NFL Player News

Colts running back Trent Richardson is claiming he is about to break loose - and he's planning to start his explosion Sunday against his former Browns teammates.

"A lot of people are saying I'm a mistake," Richardson told the Akron Beacon Journal. "What I'm telling folks now is watch the next four weeks."

Richardson, who claims that he is recovering from a hamstring injury, remains the starter despite the Colts have received far more production from Dan Herron. The former is averaging 2.0 YPC in the last three games and is coming off an effort in which he managed just 12 yards on eight carries against Jacksonville.

A hip injury will have Browns featured back Isaiah Crowell limited in or out of practice Wednesday, but Mike Pettine has expressed hopefulness that he will be ready to roll when the team hosts Indianapolis on Sunday.

Pettine did, however, state that backup Terrance West, who has struggled with fumbles, must have a strong week of practice and be prepared to play against the Colts.

The Browns have signed running back Shaun Draughn, a source has told ESPN NFL Insider Adam Schefter.

Draughn has played in just one game this season with 19 yards on 10 carries. The Browns are looking for depth in the backfield after releasing Ben Tate and the struggles of rookies Terrance West and Isaiah Crowell in Week 13 at Buffalo.

Cardinals coach Bruce Arians told reporters Tuesday running back Andre Ellington is suffering from a ‘severe’ hip pointer, reports FOXSports.com.

Arians added it is unlikely Ellington will be able to practice this week and will be a game-time decision. The Cardinals play Kansas City Sunday.

Ravens running back Lorenzo Taliaferro has three carries for 10 yards since losing a fumble in the Nov. 2 loss to the Steelers. But coach John Harbaugh said the rookie is not in the doghouse.

"If you look at it, no one has many carries besides Justin [Forsett]," Harbaugh told the Baltimore Sun. "You'll see Lorenzo, without question. There's no punishment going on there. I just think it's been Justin has been playing so well, but Lorenzo has to be there for us, especially down the stretch here."

Jets running back Chris Johnson has showed some signs of life in recent weeks, and appears to have earned a bit of a bigger role in the team's offense after Week 13's 16-13 loss to the Dolphins.

Johnson rushed the ball a season-high 17 times for 105 yards, both of which led the team. This is just the second time he has finished a game with more carries than Chris Ivory in the last six, though they both also had seven in the team's previous game.

Ivory had been the better runner over the first half of the season, but he has fallen off the pace of late, which has allowed Johnson to cut into his playing time a bit. Ivory is averaging 4.4 yards per carry for the season, while Johnson is now up to 4.6, and the gap is mostly from the last five games. Johnson is averaging 5.4 yards per carry, while Ivory is at 3.6 yards per carry in that span.

Neither player is a must-start Fantasy option, but Johnson is starting to show signs of being the player the Jets they were getting when they added him this offseason. The continued split workload makes it hard to rely on either player, however, so view Johnson and Ivory both as just low-end starting Fantasy options down the stretch.

After saying running back Terrance West has been "very careless with the football," Browns coach Mike Pettine told ESPNCleveland.com that No. 3 running back Glenn Winston, a 6-2, 220-pounder, could get reps with the regular offense.

"That's something we'll look at," Pettine said. "Because we need to pride ourselves on not turning the ball over."

Isaiah Crowell will continue to start.

Jets running back Chris Johnson looked like a younger version of himself in Monday's loss to the Dolphins. Johnson ran 17 times for 105 yards, averaging 6.2 yards per carry and producing his first 100-yard game this season.

Johnson showed great burst on a 47-yard cutback run in the first quarter. He has now exceeded 100 yards rushing in all four of his career games against Miami.

Johnson was not targeted in the passing game. He'll visit the Vikings in Week 14.

The Dolphins got several offensive contributions in their Week 13 win over the Jets. Among them, wideout Brandon Gibson caught two passes for 17 yards, while running back Daniel Thomas had a 5-yard carry and a 3-yard reception.

They'll play the Ravens in Week 14.

With starter Alfred Morris averaging 17.5 carries per game, backup running back Roy Helu isn't a big-time contributor in Fantasy. But he has a clear enough role in the Redskins offense to give him some value in PPR leagues.

He caught four passes for 61 yards Week 13 at Indianapolis, scoring a touchdown on a 21-yard catch-and-run in the second quarter. It was the second time in three games that he scored a touchdown and the third time in four games that he had at least four catches.

Helu's 38 catches tie him with Ahmad Bradshaw for seventh among running backs, and obviously, he'll be passing Bradshaw before season's end. His 436 receiving yards are also third among running backs, but of course, that averages out to just 36.3 per game and has been fairly evenly distributed over his 12 games. Week 13 was just the second time he topped 60 yards through the air.

In other words, if you don't get points for the receptions themselves, Helu isn't productive enough to matter in 12-team leagues, but if you do, he's at least a usable player.