NFL Player News

Broncos running back Juwan Thompson will miss the rest of Sunday's game against the Lions with a neck injury, ESPN's Jeff Legwold reports.

With C.J. Anderson briefly sent to the locker room for a concussion test, Thompson had three carries for 11 yards in the first half. Thompson hurt his neck and was later ruled out for the rest of the night.

Broncos RB C.J. Anderson (head) was cleared to return to Sunday's game against the Lions, ESPN's Jeff Legwold reports.

Anderson took a hard hit and was down on the field for a couple of minutes, but he passed a concussion test in the locker room. Ronnie Hillman scored a one-yard touchdown while Anderson was absent, and Juwan Thompson also got three carries.

Texans running back Jonathan Grimes (knee) rushed six times for 19 yards and caught all four of his targets for 19 yards in Sunday's win over Tampa Bay.

Grimes had been dealing with a minor knee injury during the week.

Broncos running back C.J. Anderson left Sunday's game against the Lions to be evaluated for a concussion, Troy Renck of the Denver Post reports.

Anderson took a hard hit that appeared to be helmet-to-helmet from Lions DE Darryl Tapp. Anderson was down on the field for a couple minutes, but he eventually walked off under his own power. He'll likely miss the rest of the game, leaving Ronnie Hillman to lead the Denver backfield. Hillman had already emerged as a serious threat to Anderson's workload, with the Denver running game off to a slow start this season.

Seahawks running back Thomas Rawls rushed 16 times for 104 yards in place of an injured Marshawn Lynch in Sunday's win against the Bears. 

Lynch, who was a game-time decision with a calf injury, played briefly in the first half (six touches) before leaving with a hamstring injury.

Fred Jackson is the No. 2 running back, but Rawls got almost all of the work after Lynch left. Rawls likely earned more work with his impressive performance if Lynch is limited next week. The Seahawks also have incentive to find out what they have in Rawls in case Lynch retires after this season.

Chargers running back Melvin Gordon ran 14 times for 51 yards in Sunday's game against the Vikings. He failed to haul in his lone target in the 31-14 loss.

The rookie has averaged a respectable 4.5 yards per touch through three weeks, but he has yet to receive more than 16 carries in a game and has been an afterthought in the passing game. Gordon possesses immense physical talent, but his role in the offense and the presence of Danny Woodhead and Brandon Oliver have limited his fantasy value early on.

Week 4 brings with it a favorable home matchup against the Browns that Gordon's owners should certainly look to exploit.

In Sunday's postgame media availability, Cardinals coach Bruce Arians said that running back Andre Ellington (knee) is expected to play next Sunday against the Rams, Mike Jurecki of FOX Sports 910 Phoenix reports.

Ellington has missed the last two games due to a PCL sprain in his right knee, but a limited practice Friday forecast that he's growing close to a return.

His practice participation this week will ultimately determine whether he makes an appearance in Week 4. If not, though, Chris Johnson should garner much of the RB workload yet again, with David Johnson serving in a change-of-pace role.

Cardinals running back Chris Johnson had 22 carries for 110 yards and scored a pair of touchdowns in Sunday's 47-7 win over the 49ers.

He also had one catch for 40 yards. Johnson was a beast early in the game, and showed good determination, constantly fighting for extra yaradge. He had both of his touchdowns in the second quarter, and almost had a third score on his 40-yard reception.

Johnson remains the starter and appears to be the workhorse, while Andre Ellington is out with a PCL injury, as rookie David Johnson had only seven carries for 25 yards Sunday. It will be interesting to see how Chris Johnson is used once Ellington returns, as David Johnson is considered a superior pass catcher, meaning he should get most of the work on passing downs. Next week, Johnson and the Cardinals will face the Rams.

Eagles running back Ryan Mathews rushed 25 times for 108 yards and caught two passes on four targets for 20 receiving yards and a touchdown Sunday against the Jets, though he lost a fumble. 

Starting in place of the injured DeMarco Murray (hamstring), Mathews had a lot of success against a Jets defense that had been very stingy this season, particularly against the run. His 23-yard receiving touchdown was on a one on one with linebacker Demario Davis, who had no shot at stopping the running back.

Backup Darren Sproles scored on a short-yardage situation, but Mathews is likely to get more of those touches if Murray has to miss any more time. Murray was questionable for the game and originally expected to play, but he apparently wasn't able to do enough in pregame warmups to warrant playing. If he has to continue sitting, Mathews will start Week 4 against the Redskins.

Ravens running back Lorenzo Taliaferro carried the ball three times for no yards and caught his only target for six yards in a loss Sunday to Cincinnati.

The second-year runner had a strong showing in limited work against Oakland, but he found the sledding much tougher in Week 3 and was minimally involved in the offense. Starter Justin Forsett struggled again and is now averaging 3.1 yards per carry on the season, but Taliaferro has yet to make his claim for an increased role.

The Ravens will head to Pittsburgh for a divisional showdown in Week 4.