NFL Player News

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.

Drake has been removed from the NFL's concussion protocol, Armando Salguero of the Miami Herald reports.

Drake only needed a week to make it through the protocol and should be back at practice Tuesday. He's competing against Damien Williams for backup work, with Thursday's exhibition in Philadelphia representing an excellent opportunity for both players to make their cases. The winner of the No. 2 job likely will see most of his snaps on passing downs so long as Jay Ajayi stays healthy.

Texans coach Bill O'Brien said Foreman still has a long way to go in his development, John McClain of The Houston Chronicle reports.

Foreman has been impressive while mostly working with the third-string offense through two preseason games, carrying 16 times for 93 yards and a touchdown while also catching each of his four targets for 72 yards. After breaking off a 41-yard run in Houston's preseason opener, he flashed again with a 63-yard reception in Saturday's game against New England. While he's making a case to have some kind of role early in the year, Foreman merely worked as the No. 4 back in Saturday's game, with Lamar Miller, Alfred Blue and Tyler Erivin all getting reps ahead of the third-round rookie. O'Brien is already reining in the hype, perhaps hinting that Foreman's knowledge of the offense isn't yet strong enough for the team to use him as anything more than an occasional change-of-pace back to start the year. Blue can't match Foreman's athleticism and raw running ability, but the veteran has ample experience in O'Brien's offense and is comfortable with the team's pass protections.

Jones carried the ball twice for four yards in Saturday's preseason loss to the Packers.

Jones managed to squeeze in some reps late in the fourth quarter, but failed to turn heads with his two opportunities. It appears as if Washington is fully committed to moving ahead with the likes of Rob Kelley, Chris Thompson and Samaje Perine as its top three backs, perhaps leaving Jones -- the team's starter a year ago at this time -- on the outside looking in for a roster spot.