NFL Player News

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.

Pierce was placed on injured reserve Monday, the Jaguars' official site reports.

During pregame warmups for a Week 10 tilt in Baltimore, Pierce injured his calf and subsequently missed the Jags' past four games. With seemingly no end in sight to the absences, he'll miss the rest of his first season in Jacksonville, where he turned six carries into 11 yards and three receptions (on five targets) into seven yards.

Ellington (toe) didn't practice Monday, Darren Urban of the Cardinals' official site reports.

After the Cardinals revealed last Monday that Ellington is suffering through turf toe, he was slated to visit a specialist, though the next course of action hasn't been revealed. If another absence comes to pass Thursday against the Vikings, the backfield will again be manned by rookie David Johnson, Stepfan Taylor (shoulder), and Kerwynn Williams with Chris Johnson out of commission with a fractured tibia for the rest of the regular season.

Toussaint ran for 12 yards on four carries in Pittsburgh's win over Indianapolis on Sunday.

In his first action since being activated from the practice squad, Toussaint looked good, matching his total rushing yardage from last season with Baltimore. However, he serves only to provide DeAngelo Williams with the occasional breather.

Anderson is day-to-day with a sore ankle, according to Troy Renck of the Denver Post.

Anderson's status is thus worth monitoring as Sunday's 4:05 ET kickoff against the Raiders approaches, but at the very least we'd expect the running back's practice reps this week to be affected by his ankle issue.

McKinnon had four carries for 18 yards and three receptions for six yards in Sunday's loss to Seattle.

McKinnon got more playing time than usual with the Vikings falling behind early and using more passing formations and with Adrian Peterson rested in the second half of a blowout loss.

Bolden, who ran three times for 22 yards in Sunday's 35-28 loss to the Eagles, was on the field for 19 of the Patriots' 89 snaps on offense in the game, ESPN's Mike Reiss reports.

Bolden, who also caught one pass for two yards (on five targets) Sunday, was less of a factor in the Patriots' Week 13 game plan than either James White (51 snaps, 10 catches) or LeGarrette Blount (26 snaps, 13 carries). As long as White and Blount remain healthy, Bolden figures to be a hit-or-miss fantasy option, though an injury to either of the two could propel him to an increased role in the team's offense.

Hightower gained two yards on one carry in Sunday's loss to the Panthers.

In an up-and-down shootout, the Saints logged only 14 carries as a team, with 12 of them being taken by Mark Ingram. Hightower and Drew Brees, on a quarterback scramble, were the only others to tote the ball for New Orleans. Meanwhile, C.J. Spiller managed only a single touch on a reception that went for no gain. It's clear the Saints' backfield belongs to Ingram, but should anything happen to him, there may not be a clear handcuff. That said, in the case of an Ingram injury, it's looking more like it would be Hightower, not Spiller, who would be the primary beneficiary.

Rainey totaled 39 yards on two kickoff returns and 41 yards on two punt returns in Sunday's 23-19 victory over the Falcons.

The special teams ace had a very productive afternoon, ripping of 20-yard-plus returns on both kickoffs and punts. He ceded one kickoff run back to rookie Donteaa Dye, but otherwise helped set up Tampa in favorable field position on three of his four opportunities with the ball. Rainey's 28-yard punt return in the third quarter opened a drive that eventually led to the Bucs closing the Falcons lead to 16-12 in the third quarter on a Conner Barth field goal. He continues to serve as one of the best return men in the NFL, and his savvy has helped Jameis Winston and the offense largely avoid starting drives deep in their own territory throughout the season.

Grimes carried the ball five times for 28 yards, caught both of his targets for 11 yards, and scored a two-point conversion in Sunday's 30-21 loss to Buffalo.

He's been getting between seven and eight touches per game in the last four weeks, as the Texans have relied on a committee approach to replace Arian Foster's production. Grimes would be a real gamble to put in a fantasy team's starting lineup.