NFL Player News

Rawls missed Thursday's practice due to an illness, John Boyle of the Seahawks' official site reports.

After enduring a lengthy recovery from a broken ankle, Rawls finally shed his injury designation Wednesday for the first time since Week 14 of last season. Seemingly in line for as much work as he could handle Sunday against the Dolphins, according to head coach Pete Carroll, Rawls may have hit another bump in the road. If the malady lingers into the weekend, Christine Michael could be more of a No. 1 back than expected.

Artis-Payne is listed as inactive for Thursday's game at Denver, Bryan Strickland of the Panthers' official site reports.

Artis-Payne fared only modestly in the preseason, averaging 3.6 YPC and notching five receptions for 54 yards in four outings. With the backfield safely in the hands of Jonathan Stewart, Fozzy Whittaker, and Mike Tolbert, Artis-Payne could be a regular inactive this season, barring an injury to the trio.

McKinnon (foot) did not participate in Thursday's practice.

While there hasn't been any suggestion his injury is serious, McKinnon did miss some practice time last week. He may have just been rested Thursday, but his injury is now more of a worry. While McKinnon is the backup to Adrian Peterson and won't have a large role if healthy, the Vikings have talked about using him more in passing situations.

Head coach Jim Caldwell inferred Abdullah will not be used as a bell-cow running back in 2016, per MLive.com. "Do I think that he's durable enough to do it? Absolutely. Do I think he's strong enough to do it? Absolutely. I just don't think that's his cup of tea," Caldwell explained. "But he'll be effective for us. His all-purpose yardage last year was pretty strong and I think you'll see the same thing with him this year."

After being taken in the second round of the 2015 NFL Draft, Abdullah ultimately wrestled the Lions' primary tailback job away from Joique Bell and finished his rookie season with a team-high 597 rushing yards. However, even with Theo Riddick locked into a passing-down role, Abdullah was expected to assume a larger workload on the ground in 2016. Instead, it appears Caldwell plans to deploy a "running back by committee" approach with Zach Zenner used in short-yardage situations and rookie Dwayne Washington sporadically sprinkled in. Abdullah should easily receive the most carries by season's end, and will also see action returning kickoffs, but his candidacy as a breakout workhorse appears contingent upon injuries to other members of Detroit's backfield at this point in time.

Williams (ribs) practiced without any limitations Thursday, Sal Capaccio of WGR550 reports.

Williams has now successfully practiced in consecutive days and it appears the 22-year-old will be available for Sunday's matchup with the Ravens. Listed as the No. 4 running back on the Bills' official team depth chart, the rookie is unlikely to see a ton of action with the offense Sunday, with LeSean McCoy, Mike Gillislee and Reggie Bush also on hand.

Jones (shoulder) practiced in full Thursday, Brian McNally of 106.7 The Fan DC reports.

Jones has progressed from donning a no-contact jersey Monday to pads Wednesday, but a full practice Thursday is the best indication yet that he's past the separated shoulder that held him out of the final two preseason contests. Seemingly on the path to active status Monday against the Steelers, his availability will likely be confirmed in the coming days.

Elliott, who missed most of training camp, as well as the Cowboys' first two preseason games due to a sore hamstring, indicated Wednesday that he is "100 percent" as Sunday's regular season opener against the Giants approaches.

After playing 14 snaps in his exhibition debut on Aug. 25, the highly-touted rookie sat out the Cowboys' Sept. 1 preseason finale against the Texans. Nonetheless, Elliott declared Wednesday that his conditioning is "top notch" in advance of Week 1. Though capable veteran back Alfred Morris is on hand to spell Elliott, as well as pass-catching back Lance Dunbar, we'd expect a healthy Elliott to be the focal point of the 2016 Cowboys offense, currently helmed by QB Dak Prescott, with Tony Romo sidelined.

Rawls wasn't listed on the Seahawks' injury report Wednesday, Curtis Crabtree of Sports Radio KJR reports.

After making his preseason debut last Thursday, there wasn't much worry about an inability to play in Week 1. Rather, owners can be rightfully concerned about the Seahawks listing Rawls behind backfield mate Christine Michael on the most recent depth chart. On Wednesday, head coach Pete Carroll noted that the sole restriction on Rawls is his "workload," which will be subject to how he handles his initial snaps Sunday against the Dolphins. Consequently, an unknown allotment of reps awaits Rawls, making him an iffy prospect to trust in Week 1, even if he concludes the week with two more full practice sessions.

McKinnon (foot) was limited at Wednesday's practice, ESPN's Ben Goessling reports.

While there hasn't been any suggestion his injury is serious, McKinnon did miss some practice time last week. He's the clear handcuff to Adrian Peterson, but the role won't come with many carries so long as Peterson is healthy. If he does suit up for Sunday's game in Tennessee, the 24-year-old McKinnon will likely get most of his snaps on passing downs.

Abdullah (shoulder) is not listed on Wednesday's injury report, Dirk Birkett of the Detroit Free Press reports.

This comes as no surprise, given that Abdullah returned for the third week of the preseason and has been a full practice participant since Aug. 20. With offseason shoulder surgery in his rear-view mirror, the 2015 second-round selection is expected to operate as Detroit's lead back, though he'll likely give way to Theo Riddick in most passing situations. Abdullah could also cede some work -- potentially including goal-line carries -- to 220-pound power back Zach Zenner.