NFL Player News

McFadden rushed for 32 yards on 17 carries in Sunday's loss to Tampa Bay. He added 26 yards receiving on three catches.

Sunday represented McFadden's lightest workload in terms of both yards and touches since taking over the lion's share of carries in Week 7. The veteran back saw few holes to squeeze through, his game-long run of seven yards tying a season low. McFadden holds a lot of value as the bell-cow back behind an elite offensive line. It just may take a few weeks for the Cowboys' passing game to stretch defenses enough to give McFadden more space at the line of scrimmage.

Sims gained 18 yards on five carries and secured two of his five targets for 13 yards in Sunday's 10-6 victory over the Cowboys.

The Buccaneers' backup tailback's day was nowhere near as noteworthy as last week's breakout performance, with Sims serving his customary complementary role to Doug Martin but receiving less playing time than in Week 9. Sims will try to help Tampa match the frenetic pace of the Eagles offense in Week 11.

Martin gained 63 yards on 18 carries and secured all four of his targets for 40 yards in Sunday's 10-6 victory over the Cowboys.

Martin put together a solid afternoon, making up for some of his struggles on the ground with a season-high 40 yards through the air. Outside of a game-high 18-yard scamper, Martin scuffled his way to 45 yards on 17 totes. Despite the somewhat pedestrian outing, Martin comfortably outpaced backfield mate Charles Sims in carries by 13 in Week 10, after the two were almost even in the category in the Bucs' Week 9 loss to the Giants. Martin and the Bucs face an uphill battle against a tough Eagles defense on the road in Week 11.

Mathews (groin) left Sunday's contest against the Dolphins due to a head injury, which was confirmed as a concussion.

Before his departure, Mathews didn't produce much on his typical allotment of touches, turning eight carries into 18 yards and two receptions (on three targets) for 22 yards. However, one first-quarter rush resulted in a touchdown, thereby salvaging his day. With the head injury in tow, his eventual return to the field will be subject to the concussion protocol, placing a cloud over his Week 11 availability against the Buccaneers.

Murray (concussion) is listed as active for Sunday's game against the Vikings.

Murray, who is bouncing backs back from a concussion that he suffered last weekend, will give it a go Sunday against a Minnesota defense that has allowed an average of 111.6 yards per game on the ground to date. Through eight games, Murray has carried 132 times for 630 yards (good for a 4.8 yards per carry) and three TDs, to go along with 21 catches for 104 yards.

Mathews (groin) is active Sunday against the Dolphins.

Mathews practiced in full all week, so the announcement Sunday comes at no surprise. Lead back Demarco Murray (groin) is active for the contest as well, so look for the carry distribution to follow a similar pattern to the last few weeks. Even though Mathews played just 22 offensive snaps Week 9, he still tallied 67 rushing yards and a touchdown, so his value isn't necessarily dependent on Murray's health. There should be plenty of opportunities for both backs to tally up rushing yards Sunday, as the Dolphins check in at No. 31 in the league with 142.1 rushing yards allowed per contest (although they've surrendered just seven touchdowns on the ground).

Davis will be inactive for Sunday's game against Denver with Spencer Ware used as Charcandrick West's backup, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reports.

It sounds like Davis will be a healthy scratch, but we'll have to wait for inactives to be announced before game time to be sure. Davis has just 12 carries combined over the last four games, so this may not be a huge surprise.

New offensive coordinator Jim Bob Cooter sees a larger role in Detroit's offense for Abdullah, Josh Katzenstein of The Detroit News reports.

Abdullah has seen fewer than 10 touches in four of the Lions' first eight games, including in consecutive games before the bye and a one-touch contest in Week 8. Mental lapses have likely played a part in his relatively small role as he has fumbled the ball four times thus far this season and quit on a route that led to an interception in Week 8, afterwhich he did not receive a touch for the remainder of the game. The Lions have far and away the league's weakest running attack at under 70 yards per game and the dynamic rookie is a logical place for the offense to turn to for answers. It would be shrewd, however, to wait to see Abdullah's role change in the offense before inserting him into your lineup.

Murray (concussion) practiced without limitations Friday and has been cleared to start Sunday's game against the Vikings, according to Jerry McDonald of ibabuzz.com.

Officially, Murray is listed as probable for the contest, but barring any unexpected setbacks, he should be fine for Sunday's 4:05 ET kickoff.

Mathews (groin) is listed as probable for Sunday's game against the Dolphins.

Mathews was a full practice participant throughout the week, after posting an 11-67-1 rushing line in Sunday's win over the Cowboys. He's still playing second fiddle to DeMarco Murray, but few backup running backs get a comparable workload.