NFL Player News

Johnson picked up three of the Cardinals' 82 offensive snaps during Sunday's loss at Buffalo.

When the Cardinals have faced daunting tasks in Weeks 1 and 3, Johnson has rarely been used, as evidenced by three carries for seven yards on five total snaps. During the Week 2 beatdown of the Buccaneers, though, he was afforded plenty of run to the tune of 16 rushes for 54 yards and a touchdown. The sole constant in the backfield this season has been standout sophomore David Johnson, who currently sits third overall in terms of yards from scrimmage with 386, including 217 on the ground. Outside of the blowout, the senior Johnson has so far been a distant second to David in the RB pecking order in Arizona.

Vereen (triceps) was placed on injured reserve Tuesday.

As expected, Vereen can officially be ruled out for the next eight weeks, ineligible to return until late November. He's a strong candidate to be New York's one player to return from injured reserve, as the team's other players on the list were merely depth pieces prior to suffering their injuries. Granted, there's no assurance Vereen will be ready by the end of the season, as he's set to undergo surgery to repair a torn triceps. The recovery timetable is estimated at two months, but other players have missed entire seasons with the same injury. If Rashad Jennings (thumb) misses more time, Orleans Darkwa will likely be the new starter, with Paul Perkins and Bobby Rainey potentially also involved.

Head coach Adam Gase expects to stick with a four-man backfield committee of Drake, Jay Ajayi, Damien Williams and Isaiah Pead, Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald reports.

Drake started Sunday's game against Cleveland and led the way with 27 snaps, but Ajayi (18 snaps), Pead (13) and Williams (11) all reached double digits. The plan could change if injuries at other positions force the Dolphins to slim down the running back group, but even then, it would likely still be a three-man committee. This backfield can be avoided in most leagues until Arian Foster (groin) returns, which probably won't happen any sooner than Week 5.

Washington has seemingly earned a true timeshare with Theo Riddick, ESPN.com reports.

Riddick started Sunday's loss to the Packers and outsnapped Washington 45-25, but given that Detroit was trailing by multiple scores for most of the contest, the rookie got a surprising amount of work. Washington finished with 10 carries for 38 yards and one reception for a loss of three, while Riddick managed just nine yards on 10 carries but caught seven passes for 39 yards. Riddick will likely continue to dominate the receiving portion of the workload, but Washington has a shot to emerge as the primary ball carrier, particularly if the team is able to build some leads. Head coach Jim Caldwell also mentioned that Zach Zenner could enter the mix, though the second-year bruiser strictly played special teams in Sunday's loss.

Rodgers gained 15 yards on five carries and secured his only target for eight yards in Sunday's 37-32 loss to the Rams.

The veteran back was modestly involved, occasionally spelling Charles Sims but still trailing the third-year back in touches, 19-6. Rodgers could see a slight uptick in opportunity in the remaining games before Doug Martin (hamstring) returns, but Sims figures to still see the lion's share of the carries, particularly considering he acquitted himself well with extended opportunity Sunday.

Pead had five carries for 17 yards as Miami defeated Cleveland 30-24 on Sunday.

With Arian Foster (groin) out the Dolphins went with a running back by committee approach. None of the backs truly stood out above the rest so the team may elect to go with the same approach Thursday in Cincinnati assuming Foster will miss another game. Pead would only have value in deep leagues.

Zenner was active for the Lions' 34-27 loss to the Packers in Week 3 but logged only nine snaps on special teams and zero on offense.

The NFL's preseason darling in 2015 was active for the first time this season Sunday but wasn't involved in the offense in any capacity whatsoever. Instead, Theo Riddick and Dwayne Washington consumed the entirety of the work out of the backfield, where Riddick operated most effectively as a passing-down threat while Washington appeared to be the favored early-down option as the game went on. Thus, Zenner seems to be an afterthought in the Lions' offense for the time being, keeping him firmly off the fantasy radar.

Cunningham rushed twice for 29 yards and caught his only target for 10 yards in the Rams' 37-32 victory over the Buccaneers on Sunday

The Middle Tennessee State product remained largely uninvolved in the offense, as bell cow RB Todd Gurley garnered 27 of the Rams' 33 rushing attempts. To boot, wide receiver Tavon Austin received just as many carries as Cunningham, though Cunningham did finish with more rushing yards because he took one of his totes for a team-high 22-yard scamper. It's hard to envision his role increasing moving forward, though, especially when considering he has now received just four carries on the season compared to 63 for Gurley. Ultimately, Cunningham appears to be just a handcuff for Gurley owners entering a Week 4 tilt against the Cardinals.

Barner compiled eight carries for 42 yards and one touchdown during Sunday's win versus the Steelers.

Barner has 26 offensive snaps through three games, yet he has a remarkably high carry-to-snap ratio, considering he's received 14 rushes for 86 yards on the season. The increase in O-snaps from six in Week 1 to 12 on Sunday was likely the result of Ryan Mathews' own downward trend due to ankle stiffness, which allowed Wendell Smallwood and Darren Sproles to pick up 24 apiece this past weekend. When healthy, Mathews should handle most of the work out of the Eagles' backfield, and a bye awaits, giving him ample time to recover for the team's next contest in Week 5. If the ailment lingers, though, Sunday's development indicates Barner will otherwise be a part of the offense in some way, shape, or form.

With Shane Vereen out indefinitely, Rainey could see work as the team's third-down back.

Rashad Jennings is still iffy for Week 4, Orleans Darkwa isn't known for his pass catching and rookie Paul Perkins is considered raw, so Rainey is probably the favorite for pass-catching work out of the backfield.