NFL Player News

Vereen had four carries for zero yards and hauled in just one of his four targets for six yards.

It was an awful game for the Giants offense after the opening drive, and Vereen's production reflected that. Expect him to be in his usual third-down role next week against the Cowboys.

Eagles running back Ryan Mathews (groin) is listed as active for Monday night's game against the Giants.

He's is out there if you need him Monday, but since DeMarco Murray returned from missing Week 3's contest (in which Mathews rushed 24 times for 108 yards), Mathews has received just 13 carries over the Eagles' last two contests. Overall, Mathews has averaged 5.0 yards on 41 carries through five games, but his fantasy upside is capped as long as Murray remains healthy.

Oliver had seven rushes for 23 yards at Green Bay on Sunday. He did not catch a pass.

This was the first real action Oliver had seen in three weeks, and it came because Melvin Gordon was benched after two first half fumbles. The Bolts have a lot invested in Gordon, so it's hard to imagine them giving up on him this early in his career, but if he continues to put the ball on the field, Oliver might be see some more action in the coming weeks.

Lions rookie running back Zach Zenner will miss the remainder of this season after suffering multiple cracked ribs and a partially collapsed lung Sunday game against the Bears, per MLive.

Zenner was a preseason standout, making the roster as an undrafted free agent. The former South Dakota State standout ends his rookie campaign with 60 rushing yards on 17 carries.

Herron caught both of his targets for 17 yards in Sunday's loss to the Bengals and did not record a carry.

LeSean McCoy took every single carry that went to a running back, so with Shady healthy and Karlos Williams (concussion) back at some point, Herron's role will remain quite minimal.

Abdullah ran for 48 yards on 14 carries in Sunday's win over Chicago. He added three catches off of four targets for 21 yards.

Though 48 rushing yards and a 3.4 yards-per-carry average are mediocre totals, they were Abdullah's highest since Week 1. Next up for Abdullah will be to take better care of the ball. The Lions' coaching staff vowed not to shy away from Abdullah after last week's duo of fumbles and they didn't, his 17 touches on Sunday were a career high. Only three of those touches came after a fumble that Abdullah ultimately recovered early in the third quarter, however, two catches and a run in the team's final drive of overtime. The Lions desperation to find a running game has given the rookie back a long leash. Four fumbles, two of them lost, in six games, however, may force Detroit to look elsewhere.

Rawls had just one carry for eight yards in Sunday's loss to Carolina.

Marshawn Lynch (hamstring) returned from a two-game absence, and had 17 carries for 54 yards, limiting Rawls' usage. For now, Rawls is just a handcuff to Lynch, but after the rookie's 169-yard performance in Week 5, he's someone to hang on to, in case Lynch suffers another injury.

Ellington gained seven yards on his lone carry of Sunday's 25-13 loss to the Steelers. He also gained 47 yards via a pair of catches.

A week after returning from injury, Ellington remained a minimal part of the Cardinals' offense, as Chris Johnson earned the starting nod and led the backfield in touches by a considerable amount. It is unclear if Ellington will be eased into a more prominent role in the offense, but his fantasy value is seriously compromised as things currently stand. A third down role out of the backfield could salvage his short term fantasy potential, thanks to his big play ability as a receiver, but he was targeted just twice on Sunday. The Cardinals will look to bounce back from Sunday's loss in Week 7 against the Ravens.

Johnson gained just 40 yards on 14 carries and another five yards on one reception in Sunday's game against the Steelers.

Despite earning the starting nod after racking up 347 yards from scrimmage over the last three weeks, Johnson was ineffective against a stout Pittsburgh front Sunday and saw his touches limited once Arizona fell behind. Still, C.J. had the clear advantage in touches out of the Cards' backfield, as Andre Ellington and David Johnson had received just seven combined. It is unclear how the backfield workload will be divided in the long run, but it appears that at least for now, Johnson is the main man. He will try to rebound in Week 7, as the Ravens come to town.

Chargers head coach Mike McCoy said Gordon's two first-half fumbles led to his second-half benching, Michael Gehlken of the San Diego Union-Tribune reports.

McCoy merely confirmed the obvious, as Gordon didn't get any snaps after fumbling for a second time. He finished with 29 yards on seven carries and didn't account for any of his team's 65 targets. The Chargers mostly used Danny Woodhead in the second half, with Branden Oliver also mixing in. The San Diego offense is much more effective when it abandons the run and primarily uses Woodhead, but the running-game struggles aren't entirely on Gordon's shoulders, as a rash of injuries along the offensive line has made his job quite difficult. Still, the concerns about workload and efficiency are both very real, making Gordon tough to trust for a Week 7 matchup with the Raiders.