NFL Player News

Martin was in on 49 snaps in Tampa's Week 13 victory over the Falcons, Greg Auman of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

The contract-year tailback ran decisively all afternoon long against a Falcons front seven that has only given up 3.8 yards per carry this season. Martin was a true workhorse on the afternoon, and received six consecutive carries to open the game. The 26-year-old is now averaging an outstanding 5.0 yards per rush on the season, career-best total.

Ellington (toe) did not participate in Tuesday's practice, Kent Somers of the Arizona Republic reports.

Bothered by a turf toe injury that required a recent visit with a specialist, Ellington seems likely to miss a second straight game when the Cardinals face the Vikings on Thursday. David Johnson dominated the running-back snaps and touches until the game was out of hand Sunday in St. Louis, finishing with 22 carries for 99 yards and two catches for 21 yards and a touchdown.

Mathews (concussion) said after Tuesday's practice that he plans to return for Sunday's game against Buffalo, according to Les Bowen of the Philadelphia Daily News.

According to Dave Spadaro of the team's official website, Mathews was a full-go at Tuesday's practice, just one day after he was finally able to pass a neuropsychological test. His practice status will still be worth monitoring, but with DeMarco Murray's role unclear, it's quite possible Mathews could return to action with a new role as the Eagles' lead back.

Carey (concussion) rushed five times for 17 yards and a touchdown in his return to action Sunday against the 49ers.

It's the first career score for Carey, who missed the Bears' Week 12 tilt against the Packers due to the head injury. While he ranked behind Matt Forte (21) and Langford (12) in rushing attempts, Carey earned the trust of the coaching staff to stay on the field in the fourth quarter of a competitive game, when he came through with his first career touchdown. Carey could still factor into the Bears' game plan over what remains of the season, but unless Forte or Langford succumbs to an injury, he's not likely to notice a focal role offensively.

Broncos head coach Gary Kubiak said Anderson (ankle) was very sore Monday morning, ESPN.com reports. "[Anderson] took a pretty good blow to his ankle" said Kubiak. "He's had some ankle issues in the past. I think probably had we not had the other two, I think, he could have tried maybe to fight through some of it, but he was very sore (Monday).''

Despite Kubiak's belief that Anderson could have played through his ankle injury if necessary, the running back is no lock to be ready for Sunday's game against the Raiders. He's only considered day-to-day, but it sounds as if he'll miss some practice time this week. Should Anderson miss Sunday's game, Ronnie Hillman would be positioned for a heavy three-down workload, with Juwan Thompson serving as the top backup.

Mathews (concussion) took part in Tuesday's practice, Martin Frank of the Delaware News Journal reports.

It's not clear how much work Mathews got in Tuesday, but his presence at practice -- coupled with the fact he had his helmet -- is an indicator he has cleared the league's concussion protocol. The Eagles will release an official update on Mathews' status Wednesday or before, but he will have a chance to suit up this week for the first time since Week 10.

Jones rushed 18 times for 49 yards in Monday night's loss to the Cowboys.

Jones also caught one pass for five yards. Despite being handed his biggest workload since Week 2, Jones couldn't find much room to run Monday night, averaging a paltry 2.7 yards per carry. So while his involvement level from Monday is encouraging, Jones failed to take advantage of his opportunities, painting a murky picture ahead of Washington's Week 14 game in Chicago.

Mathews (concussion) may return to practice Tuesday after passing neuropsychological testing Monday, according to the Philadelphia Inquirer.

Having finally passed his baseline test, Mathews will now be evaluated by an independent neurologist Tuesday morning, and even if he isn't cleared right away, it seems he has a shot to be back for Sunday's game against the Bills. He may return to a larger workload than the one he left behind, as DeMarco Murray got just eight carries in Sunday's win over the Patriots, losing work to both Darren Sproles (15 carries) and Kenjon Barner (nine). Even though head coach Chip Kelly said Murray hasn't been demoted, it's become increasingly clear that the Eagles are frustrated with their prized offseason acquisition.

McFadden rushed 14 times for 53 yards and a touchdown, but also lost two fumbles in Monday night's win over the Redskins.

He also caught one pass for six receiving yards. While the veteran running back left the game for a short period after his second fumble due to a possible concussion, he cleared the protocol and scored the Cowboys' lone touchdown from six yards out with just over a minute left in the fourth quarter. Despite his mishaps, McFadden was still trusted down the stretch, so it seems his stating role will remain intact ahead of Sunday's game in Green Bay.

Despite losing carries to Joique Bell late in Thursday's game, head coach Jim Caldwell says that the Lions have faith in Abdullah, The Detroit News reports.

It's no secret that Abdullah has had an up-and-down rookie season and loses plenty of snaps to both Bell and Theo Riddick. In fact, over the past three weeks, Riddick has led all Lions backs in snaps with 99, according to Pro Football Focus, followed by Abdullah with 75 and Bell with 45. From a fantasy perspective, Abdullah has more of the numbers that matter, leading the trio in touches with 43 and total yards with 188 over the same stretch. By comparison, Bell has 26 touches for 152 yards and Riddick has 24 touches for 185 yards. The Lions backfield hasn't been kind to fantasy owners this season, but Abdullah has been the friendliest in most league formats.