NFL Player News

Vereen rushed for 38 yards on six carries and added 23 yards on three catches in Sunday's win over Dallas.

Vereen's nine touches were exactly half that of starter Rashad Jennings. Expect Vereen to stay in that range for the remainder of the season, as he exceeded 10 touches just three times in 2015. His role is to be the pass-catching scatback, so his value is volatile week-to-week depending on how often he is used. Vereen topped 80 total yards just three times last season, scoring four times -- all through the air.

Cunningham ran the ball one time for one yard and recorded one reception for seven yards in Monday's loss to the 49ers. He also had two kickoff returns for 59 yards.

Cunningham, along with the entire Rams offense, had a quiet night Monday. Todd Gurley is expected to get most of the carries, leaving Cunningham and Malcolm Brown to compete for the scraps.

Atkinson has replaced Duke Johnson as Cleveland's kick returner, according to the team's official website.

This move comes as a bit of a surprise, as Johnson never even returned a kick during Sunday's loss to the Eagles, thanks to six touchbacks by Caleb Sturgis. The Browns may, however, want a more aggressive returner who isn't afraid of taking the ball out of the end zone, and Atkinson might just be the guy to do that.

Head coach Rex Ryan expects Gillislee to have a larger role Thursday against the Jets, WKBW's Joe Buscaglia reports.

This isn't exactly a bold statement, as Gillislee had just one catch (for a four-yard loss) and no carries in Sunday's 13-7 loss to the Ravens. Meanwhile, Reggie Bush lost four yards on three carries and failed to haul in his only target, serving as the top backup to LeSean McCoy, who had 70 yards and a touchdown on 20 touches (four receptions). Gillislee figures to get a few touches per game moving forward, but he'll still just be splitting backup work in an offense that largely revolves around McCoy.

Rodgers is expected to sign a one-year deal with the Bucs on Tuesday, Jenna Laine of ESPN.com reports.

The veteran back will provide quality depth behind Doug Martin and Charles Sims at the No. 3 running back spot, a role that was filled by undrafted rookie Peyton Barber in the opener against the Falcons. Rodgers worked out for the Bucs last week, but the team opted to wait until Tuesday to sign him, so as not to be on the hook for his 2016 salary if he's released before the end of the season. The six-year pro has 1,157 yards and five touchdowns on the ground over his first five seasons, along with 156 receptions for 1,114 yards and another five scores. Rodgers is also capable of handling kickoff returns -- tallying 49 runbacks in the 2012-13 seasons with the Falcons -- but has notably only been deployed in that capacity once in each of his last two seasons.

Draughn carried the ball seven times for 19 yards and a score, caught two passes for 18 yards, and also lost a fumble against the Rams on Monday.

As expected, Draughn was the clear No. 2 behind starter Carlos Hyde. The touchdown saved what would have been a fairly disappointing fantasy performance in a 28-0 win. Draughn should continue to serve as a change-of-pace back and see a handful of touches on the ground and through the air. He won't have much value unless Hyde goes down with an injury.

Jones (shoulder) rushed seven times for 24 yards and caught one pass for nine yards in Monday night's loss to the Steelers.

Jones entered Monday's contest coming off a partially separated shoulder suffered during the preseason and was rather ineffective while taking his first contact since the injury. Although the Redskins increasingly needed to pass to try and overcome their second-half deficit, and that resulted in backup Chris Thompson playing more to close the game, Jones' mere seven carries still led the team, as did his 24 rushing yards. However, 12 of those came on one play, and Thompson was rewarded with a one-yard touchdown run to start the fourth quarter. While admittedly few players impressed on Washington's offense Monday, Jones will hope another week to get fully healthy helps his case for an improved Week 2 performance against the Cowboys.

Barner recorded four carries for 42 yards in the Eagles' 29-10 victory over the Browns on Sunday.

Barner flashed in a limited role, averaging 10.5 YPC while popping for a 19-yard yard gain at one point. However, he logged only six snaps compared to 37 for Ryan Mathews and 38 for Darren Sproles. Still, it's clear that Barner has completely surpassed rookie Wendell Smallwood on the depth chart and consequently should be considered Mathews' direct backup for the foreseeable future considering how Sproles operates almost exclusively in a passing-down role.

Ellington caught both passes for eight yards and returned four kickoffs for 61 yards during Sunday's defeat to the Patriots.

Ellington is expected to serve as a pass-catching back in the Cardinals' offense, but starter David Johnson is also quite adept in that realm, scooping up four of his six targets for 43 yards. That reality will hamper Ellington's ability to contribute on a consistent basis, and taking Johnson out of the equation at any point would place the onus of the rushing attack on veteran Chris Johnson. With opportunity difficult to uncover, Ellington could augment his value with return yardage, but if he sustains the 15.3 yards per kickoff return from Sunday, head coach Bruce Arians will likely search elsewhere in order to improve the team's average starting field position.

Johnson earned just two of 61 offensive snaps during Sunday's loss to the Patriots, Mike Jurecki of FOX Sports 910 Phoenix reports.

Meanwhile, David Johnson was the bell cow that head coach Bruce Arians said he'd be this season, picking up 58 in all. Even Andre Ellington (nine snaps) was utilized more than the elder Johnson, who managed two yards on his sole carry. On Monday, Arians expressed regret that he didn't use Chris Johnson more, according to Kent Somers of the Arizona Republic, but after an efficient performance from David Johnson -- 5.6 YPC, one rushing touchdown, gathered up four of six targets -- one has to wonder why the head honcho would consider a different approach.