NFL Player News

Cowboys running back Christine Michael carried the ball once for six yards in Sunday's loss to the Patriots.

Michael did not see an increased role in Dallas' offense following the injury to fellow back Lance Dunbar as the Cowboys seemed content with sticking to Joseph Randle and Darren McFadden. Dallas traded for Michael, who rushed for over five yards per carry in limited opportunities last season, to provide another option in a backfield without a sure thing. With Randle and McFadden, Week 3 aside, failing to set the world on fire, Michael may not be worth a pickup, but could be worth monitoring week to week.

Cardinals running back Andre Ellington is listed as the Cardinals' No. 2 running back in advance of Sunday's contest at Pittsburgh, Josh Weinfuss of ESPN.com reports.

Ellington suffered a sprained PCL in Week 1 and subsequently logged three consecutive DNPs. His absence allowed Chris Johnson to take over the gig, as the veteran cruised to 405 rushing yards in the first five games. While Ellington returned Sunday in Detroit, he received just three carries, as opposed to 11 for Johnson and three for rookie David Johnson, including two goal-line reps.

Ellington is poised to take on a change-of-pace role behind workhorse Chris Johnson for now, but his weekly tallies will likely be dependent on taking efficient use of his mix of rushes and receptions.

Running back Chris Johnson is listed as the Cardinals' No. 1 running back in advance of Sunday's game at Pittsburgh, Josh Weinfuss of ESPN.com reports.

Since taking over for Andre Ellington in Week 1, Johnson has racked up 405 yards on the ground, which places him in a tie with Doug Martin and Devonta Freeman for second in the NFL. Ellington returned from his sprained PCL on Sunday, taking advantage of his three carries by ripping off a 63-yard touchdown run.

No matter, Johnson's performance has resulted in the top gig in the league's third-ranked rushing attack, a role that's afforded him more than 20 touches twice and more than 16 per contest this season.

Running back Raheem Mostert was released by the Dolphins on Tuesday, according to his agent.

Mostert will reportedly be signed to the practice squad, assuming he clears waivers. The undrafted rookie had an impressive preseason with the Eagles and might have a future as a return man and backup running back.

Chargers featured back Melvin Gordon rushed 15 times for 42 yards and caught seven passes (on nine targets) for 52 yards while also losing a fumble Monday night in a defeat to the Steelers.

Gordon saw his usual number of carries, but once again found little room to run behind a retooled offensive line. The rookie also coughed up the ball, leading to a San Diego turnover and marking his second lost fumble already this season.

On the bright side, he displayed an improved ability to catch the ball out of the backfield. With a matchup against a Packers defense that has proved vulnerable versus the run, Gordon will hope for a breakout performance in Week 6.

Rams running back Benny Cunningham caught both targets on Sunday for 28 yards but did not get a rushing attempt in a 24-10 loss to Green Bay.

With Todd Gurley becoming the workhorse back, Cunningham is going to be relegated strictly to third-down pass catcher out of the backfield. Sunday's output should be about typical from now on, and the ceiling on Cunningham is quite low.

With preliminary reports suggesting that Jamaal Charles suffered a torn ACL on Sunday, Knile Davis figures to be in line for an expanded role in the Chiefs' offense moving forward, the Kansas City Star reports.

Assuming that Charles does indeed miss extended time, as expected, Charcandrick West and Davis are next up for the team's carries. With that in mind, coach Andy Reid noted in the wake of Charles' injury that the two would continue to split time, though it's worth noting that on Sunday, West finished the day with 31 yards on seven carries, while Davis carried the ball just twice for two yards.

"I'm not saying who is or is not the feature guy, but we need both of them," Reid noted, with reference to the team's potential West/Davis backfield duo. "Both their games are different. We'll just see how that goes. You saw both of them played today, so we'll got back to the drawing board on that and get it right."

While this fluid situation plays out, both West and Davis are worthy of serious pursuit in leagues where they remain available, with West perhaps the higher percentage play, at least based on Week 5's box score, but not necessarily a lock to dominate the team's carries, given Davis' previous experience filling in for Charles in the past.

Redskins coach Jay Gruden relayed Monday that running back Matt Jones has a toe sprain and is considered day-to-day.

More on Jones' Week 6 status once the team resumes practice later this week, but he'll need to be monitored as this coming Sunday's game against the Jets approaches. Jones recorded a team-high 11 carries for 20 yards and TD to go along with one catch for 17 yards in Week 5's loss to the Falcons.

Jaguars running back Bernard Pierce carried twice for six yards in Sunday's loss to Tampa Bay.

The news here is that T.J. Yeldon left Sunday's game with a groin injury, and if he ends up missing any time, Pierce could be thrust into action. With Denard Robinson (knee) still banged up, a Yeldon absence would likely result in Pierce and Toby Gerhart handling the bulk of the rushing workload in what has not been a productive ground attack this season.

Jaguars running back Corey Grant carried the ball twice for minus-6 yards in Sunday's loss to the Buccaneers.

T.J. Yeldon (groin) once again handled the bulk of the workload, but Grant received two carries on the day. One went for 11 yards, but the other was a disaster, as Grant blatantly fumbled on a toss play deep in Jacksonville territory. The Buccaneers were able to recover for a touchdown and Grant, understandably, did not see another carry the rest of the way. If Yeldon misses any time, Grant could see a slight increase in snaps, but Toby Gerhart and Bernard Pierce are probably ahead of him in the pecking order. Grant also handled kick return duties Sunday, logging 93 yards on three returns with a long of 42 yards.