NFL Player News

Williams (knee) was removed from the final injury report ahead of Sunday's game in Dallas, Michael Cohen of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports.

Williams was a full practice participant all week, while starting running back Ty Montgomery (ribs) was limited and is listed as doubtful for Sunday's game. Williams is next up on the depth chart, but Aaron Jones is a better pass catcher and is coming off a solid Week 4 performance in a 35-14 win over the Bears. It won't be surprising if Jones ends up out-touching Williams come Sunday.

Jones (knee) is listed as doubtful for Sunday's game against the 49ers.

While Jones, who carried four times for 11 yards in Week 4, will likely be out Sunday, the Colts' backfield depth behind starter Frank Gore will be bolstered this weekend by the expected return of Marlon Mack (shoulder).

The Chargers have ruled Oliver (hamstring) out for Sunday's game against the Giants, Eric D. Williams of ESPN.com reports.

Oliver's hamstring injury kept him off the practice field throughout the week, so it doesn't come as much of a surprise that he'll miss a game for the first time this season. With Oliver out of commission, Austin Ekeler is expected to step in as the top backup to bell cow Melvin Gordon, and the Chargers are likely to add another running back as a third-string option. According to Williams, Chargers head coach Anthony Lynn hinted that Andre Williams would likely be signed off the practice squad to provide additional backfield depth against his former team.

Abdullah (ankle) was removed from the Lions' injury report in advance of Sunday's game against Carolina.

A limited practice participant Wednesday and a full participant Thursday and Friday, the third-year running back out of Nebraska is fine to fill his usual role as Detroit's lead runner. Abdullah is quietly on pace for a 1,000-yard rushing season, but he's only caught nine passes and scored one touchdown -- trends that could continue so long as he loses passing-down work to Theo Riddick and goal-line/short-yardage carries to Zach Zenner or Dwayne Washington (ankle). The Panthers have held opposing running backs to 3.8 yards per carry and 67.5 rushing yards per game this season.

Washington (quad) has been ruled out for Sunday's game against Carolina.

Washington's absence for a third straight week isn't a big issue for the Lions now that it's clear Ameer Abdullah (ankle) doesn't have a serious injury. Zach Zenner filled in for Washington the past two weeks, taking six carries for five yards as a short-yardage specialist.

With Wendell Smallwood (knee) not expected to play Sunday against the Cardinals, Clement could take on a larger role in the Eagles' rushing attack, Les Bowen of the Philadelphia Daily News reports.

Clement had 10 carries for 30 yards in Sunday's 26-24 win over the Chargers, setting new personal bests in terms of both workload and snap count (19). It's questionable how much Smallwood's absence actually helps Clement, given that Smallwood earned a lot of his playing time on passing downs last week. LeGarrette Blount is still the lead runner, and recent addition Kenjon Barner could handle some of the pass-catching work. Clement still seems unlikely to get more than 8-to-12 carries in a difficult matchup against the Cardinals.

Vikings offensive coordinator Pat Shurmur believes Murray can replace Dalvin Cook (knee) as a high-volume runner, Chris Tomasson of the St. Paul Pioneer Press reports.

Jerick McKinnon should handle most of the pass-catching workload and some of the carries out of the backfield, but the Vikings have made it clear Murray will get the first crack at replacing Cook as the lead runner. While the former Raider is unlikely to match Cook's average of 21.3 touches per game, something in the range of 15-to-20 touches isn't out of the question. It remains to be seen if Murray will be effective with those opportunities, as he recently admitted that he still isn't all the way back at full strength after having ankle surgery in March. Murray has gained only 38 yards on 14 carries this season, and he'll start his tenure as the lead back with a Monday Night Football matchup against a Chicago defense that's allowing just 3.5 yards per carry and 85.5 rushing yards per game. The Bears do have a clear weakness at inside linebacker due to a combination of injuries and suspensions, however.

Rodgers rushed three times for two yards and brought in his only target for 13 yards in Thursday's 19-14 loss to the Patriots.

With the return of Doug Martin from suspension, Rodgers played only 13 offensive snaps (18 percent), trailing both Martin (26 snaps) and Charles Sims (32 snaps) by a significant margin. However, given that the Bucs were behind throughout the second half and also likely wanted to see plenty of Martin in his first game back, Rodgers' reduced participation may only be an outlier. Looking ahead, both Rodgers and Martin are likely to see healthier snap counts, while Sims is unlikely to be as involved in games when Tampa isn't facing a prolonged deficit.

Sims carried once for three yards and brought in five of seven targets for 31 yards in Thursday's 19-14 loss to the Buccaneers.

After being uncharacteristically uninvolved for the first three games with nine total touches, Sims finally saw some volume in the passing game in Week 5. Sims saw the field for 32 offensive snaps (44 percent), leading all Bucs backs, including Doug Martin, who made his season debut after completing the final three games of his suspension. However, Sims was an afterthought in the running game, and given the availability of Martin, Jacquizz Rodgers and Peyton Barber, it's likely the majority of Sims' work will come through the air this season.

Martin rushed 13 times for 74 yards and a touchdown while also hauling in one of three targets for eight yards in Thursday's 19-14 loss to the Patriots.

Martin's play was a high point on a night when the Bucs came maddeningly close to pulling out a victory on the last play on the contest. The sixth-year back looked rejuvenated and decisive virtually each time he carried the ball, bursting through holes with impressive speed on his way to 5.7 yards per rush. Martin notably served as the clear-cut lead back despite it being his first game of the season, leaving backfield mates Jacquizz Rodgers (three carries) and Charles Sims (one carry) in the dust in terms of opportunity. Having proven his readiness to handle a starter's workload Thursday, Martin should be all systems go for the Week 6 road tilt against the Cardinals.