight, 15 and 17 yards to strengthen his position as LeSean McCoy's backup entering the season. With new offensive coordinator Rick Dennison expected to utilize a run-heavy attack, Williams has the potential to carve out a consistent role. His clearest path to week-to-week fantasy relevance is through McCoy sustaining an injury, but Williams could also vulture some goal-line looks, so he remains a late-round target in the majority of settings.

Cook rushed five times for just 13 yards but caught four passes for 30 yards during Thursday's preseason opener against Buffalo.

Cook was in for four series Thursday, and while he struggled to get it going on the ground, he did flash nice potential in the passing game. This is especially encouraging to see him active and successful in the passing game after offensive coordinator Pat Shurmur recently said he trusted Cook's pass-protection ability. Minnesota's offensive line was a weakness last year, so that could potentially cap Cook's upside slightly. Otherwise, though, everything is trending toward Cook opening the season as the Vikings' No. 1 running back, and there is a possibility the rookie emerges as a rare workhorse rusher in short order.

Carey (quad) will not return for Thursday's preseason game against the Broncos.

Entering his fourth year in Chicago, Carey has never surpassed 160 rushing yards. He's currently in line to be the fourth string in Chicago, and this injury could hinder his chances of moving up.