NFL Player News

Coach Mike McCoy noted Monday that Gordon is day-to-day with a "hip strain and a knee sprain."

A previous report called the running back week-to-week, but in any case, Gordon looks pretty iffy for Sunday's game against the Raiders with the duo of ailments he sustained in the Chargers' Week 14 loss to the Panthers. Next up for the team's carries if Gordon is out this coming weekend is Kenneth Farrow, with Ronnie Hillman also on hand.

The injury that Gordon suffered Sunday against the Panthers is described as a hip strain by NFL Network's Ian Rapoport.

Per the report, the injury is viewed as a week-to-week matter, which suggests that there's a decent chance Gordon could miss Sunday's game against the Raiders. While such an outcome is hardly a lock, those who have been relying on Gordon in their fantasy lineups are advised to line up a contingency plan. Next up for the Chargers' carries for any length of time Gordon might miss is Kenneth Farrow, with Ronnie Hillman (who was inactive in Week 14) also potentially factoring into the team's backfield mix. Meanwhile, Andrew Williams is a candidate to be promoted from the team's practice squad.

Head coach Ben McAdoo confirmed Monday that Vereen has entered the concussion protocol, Ralph Vacchiano of SNY reports.

In his first game back from missing nine due to a triceps injury, Vereen logged just three snaps before sustaining a concussion. With their pass-catching running back potentially out of the picture in the short term, the Giants will rely upon Rashad Jennings and rookie Paul Perkins to fuel the rushing attack.

Cowboys owner and general manager Jerry Jones said McFadden (elbow) will be promoted to the team's 53-man roster before Tuesday's deadline, Drew Davison of the Star-Telegram reports.

McFadden has been sidelined so far this season while recovering from offseason elbow surgery, but after working with the Cowboys scout team recently, he said he's now ready to join the active roster. That comes as good timing, as McFadden must be promoted to Dallas' 53-man squad by Tuesday's deadline. With Jones confirming the team will make that move this week, McFadden, who finished fourth in the league with 1,089 rushing yards last season, figures to provide the Cowboys with another complementary option to go with Alfred Morris and Lance Dunbar behind star rookie tailback Ezekiel Elliott going forward.

Head coach Doug Pederson said Monday that Barner will be active moving forward due to multiple injuries hitting the backfield during Sunday's game against the Redskins, Dave Zangaro of CSN Philadelphia reports.

The Eagles took a number of hits to running backs in Week 14, namely a concussion for Darren Sproles and a Grade 2 MCL sprain for Wendell Smallwood. Pederson's options have thus been whittled down to the injury-prone Ryan Mathews and Barner, who was curiously inactive Sunday. Barner impressed as a kick returner in the previous four contests, reeling off 31.4 yards per on seven runbacks. He's otherwise been used sparsely on offense as a professional, with 58 carries for 254 yards, 14 catches (on 20 targets) for 46 yards, and two touchdowns in 31 career games. If Sproles remains in the concussion protocol through this weekend, expect Barner to receive a boost in relevance as Mathews' primary backup.

Harris did not receive a carry or a target in Sunday's loss to the Jets.

Harris has been phased out of the offense completely and holds no fantasy value. The only way he resurfaces is if either Carlos Hyde or Shaun Draughn goes down with an injury.

Patterson had three receptions for 18 yards and returned one kickoff for 53 yards in Sunday's win at Jacksonville.

Patterson wasn't as involved in the offense Sunday as he also didn't have a rushing attempt after three the previous two games. Patterson still played 32 snaps on offense, third among wide receivers, so he'll remain a steady part of the game plan on offense.

Michael had 10 carries for 36 yards in Sunday's victory over the Seahawks.

Michael did not have a huge day against his former team, but he still led the Packers in carries and was more effective than he was the week before, when he ran for just 19 yards on nine carries. While Michael's 10 carries were one more than Ty Montgomery received and eight more than James Starks totaled, he did play just 17 snaps to Montgomery's 30, according to Rob Demovsky of ESPN.com, so he should not necessarily be viewed as the Packers' primary running back. However, his usage and snap count the last couple weeks put him comfortably ahead of Starks on the depth chart, and leaves him and Montgomery to share the bulk of the running back duties for the Packers in some fashion moving forward.

Rodgers only received two touches in Sunday's 16-11 win over the Saints, netting zero yards on a pair of rushes.

Despite talk during the week of his role expanding, Rodgers was clearly the odd man out in the Bucs' three-headed backfield Sunday. The returning Charles Sims, who offers many of the same qualities that Rodgers brings to the table, saw seven total touches, while Doug Martin was the clear lead dog, tallying 25 opportunities with the ball. Whether this workload distribution will endure remains an open question, but it could indeed prove difficult for the team to keep all three talented players consistently involved.

Hightower gained 31 yards on six carries and caught one passes for eight yards in Sunday's loss to the Buccaneers.

After being curiously limited to only three touches in Week 13, Hightower returned to splitting carries with Mark Ingram (seven carries, 14 yards) in Tampa Bay. Although Hightower found some running room against a tough Buccaneers run defense, it remains to be difficult to predict how the Saints will divvy up the backfield touches going forward. Hightower will be tough to trust against a solid Arizona defense in Week 15.