NFL Player News

The Dolphins are releasing Pead on Tuesday, Alex Marvez of The Sporting News reports.

This strongly suggests Arian Foster (hamstring) is expected to return for Week 6, as the Dolphins have carried at least four healthy running backs since the beginning of the season. It would be overkill to retain five, even though Pead can contribute a bit on special teams. The 2012 second-round selection has just 42 career touches on offense, with another 18 on kickoff returns. Pead may not find work before the end of this season.

Williams re-signed with the Cardinals on Tuesday.

Williams was released by the Cardinals last Thursday and has been on and off the roster over the last couple weeks, but he is now back with the squad following the team's release of quarterback Zac Dysert. He will continue to provide running back depth with Andre Ellington and Stepfan Taylor behind top running back David Johnson.

Head coach Jay Gruden said Kelley deserves more carries, JP Finlay of CSN Mid-Atlantic reports. "I think you'll see more of Robert. I think Robert shows that he's deserving of some carries," Gruden said Monday. "You know, we like Matt Jones, but I think there's a good combination there where the both of them can get the ball."

Kelley, an undrafted rookie, has just eight carries and zero targets in four appearances, most recently rushing for 18 yards on three carries in Sunday's 16-10 win over the Ravens. Starting running back Jones entered Sunday with three straight games of 60-plus rushing yards under his belt, but he was then held to only 31 yards on 14 carries, albeit in a highly difficult matchup. While Kelley could see his role expand to some degree, there's nothing to suggest he's a real threat to Jones at the moment. Further limiting the rookie's upside, Chris Thompson has once again proven to be an effective passing-down back, ensuring himself of a large role in Washington's pass-first offense. Kelley is thus left as nothing more than a backup for early downs, essentially making him a deep-league handcuff for Jones.

McFadden (elbow) may not have a role in the Dallas offense when he is ready to return, ESPN.com reports.

McFadden can't return any earlier than Week 8. Even if he's ready at that point, there's no clear role for him in the Dallas offense. Ezekiel Elliott and Alfred Morris have both been effective, and Lance Dunbar (knee) has done solid work on passing downs. Dunbar's injury could linger, which might open up some passing-down work for McFadden. However, the 29-year-old said he may never regain full extension of his injured arm, raising questions about his ability to contribute as a receiver. Furthermore, Elliott is a perfectly capable pass catcher in his own right and was likely drafted with the expectation that he'll be a big part of the passing game at some point in his career. If McFadden doesn't have a role in the offense, it would be tough to justify keeping him on the roster, as he's unlikely to contribute on special teams. The Cowboys might therefore consider a trade, but it's hard to imagine they'd get much, if anything, in exchange for an aging running back coming off a major injury. There are very few fantasy leagues in which it makes sense to own McFadden.

Gillislee scored on a five-yard run during the Bills' victory in Los Angeles on Sunday, though he only totaled six rushing yards on the afternoon.

This was Shady McCoy's game, as the starter rumbled all over the Rams' defense and there was little need to give him a breather. Still, Gillislee seems to be tapped on the shoulder somewhat often when the Bills get inside the five, and he finally cashed in with his first rushing TD of the season. That in itself doesn't hold much value, but he'd be looking at the bulk of the carries if anything were to happen to McCoy.

Artis-Payne rushed 18 times for 85 yards and two touchdowns in Monday night's game against the Buccaneers.

Artis-Payne dominated the Panthers' backfield workload, garnering 13 more carries than teammate Fozzy Whittaker and scoring twice from inside the red zone Monday. The second-year pro's first touchdown came on a one-yard, fourth-down plunge during the third quarter, and Artis-Payne found the same end zone with a 12-yard run on Carolina's next drive. After such an improvement from his prior 18 carries for 59 yards this season, it's somewhat discouraging that teammate Jonathan Stewart (hamstring) could return to practice this week, but Artis-Payne should certainly still factor into the mix for Sunday's game against the Saints.

Rodgers rushed a career-high 30 times for 101 yards and caught five passes (on six targets) for 28 yards in Monday night's game against the Panthers.

Rodgers' first start with the Buccaneers came with Doug Martin (hamstring) sidelined and Charles Sims (knee) placed on IR, but the veteran's familiarity with coach Dirk Koetter's offense paid dividends Monday. On Tampa Bay's first drive, Rodgers received a whopping 11 touches, evidencing the team's shift from placing too much reliance on quarterback Jameis Winston. By the end of the night, Rodgers' 3.4 yards per rush didn't look great, but he certainly made his impact felt, totaling nearly 130 all-purpose yards. Although he wasn't able to find the end zone despite 35 touches in total, Rodgers' performance should allow him to remain in the picture even if Martin returns following the Bucs' Week 6 bye.

Barner played on just one snap in the Eagles' loss to the Lions on Sunday.

With Ryan Mathews returning from injury, Barner was predictably less involved in the offense as Darren Sproles joined Mathews to handle the near-entirety of the workload out of the backfield. Barring injury to either of the aforementioned tailbacks, Barner's fantasy value will remain curbed moving forward.

Martin (hamstring) is listed as inactive Monday at Carolina, Scott Smith of the Buccaneers' official site reports.

Thus, the Buccaneers have confirmed what was expected all along with their No. 1 running back. What wasn't expected was the placement of Charles Sims (knee) on injured reserve Monday. The development places Jacquizz Rodgers at the head of the backfield, but Peyton Barber and Russell Hansbrough are around in case another ailment afflicts the RB corps. With a Week 6 bye imminent, Martin will have plenty of time to recover before the team's next contest on Oct. 23 at San Francisco.

Coach Jack Del Rio said Monday that he hopes to have Murray (turf toe) back this week, Jimmy Durkin of the Bay Area News Group reports.

Murray was unable to practice at all last week, so the first step toward that end would be for him to return to practice in advance of Sunday's game against the Chiefs. In Murray's absence in Week 5, fellow RB DeAndre Washington saw 37 snaps on offense, while Jalen Richard was out there for 23 snaps.