NFL Player News

Hillman (quad) will start Sunday against the Bears, head coach Gary Kubiak said Thursday.

Hillman has started the past few games after outplaying C.J. Anderson earlier in the season, though the two continue to share carries, with Hillman getting a slightly bigger workload. While Hillman will get an opportunity to keep getting touches if he plays well, there's the issue that if he struggles, Anderson could take over, limiting any upside.

McFadden was limited at Thursday's practice due to a groin strain, Brandon George of the Dallas Morning News reports.

After a complete practice Wednesday, McFadden's reps were scaled back due to a groin injury of unknown severity. His designation on the final injury report of the week could shed light on his potential to suit up in Week 11 at Miami, but the availability of the Cowboys' lead back is now in question. If the groin remains an issue once Sunday rolls around, a trio of untested options (Rod Smith, Trey Williams, and Robert Turbin) would be entrusted to carry the ground game.

Mathews (concussion) won't practice Thursday.

Mathews has yet to pass the NFL's concussion protocol, so he looks iffy, at best, for Sunday's game against the Bucs. If he is sidelined for the contest, look for top back DeMarco Murray to be busy this week, with Darren Sproles on hand to mix in as a change-of-pace option.

Redd (knee) has been suspended four games for a violation of the NFL's Policy and Program for Substances of Abuse.

Redd suffered a torn ACL and MCL in his right knee during the preseason, wiping away this season before it started. With Wednesday's development, he'll begin serving the four-game ban immediately.

Carey toted the ball 14 times for 56 yards in the Bears' Week 10 blowout of the Rams.

This wasn't merely garbage time work for Carey; only three of his carries came when the Bears were leading by 20-plus points. In fact, Carey received five touches in the first half of the contest, showing that coach John Fox isn't resistant to have him share some of the workload with starter Jeremy Langford. Even so, Langford has generally been impressive in his two weeks as the No. 1 running back, and with Matt Forte (knee) perhaps on track to return as soon as Sunday against the Broncos, it doesn't seem likely that Carey will enjoy an equal or larger workload again this season.

Pierce (calf) is considered doubtful to play Thursday night against Tennessee, the Florida Times-Union reports.

Pierce is battling a calf injury and is on track to be held out of the primetime matchup. The 24-year-old Pierce has logged just six carries for 11 yards on the year.

Sims tallied 26 snaps in the Week 10 victory over the Cowboys, Greg Auman of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

The Bucs' passing down back received a more typical workload than the elevated one he'd seen in Week 9. Even in games such as Week 10, Sims playing time has had a stable floor, but he generally fails to receive enough touches to serve as nothing more than a deep PPR league bye-week plug-in at this point.

Martin logged 45 offensive snaps in the Week 10 victory over the Cowboys, Greg Auman of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

A week after falling back into what amounted to a time-share with fellow tailback Charles Sims, Martin was the clear-cut lead runner in Week 10. He found tough sledding on the ground for a second consecutive week, but supplemented his modest production with a 40-yard receiving day. Martin faces a solid Eagles run defense in Week 11.

Mathews (concussion) did not practice Wednesday.

The report confirms that as of Wednesday, Mathews remains in the NFL's concussion protocol, a situation that clouds the running back's status for Sunday's game against the Bucs.

West was promoted to the Ravens' active roster Wednesday, Jeff Zrebiec of The Baltimore Sun reports.

West will join the 53-man roster just a week after hooking on with the Ravens' practice squad. He has appeared in 16 career games, but he will be the fourth running back on the roster, so his role figures to be minimal out of the gate.