NFL Player News

Barner is listed as a third-stringer on Philadelphia's first depth chart of the regular season, the team's official site reports.

Given that second-stirnger Darren Sproles is a scat back with more catches than carries, Barner could be next in line for regular early-down work if the oft-injured Ryan Mathews can't hold up for a full season. Not exactly a hulking running back in his own right, Barner is listed at just 5-foot-9 and weighs about 200 points. Fifth-round rookie Wendell Smallwood is a bit bigger -- approximately 5-10 and 210 pounds.

Anderson rushed for 92 yards and a touchdown on 20 carries and added another 47 yards and a touchdown on four catches in Thursday's win over the Panthers.

Quarterback Trevor Siemian will steal the headlines this coming week, but Thursday's game showed that this is Anderson's offense. Anderson picked up right where he left off in the postseason, serving as Denver's bell cow and two developments could further increase his value . One, Denver's new line, complemented by two-back looks, will give Anderson more and better blockers up front. Two, Siemian's tendency to take what the defense gives him and drop it off in the flat should get Anderson more involved in the team's passing game. Both developments were already on display Thursday.

Draughn (ribs) wasn't listed on the 49ers' injury report Thursday, Matt Maiocco of CSN Bay Area reports.

Absent from the final three preseason games due to a rib injury, Draughn will enter the regular season with a relatively clean bill of health. If Carlos Hyde's bout with a concussion had lingered into Week 1 prep, Draughn would have been first in line for touches out of the 49ers' backfield. However, Hyde didn't land on the injury report, either, indicating his removal from the league's protocol for head injuries. As a result, Draughn is destined for a minor role in Week 1, at best.

Rawls missed Thursday's practice due to an illness, John Boyle of the Seahawks' official site reports.

After enduring a lengthy recovery from a broken ankle, Rawls finally shed his injury designation Wednesday for the first time since Week 14 of last season. Seemingly in line for as much work as he could handle Sunday against the Dolphins, according to head coach Pete Carroll, Rawls may have hit another bump in the road. If the malady lingers into the weekend, Christine Michael could be more of a No. 1 back than expected.

Artis-Payne is listed as inactive for Thursday's game at Denver, Bryan Strickland of the Panthers' official site reports.

Artis-Payne fared only modestly in the preseason, averaging 3.6 YPC and notching five receptions for 54 yards in four outings. With the backfield safely in the hands of Jonathan Stewart, Fozzy Whittaker, and Mike Tolbert, Artis-Payne could be a regular inactive this season, barring an injury to the trio.

McKinnon (foot) did not participate in Thursday's practice.

While there hasn't been any suggestion his injury is serious, McKinnon did miss some practice time last week. He may have just been rested Thursday, but his injury is now more of a worry. While McKinnon is the backup to Adrian Peterson and won't have a large role if healthy, the Vikings have talked about using him more in passing situations.

Head coach Jim Caldwell inferred Abdullah will not be used as a bell-cow running back in 2016, per MLive.com. "Do I think that he's durable enough to do it? Absolutely. Do I think he's strong enough to do it? Absolutely. I just don't think that's his cup of tea," Caldwell explained. "But he'll be effective for us. His all-purpose yardage last year was pretty strong and I think you'll see the same thing with him this year."

After being taken in the second round of the 2015 NFL Draft, Abdullah ultimately wrestled the Lions' primary tailback job away from Joique Bell and finished his rookie season with a team-high 597 rushing yards. However, even with Theo Riddick locked into a passing-down role, Abdullah was expected to assume a larger workload on the ground in 2016. Instead, it appears Caldwell plans to deploy a "running back by committee" approach with Zach Zenner used in short-yardage situations and rookie Dwayne Washington sporadically sprinkled in. Abdullah should easily receive the most carries by season's end, and will also see action returning kickoffs, but his candidacy as a breakout workhorse appears contingent upon injuries to other members of Detroit's backfield at this point in time.

Williams (ribs) practiced without any limitations Thursday, Sal Capaccio of WGR550 reports.

Williams has now successfully practiced in consecutive days and it appears the 22-year-old will be available for Sunday's matchup with the Ravens. Listed as the No. 4 running back on the Bills' official team depth chart, the rookie is unlikely to see a ton of action with the offense Sunday, with LeSean McCoy, Mike Gillislee and Reggie Bush also on hand.

Jones (shoulder) practiced in full Thursday, Brian McNally of 106.7 The Fan DC reports.

Jones has progressed from donning a no-contact jersey Monday to pads Wednesday, but a full practice Thursday is the best indication yet that he's past the separated shoulder that held him out of the final two preseason contests. Seemingly on the path to active status Monday against the Steelers, his availability will likely be confirmed in the coming days.

Elliott, who missed most of training camp, as well as the Cowboys' first two preseason games due to a sore hamstring, indicated Wednesday that he is "100 percent" as Sunday's regular season opener against the Giants approaches.

After playing 14 snaps in his exhibition debut on Aug. 25, the highly-touted rookie sat out the Cowboys' Sept. 1 preseason finale against the Texans. Nonetheless, Elliott declared Wednesday that his conditioning is "top notch" in advance of Week 1. Though capable veteran back Alfred Morris is on hand to spell Elliott, as well as pass-catching back Lance Dunbar, we'd expect a healthy Elliott to be the focal point of the 2016 Cowboys offense, currently helmed by QB Dak Prescott, with Tony Romo sidelined.