NFL Player News

Rawls (lower leg) is listed as doubtful for Sunday's game against San Francisco.

Head coach Pete Carroll was optimistic earlier in the week, but he changed his tune during a Friday morning radio interview, and Rawls then missed a third consecutive practice. With the injury lingering longer than expected, it appears Christine Michael will take on a heavy workload for a game in which the Seahawks are heavily favored. What's more, passing-down back C.J. Prosise (hand) is listed as questionable, potentially setting Michael up for a full three-down role. Fifth-round rookie Alex Collins could also be involved.

Drake is expected to share reps with starter Jay Ajayi in teammate Arian Foster's (groin) absence Sunday against the Browns, ESPN's James Walker reports.

Drake scored his first career touchdown on one of his two rushes for 12 yards last week versus the Patriots, and he'll aim to build on that outing in an expanded role against the Browns this Sunday. While Ajayi will start with Foster sidelined, Drake should see a decent amount of snaps himself, conceivably earning more touches if he can outproduce Ajayi over the course of the game.

Head coach Pete Carroll said Friday that Rawls (leg) is uncertain for Sunday's game against San Francisco, 710 ESPN Seattle reports.

Carroll was more optimistic earlier in the week, saying Wednesday that Rawls is only dealing with a minor injury. The second-year running back was a non-participant at practice both Wednesday and Thursday, putting his Sunday availability into serious question. If Rawls can't go, Christine Michael would be primed for a heavy workload, particularly if passing-down back C.J. Prosise (hand) is also limited or unavailable. There will be another update Friday afternoon when the Seahawks release their final injury report.

Carey (hamstring) is listed as doubtful for Sunday's game against Dallas.

Carey split work with Jeremy Langford early in Monday's loss to Philadelphia, but the third-year running back's fortunes took a quick turn for the worse, as he was knocked out in the second quarter with a hammy injury. After missing practice all week, Carey is all but sure to sit out Sunday's game, leaving rookie Jordan Howard as Langford's top backup. Considering how poorly Langford has played, Howard could end up getting quite a few touches. Carey could also reenter the mix whenever he gets healthy.

Artis-Payne will start at running back Sunday against the Vikings, Steve Reed of the Associated Press reports.

Artis-Payne's first career start will also be his first appearance of this season, as teammate Jonathan Stewart's (hamstring) absence makes his similar skill set a more natural replacement within Carolina's first-team offense than Fozzy Whittaker. That being said, coach Ron Rivera said the two tailbacks are likely to receive a fairly equal split of carries Sunday, making it difficult to put too much stock in either player, particularly against a tough Vikings defense. While Whittaker profited to the tune of 131 all-purpose yards once the injured Stewart exited last Sunday, when Artis-Payne was inactive, Artis-Payne was the Panthers' most utilized runner when Stewart missed the final three regular season games last year. In those contests, Artis-Payne totaled 33 carries for 152 yards and a touchdown, while Whittaker managed 34 yards on just seven carries and missed Carolina's finale due to his own ankle injury.

Bolden was on the field for just two of the Patriots' 64 snaps on offense in Thursday's win over the Texans, ESPN's Mike Reiss reports.

Power back LeGarrette Blount saw 46 snaps Thursday, while pass-catching RB James White was on the field for 16. Bolden is versatile enough to back up both Blount and White, though as long as they remain healthy, Bolden's biggest contributions will come on special teams.

Grimes caught all four of his targets for 15 yards in Houston's 27-0 loss to New England in Week 3 on Thursday. He added four yards on three rushing attempts.

Grimes got most of the playing time ahead of Alfred Blue when Lamar Miller was out of the game due to Houston playing from behind. Grimes is considered a better receiving threat than Blue, who got some mop-up work on Houston's final drive.

Cunningham (knee) was a limited participant in Wednesday's practice, Rich Hammond of the Orange County Register reports.

The extent of Cunningham's injury is vague at this point in time. However, he isn't expected to miss Week 3.

Artis-Payne is in line for extended action due to the impending multi-game absence of Jonathan Stewart (hamstring), Connor Keith of the Panthers' official site reports.

Inactive for the first two games of the season, Artis-Payne was unable to profit when Stewart left the field for good in Week 2's win against the 49ers. Instead, Fozzy Whittaker was the prime beneficiary, picking up 16 carries for 100 yards and gathering in three of four passes for 31 yards, while Mike Tolbert turned nine rushes into 25 yards. At this stage of his career, Tolbert is likely best contained to regular fullback duties and goal-line touches, so Artis-Payne's primary competition for reps should be Whittaker. With the formidable Vikings' defense on tap Sunday, head coach Ron Rivera may be better served allowing the 5-foot-10, 220-pound Artis-Payne to take more of the pounding between the tackles, but the breakdown of snaps between Whittaker (5-foot-10, 205 pounds) and Artis-Payne may be more even than initially expected.

Although head coach Pete Carroll said Rawls (shin) would be limited at Wednesday's practice, the running back was in fact a non-participant, John Boyle of the Seahawks' official site reports.

In the same pre-practice media session, Carroll relayed the nature of Rawls' injury, calling it "a little strain on the side of his leg." The result of a kick Rawls received in the second quarter Sunday in Los Angeles, he may have been called to the training room rather than the practice field Wednesday, especially after taking part in an earlier walkthrough. He'll have two more chances to make his presence felt at drills this week before the Seahawks' impart his potential availability for Sunday's game against the 49ers.