NFL Player News

Williams (coach's decision) is inactive for Monday's contest versus the Jets.

Williams has shuttled between the free-agent market and the Cardinals' practice squad and 53-man roster in the current campaign, but his first game action since Week 17 of last season awaits. Head coach Bruce Arians will instead roll with Andre Ellington and Stepfan Taylor behind workhorse running back David Johnson.

Kelley ran the ball five times for 59 yards in Sunday's 27-20 win over the Eagles.

Head coach Jay Gruden hinted at the fact that Kelley could receive more carries in Week 6. The rookie capitalized on his opportunity, taking one of his five carries 45 yards, moving Washington into Eagles territory, eventually setting up a Vernon Davis touchdown. Look for Kelley to continue to compete for reserve reps behind stater Matt Jones in next Sunday's matchup with Detroit.

Carey (hamstring) would have been a limited participant had the Bears held practice Monday, ESPN reports.

NFL rules require teams that play on Thursday to release an injury report on the preceding Monday, but the Bears did not hold practice and instead released a projected injury report based off coach opinion. Consequently, it appears Carey would have continued to participate in the same limited capacity he had all of last week. He ultimately wound up suiting up Sunday against the Jaguars, but he also wasn't playing on a short week. Thus, it's not clear if Carey will be ready by Thursday night, but an actual injury report (to be released after the Bears' practice on Tuesday) will help illuminate the situation.

Hightower did not play a single offensive snap in Sunday's win against the Panthers. According to the New Orleans Times-Picayune, Hightower has fallen behind Daniel Lasco on the Saints' running back depth chart.

Hightower played exclusively on special teams, whereas Lasco, a seventh-round rookie, played five snaps on offense. Although Mark Ingram remains the Saints' primary ball carrier and Travaris Cadet is the team's top receiving option, it appears that Lasco, not Hightower, would be the main beneficiary should Ingram miss any time with an injury.

Carey rushed nine time for 50 yards Sunday against the Jaguars.

After seeing just two touches in his return from a hamstring injury in Week 5, Carey was a much bigger part of the game plan against the Jaguars. Although he was on the field for 25 snaps, which was 30 fewer than Jordan Howard, he handled six fewer carries than his counterpart while rushing for 16 more yards. However, Howard was targeted four times to only one for Carey, and he failed to haul in that lone chance. Based on this week's performance, Carey appears to have a role in this backfield, and might function as a flex option for fantasy teams, at least until Jeremy Langford returns from his ankle injury.

Draughn carried the ball just once for two yards and failed to haul in his lone target in Sunday's 45-16 loss to the Bills.

Draughn was expected to be a change-of-pace and receiving back for the 49ers this season, but poor play has resulted in very limited playing time. He was only on the field for five of the 49ers' 61 offensive snaps. Colin Kaepernick -- who took over the team's starting quarterback duties -- doesn't check down to his running backs as often as Blaine Gabbert did, so Draughn's skills as a pass catcher may continue to sit on the sideline going forward.

Rawls (ankle) remains a few weeks away from his return, according to coach Pete Carroll, 710 ESPN Seattle's Liz Mathews reports.

Rawls has been sidelined since Week 2 due to a fibula injury, and general manager John Schneider started October by projecting he'd need another month to recover. As a result, Carroll saying he's still a few weeks away fits that timeline, although Rawls still has no definitive date for his expected return. While that leaves his already-frustrated fantasy owners in further limbo, Rawls' absence figures to allow Christine Michael to continue to dominate Seattle's backfield workload, with rookie Alex Collins and C.J. Prosise (wrist) factoring in behind him.

Martin (hamstring) did not partake in the Buccaneers' practice Monday morning, the Tampa Bay Times reports.

Martin has been out of action since injuring his hamstring in Week 2, but was speculated to perhaps return to the fold following the Bucs' bye week. That ultimately did not happen Monday, so Martin's status should be interesting to monitor as the week unfolds. While Jacquizz Rodgers figures to be the chief beneficiary should Martin's involvement remain impacted, Tampa Bay also signed tailback Antone Smith to start this week.

Barner rushed twice for six yards in Sunday's loss to the Redskins.

Barner only saw eight snaps Sunday, and it is becoming increasingly clear that, with Ryan Mathews healthy, Barner is the fourth running back on the Eagles' roster behind Mathews, Darren Sproles and Wendell Smallwood. Barner will remain off the fantasy radar in most formats, barring an injury to one of the aforementioned backs.

Elliott carried 28 times for a career-high 157 yards in Sunday's 30-16 win over the Packers.

The game featured a clash between the NFL's top rushing attack and the defense that has been stingiest against the run this season, but the former prevailed thanks to Elliott, who gashed the Packers repeatedly as the game progressed, including a long gain of 29 yards. Elliott now leads the league with 703 rushing yards through six weeks, including an average of 142.5 over his last four, and he is 116 yards ahead of his nearest competitor as of Sunday. He has already carried the ball a league-high 137 times as well, and he will use the bye week to rest up before resuming his role as one of the league's busiest backs in Week 8 versus the Eagles.