NFL Player News

Cardinals running back Andre Ellington remains a gametime decision due to his foot injury, reports NFL Network. Ellington was limited in practice Saturday and Sunday.

"We'll talk with our medical staff and training staff and test it out tonight and see if he can go," general manager Steve Keim told Arizona Sports 98.7 FM. "But aside from that, without having a medical background, it's hard to say at this point."

If Ellington is held out of the game against the Chargers, Jonathan Dwyer likely would start at running back and be spelled by Stepfan Taylor. Arizona will release its inactive list around 8:40 p.m. ET.

The Ravens run game is changing in the wake of Ray Rice's release, but it's not promised that rookie Lorenzo Taliaferro will get in on the action anytime soon. Taliaferro had a target in Sunday's game against the Bengals but probably needs Bernard Pierce to either get hurt or disappoint before getting an opportunity. 

Working in Taliaferro's favor is his coaching staff. The Ravens' current group of coaches drafted him and probably all agree on his talent. What's more, current Ravens offensive coordinator Gary Kubiak has a knack for taking unknown rushers and turning them into prominent players (he did it with Steve Slaton and Arian Foster in Houston). Taliaferro is worth owning in deep-roster leagues at this point. 

Bernard Pierce was unowned in 24 percent of CBSSports.com leagues as of Monday afternoon. Expect that number to go up following the release of Ray Rice. But don't expect Pierce to break out in a major way, particularly following a game in which he was benched for his first-ever fumble. 

Look for Pierce to be given a chance to work as the Ravens' running downs back for the foreseeable future. He'll carry some value as a low-end No. 2 Fantasy rusher, especially on a short week when he plays the Steelers. Running backs tend to play well on Thursday games. 

The agent for running back LaMichael James posted on Twitter Monday that his client was released by the 49ers. James, who had two carries in the season opener against the Cowboys, totaled 41 carries for 184 yards and no touchdowns in 15 games since 2012.

The Colts used running backs Trent Richardson and Ahmad Bradshaw almost evenly in their Week 1 loss at Denver. Richardson got nine touches to Bradshaw's eight.

Richardson started and ran six times for 20 yards (3.3 ypc). He was solid as a receiver, catching three of four targets for 31 yards.

Bradshaw was spectacular as a receiver and dominated snaps in the two-minute offense. He caught five of six targets for 70 yards, breaking multiple tackles in the open field. Bradshaw carried three times for 15 yards (5.0 ypc).

Look for Indy to rotate both backs again Week 2 against the Eagles.

The Broncos got several offensive contributions in their Week 1 win over the Colts. Backup running back C.J. Anderson ran four times for 27 yards, wideout Andre Caldwell caught two of five targets for 16 yards, and tight end Virgil Green had an 8-yard catch.

Buccaneers running back Doug Martin had his lower left leg wrapped after Sunday's loss to the Panthers. He told the Tampa Bay Times that someone "rolled on his leg" and that he'll have to "wait and see on the severity" of the injury.

Despite some speculation that he had fallen behind Devonta Freeman in the pecking order based on the rookie's performance this preseason, Jacquizz Rodgers had arguably the biggest game of all the Falcons' running backs Week 1 against the Saints. He scored the team's lone rushing touchdown, and it was a big one -- a 17-yard scamper that put the Falcons back in front late in the fourth quarter.

The lead wouldn't hold, but that didn't diminish the impact of the run. Though all four Falcons running backs played a significant role in this one, only starter Steven Jackson had more touches than Jacquizz Rodgers, who had six carries for 34 yards and one catch for 1 yard. And his touchdown likely secured him more.

He'll look to make his presence known again Week 2 at Cincinnati.

Buccaneers running back Bobby Rainey relieved an injured Doug Martin and found the end zone Week 1 against Carolina.

Martin went down with a knee injury in the third quarter and Rainey saw most of the the reps late in the game while Tampa Bay worked a hurry-up offense. He caught a 6-yard touchdown pass on a checkdown from Josh McCown with 2:06 remaining in the game. On the ensuing drive, he caught another short pass but got stripped and was unable to recover the fumble.

Rainey took four handoffs for 12 yards on the ground, averaging 3.0 yards per attempt. He caught all two of his targets for 8 yards and a touchdown in a 20-14 defeat.

The Buccaneers will host the Rams in Week 2. If Martin is unable to go, the team will likely turn to Rainey for the bulk of the carries.

San Francisco running back LaMichael James had two carries Week 1 against the Cowboys.

James' carries didn't amount to much. He finished with 0 total yards on the day. James did not receive a target in the passing game. 

James will take on the Bears Week 2.