NFL Player News

Drake rushed once for two yards Sunday against the Rams.

Drake's lone carry was notable since Damien Williams, the No. 2 running back on the depth chart, didn't receive any. However, both tailbacks are squarely behind Jay Ajayi in the pecking order, and as long as Ajayi continues to see the lion's share of work, barely any touches will be left for the taking.

Williams logged only nine snaps and failed to secure his only target Sunday against the Rams.

Williams was unable to come close towards replicating his productive Week 10 performance in which he found pay dirt twice. While the third-year running back is evidently trusted in goal-line situations, he's firmly planted behind Jay Ajayi and will only post serviceable stat lines if he gets in the end zone.

Murray (ankle) is listed as active Monday night against the Texans.

Prior to the Raiders' Week 10 bye, Murray logged 20 carries for 114 yards and three TDs in the team's Nov. 6 win over the Broncos. Expect Murray to continue to lead the Raiders' rushing attack once again Monday night, in the absence of any setbacks with his ankle.

Rawls is "probably pretty banged up" after his first game Sunday since Week 2, coach Pete Carroll said at his Monday press conference.

Rawls took on a far great burden than expected Sunday against the Eagles, picking up 40 of the Seahawks' 67 offensive snaps after C.J. Prosise left with a broken scapula. With Prosise likely out the rest of the regular season, Rawls will be the lead back and third-down back, too. Sunday's third-stringer, Troymaine Pope, also suffered an injury, leaving only Alex Collins, who was inactive Sunday, as a backup. Collins will be used to spell Rawls, but won't take significant touches from him. Rawls' injuries sounds more like soreness than anything specific. "He threw his body around," Carroll said. "He was like in a train wreck. But he'll be taken care of this week."

Rodgers (foot) may take part in Wednesday's practice, Greg Auman of the Tampa Bay Times reports. "We'll see what Wednesday brings," head coach Dirk Koetter. "I glanced outside and Jacquizz was out working on the field with trainers. We'll see."

Held out of practice since suffering a foot sprain in Week 8, Rodgers' activity level will indicate whether a return is possible Sunday versus the Seahawks. No matter if he's cleared, though, Doug Martin is the main man in the Bucs' backfield, relegating Rodgers to a third-down role (at best) when active.

Barner rushed three times for 17 yards and failed to catch his only target Sunday in Seattle.

The Eagles' top pair of running backs, Ryan Mathews (knee) and Darren Sproles (ribs), both went down during Sunday's action allowing Barner to see his greatest number of carries in three weeks. Meanwhile, rookie Wendell Smallwood was trusted with 13 attempts. As such, if either Mathews or Sproles miss time, Smallwood appears to be the best bet to take on an expanded role, not Barner.

Head coach Mike McCarthy said Monday that Michael is expected to be available for next Monday's game at Philadelphia, Rob Demovsky of ESPN.com reports. "We've had enough time now to get him acclimated," McCarthy added. "We'll definitely look to have him part of the offense."

Claimed off waivers last Wednesday, Michael was already behind in the installation of the game plan and proceeded to be one of the Packers' seven inactives Sunday in Washington. With a full week of preparation imminent, he'll join James Starks as the team's two true running backs, which could inspire a more balanced offense moving forward. In nine games with the Seahawks, Michael averaged 4.0 YPC, scored seven touchdowns, and hauled in 20 of 26 passes, surpassing Starks' output by a large margin.

The Vikings waived Hillman on Monday, Craig Peters of the Vikings' official site reports.

In a backfield beset by injury this season, Hillman was unable to make inroads during his five-game stint with the Vikings, notching 18 carries for 50 yards and four receptions for 43 yards. Jerick McKinnon and Matt Asiata will continue to serve as the team's top two options at running back.

Henry didn't touch the ball Sunday in Indianapolis.

Henry played just three snaps while starter DeMarco Murray was on the field for all but one of Tennesee's 71 snaps on offense. The Titans believe the second-rounder out of Alabama still has some growing to do in the passing game, which is why he was mostly shelved once the Colts jumped out to a 21-0 lead. Expect the rookie to spell Murray more often next week against a Bears team that's unlikely to replicate Indianapolis' fast start.

Patterson had four receptions for 53 yards on eight targets in Sunday's win over Arizona. He also returned a kickoff 104 yards for a touchdown.

It was his fifth career kickoff return for a touchdown. Patterson led the Vikings in targets, although Stefon Diggs had six receptions, as he continues to be key part of the passing game. Patterson and Adam Thielen (five targets) continue to get about equal work as the No. 2 and No. 3 receivers behind Diggs, though Patterson has the added upside of touchdowns from kickoff returns as one to the league's top returners.