NFL Player News

Williams is inactive for Sunday's game against the Patriots.

With both Williams and Isaiah Pead inactive Sunday, the Dolphins will go with a Week 2 backfield comprised of Arian Foster, Jay Ajayi and Kenyan Drake.

Pead is inactive for Sunday's game against the Patriots.

With Pead and Damien Williams both inactive Sunday, the Dolphins will go with Arian Foster, Jay Ajayi and Kenyan Drake at running back in Week 2.

Zenner (coach's decision) is inactive for Sunday's Week 2 matchup versus the Titans, Tim Twentyman of the team's official site reports.

The versatile second-year back will take a seat for the second straight week, leaving Ameer Abdullah and Theo Riddick to soak up the majority, if not all, of the running back snaps against the Titans. Zenner saw a solid dose of action in preseason, but seventh-round pick Dwyane Washington has vaulted over him for the third running back spot the first two games of the season.

Rainey (coach's decision) is inactive for Sunday's Week 2 matchup versus the Saints, the team's official site reports.

The return specialist logged 13 special-teams snaps in the opener versus the Cowboys but will take a seat Sunday against the Saints. Dwayne Harris is expected to assume both return roles for the Giants in Week 2.

Artis-Payne (coach's decision) is inactive for Sunday's game against the 49ers.

Artis-Payne's placement on the inactive list is indicative of the Panthers' confidence in Jonathan Stewart (ankle) handling the bulk of the work out of the backfield. Barring a setback, Artis-Payne will likely be a regular DNP for the foreseeable future.

McKinnon (foot/lower leg) was a full practice participant Thursday and Friday.

A limited participant at Wednesday's session, McKinnon proved his health with consecutive full practices, leaving him with no injury designation for Sunday's game against Green Bay. He'll serve as Adrian Peterson's primary backup, with the role including most of the snaps on obvious passing downs.

Barner (non-injury) returned to practice as a full participant Friday.

Given that he missed just one practice with a non-injury issue, Barner doesn't seem to be in any danger of missing Monday's game in Chicago. He had four carries for 42 yards on just six offensive snaps in Week 1, with Ryan Mathews (37 snaps, 22 touches) and Darren Sproles (38 snaps, seven touches) splitting most of the work.

Although Gillislee did not pick up a carry during Thursday's loss to the Jets, he did score on his only target, an 18-yard pass play late in the game on which he was just able to eke across the goal line.

Coach Rex Ryan hinted at a larger role for Gillislee ahead of the contest, though that never played out; LeSean McCoy remains the clear bell-cow back in Buffalo. Still, if Gillislee keeps churning yards like he did on this big play, eventually the Bills will sprinkle him into some more action. Reggie Bush, the No. 3 back, saw the field for just two offensive plays, so Gillislee remains the No. 2 guy.

Williams is inactive for Thursday night's game against the Jets.

The rookie may not see his first NFL opportunity until injury strikes one of LeSean McCoy, Mike Gillislee, or Reggie Bush, all veterans and all ahead of the rookie Williams on the depth chart.

McKinnon (foot/lower leg) practiced fully Thursday, Ben Goessling of ESPN.com reports.

McKinnon followed up a limited showing last Wednesday with a no-show Thursday, but this week's limited practice to start the week was instead a smoke screen with Thursday's full session. As Adrian Peterson's primary backup, McKinnon won't be afforded many touches on a weekly basis due to a weak trickle-down effect. However, a handful of passing targets should be a consistent part of McKinnon's workload.