NFL Player News

McCaffrey rushed 15 times for 66 yards and a touchdown in Sunday's 20-17 win over the Falcons. He also caught five of six targets for 28 yards.

McCaffrey had averaged just over five carries per game since Week 1, but after veteran Jonathan Stewart lost two fumbles during the first quarter, the team turned to the rookie a career-high 15 times in the rushing game. Not only did McCaffrey take advantage of his opportunities by posting a season-best 4.4 yards per carry, but he also scored his first rushing touchdown. Despite getting more involved on the ground, McCaffrey still made his usual impact through the air, catching at least five passes for a fifth straight game. Combined, McCaffrey put together the type of high-volume, dual-threat performance many expected he'd have more regularly this season, perhaps marking a breakthrough ahead of next Monday's visit from the Dolphins.

Mixon rushed for 31 yards and a touchdown on 13 carries and added 15 yards on three catches in Sunday's 23-7 loss to the Jaguars.

Mixon put the Bengals on the board late in the first half when he took a zone read around the bend and sneaked into the end zone for a seven-yard score. It was only Mixon's second score of the season, and he's managed to top four yards per carry just once thus far in 2017. However, he remains valuable so long as Cincinnati keeps pushing the ball to him. Mixon has had at least 14 touches in five of his last six games. The only other Bengals back to touch the ball on Sunday was Giovani Bernard, who logged a pair of rushes.

Ellington (quadriceps) is listed as active Sunday at San Francisco, Darren Urban of the Cardinals' official site reports.

Held out Week 7 due to a quad injury, Ellington followed up the Cardinals' bye with three limited practices. The activity was enough to clear him for his first action since Week 6, but the presence of Adrian Peterson clouds any potential contribution on the ground. Having said that, Ellington should serve as a safety valve for Drew Stanton in the passing attack.

Kelley (ankle) is active for Sunday's game against the Seahawks.

Though Kelley has been cleared to suit up for the Week 9 contest, he won't be in store for a full workload after the ankle injury rendered him a limited practice participant throughout the week. Once he becomes further removed from the injury, Kelley isn't a lock to reclaim the bell cow role he held for the Redskins for much of the second half of his rookie season. Kelley has averaged less than 3.5 yards per carry in all but one of his five games this campaign and has already started to see Chris Thompson cut into his role as a result.

Mixon will start at running back Sunday against the Jaguars with Jeremy Hill (ankle) inactive for the contest, Paul Dehner Jr. of The Cincinnati Enquirer reports.

Hill had logged exactly four carries in each of the Bengals' last three games, so he was a de facto starter more than anything with head coach Marvin Lewis having committed to Mixon as the team's feature back. Nonetheless, Hill's absence will allow Mixon to enter the game for the Bengals' opening drive and could result in a couple extra touches for the rookie over the course of the day, thereby enhancing his fantasy outlook for the week.

Ellington (quadriceps), who is listed as questionable for Sunday's game against the 49ers, will play in the contest, a source informed Adam Schefter of ESPN.

Ellington missed the Cardinals' last game in Week 7 against the Rams, but with a bye week to heal up from the quad injury, it looks as though the running back will be ready to go Sunday. Though the Oct. 10 acquisition of Adrian Peterson has resulted in fewer snaps and carries for Ellington, the Clemson product still ranks as head coach Bruce Arians' preferred pass catcher out of the backfield. That may allow Ellington to retain some appeal in deeper PPR settings, but it may be hard to justify rostering him elsewhere.

Kelley (ankle), who is listed as questionable for Sunday's game against the Seahawks, is expected to play in the contest, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reports.

While it doesn't appear that Kelley will miss his third game of the season, Rapoport notes that the running back won't be in store for a full workload Sunday. That doesn't come as much of a surprise, given that Kelley has seen fewer than 20 snaps in three of his last four appearances, with Chris Thompson emerging as Redskins head coach Jay Gruden's preferred option out of the backfield. With a meager 35 yards on 15 carries over the last two weeks, Kelley could end up falling behind rookie Samaje Perine on the depth chart if he fails to turn it around in the near future.

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.