NFL Player News

Grimes rushed for 25 yards on seven carries and added an eight-yard reception in Sunday's win over New Orleans.

After managing just two catches and no carries during a three-game stretch, Grimes has collected 24 touches over the past three weeks, four more than No. 2 back Chris Polk. The Texans rank ninth in the league in rushing attempts, so there are plenty of opportunities to go around in Houston, but Grimes should not be considered a fantasy factor until he starts scoring touchdowns, something he has yet to do this season.

Williams was elevated from the Cardinals' practice squad to the active roster Tuesday.

With Chris Johnson (fractured tibia) placed on IR/designated to return, Williams will join Andre Ellington (turf toe), David Johnson and Stepfan Taylor in the Arizona backfield. Interestingly enough, Cardinals quarterback Carson Palmer mentioned Williams and David Johnson, but not Taylor, when discussing the fallout from Sunday's injuries. If Ellington can't suit up, which seems likely, it's entirely possible Williams will serve as Johnson's top backup against the Rams. Williams had 53 carries for 246 yards (4.6 YPC) and two catches for 11 yards in five games with the Cardinals last season. He didn't score any touchdowns but did reach 15 carries in three separate games.

Johnson (fractured tibia) has been placed on injured reserve/designated to return, ruling him out for the season unless the Cardinals reach the Super Bowl, NFL Network's Albert Breer reports.

With Johnson officially done for the regular season, Andre Ellington (turf toe) and David Johnson both get major boosts in value. Ellington, however, is dealing with a turf toe injury that could keep him out of Sunday's game against the Rams. He is only considered day-to-day, but turf toe is a notoriously unpredictable injury in terms of recovery time. The Cardinals may thus need contributions from Stepfan Taylor and/or Kerwynn Williams, the latter of whom is currently signed to the practice squad. Chris Johnson, who turned 30 in September, is only signed through the end of the season. He may need to fight for a job in 2016, despite his impressive work for the Cardinals this year.

Ellington (toe) is merely considered day-to-day, but his availability for Sunday's game against the Rams remains in serious question, NFL.com's Ian Rapoport reports.

With Chris Johnson (leg) potentially out for the rest of the regular season, Ellington could find his way to an increased role in the coming weeks, if he's able to get healthy. However, his injury history is far from encouraging, and the recovery time from turf toe can vary from a few days to multiple months. For Week 13, it appears David Johnson will lead the Arizona backfield, though Ellington hasn't yet been ruled out.

West had seven carries for 37 yards in Monday's 33-27 win over the Browns.

West looked surprisingly spry against his former team, ripping off a few nice chunks of yardage. He still played just 14 offensive snaps, compared to 36 for starter Javorius Allen, according to Pro Football Focus. There's little reason to expect a larger workload Sunday against the Dolphins, but it does appear that West is next in line to lead the Baltimore backfield in the event of an Allen injury.

Mathews (concussion) did not practice Tuesday, but he was present and able to observe the session, Zach Berman of the Philadelphia Inquirer reports.

While Mathews was still unable to get back on the field Tuesday, his presence at practice represents a step forward in the concussion protocol. Mathews may have a chance to return to action in Week 13, but he will need to be fully cleared in order to do so.

Herron will be the backup running back to Frank Gore with Ahmad Bradshaw being placed on IR due to a wrist injury, ESPN reports.

Herron was with the Colts until he was released in September. He then signed with Buffalo until he was released by the Bills in November. He re-signed with the Colts last week and is now the No. 2 running back. It's possible he could split any backup carries with Zurlon Tipton however.

Johnson (fractured tibia) is expected to miss six-to-eight weeks, Mike Jurecki of FOX Sports 910 Phoenix reports.

The diagnosis of a fractured tibia hasn't been confirmed by the Cardinals, but assuming the reports are accurate, Johnson will miss the rest of the regular season. With Andre Ellington (turf toe) also likely to miss time, rookie David Johnson is set to lead the Arizona backfield. The Cardinals likely still hope to have Chris Johnson back at some point during the playoffs.

Sims was in on 30 snaps in Tampa's Week 12 loss to the Colts, Greg Auman of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

The Bucs' backup tailback received some extra playing time in the fourth quarter due to Tampa playing from behind, but ironically received his least amount of carries on the season (four). Sims continued to produce through the air however, totaling 30 yards on three receptions. The second-year pro is putting together a solid season in his relatively limited playing time, averaging 4.4 yards on 80 carries and totaling three touchdown receptions through the first 11 games.

Martin was in on 37 snaps in Tampa's Week 12 loss to the Colts, Greg Auman of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

Martin received under 20 carries for the third time in four weeks, once again largely as a result of game flow in the second half. He did put together an impressive encore performance to his stellar 235-yard outing in Week 11 versus the Eagles, ripping off another long run (56 yards), which played an integral part in Martin averaging 6.9 yards a carry. The 97-yard outing helped Martin eclipse the 1,000-yard mark for the first time since his 2012 rookie season. The fourth-year pro will attempt to extend his recent success in Week 13 against a Falcons run defense that was gashed by Adrian Peterson on Sunday.