NFL Player News

Raiders running back Darren McFadden (ankle), who will be sidelined for the game Sunday against Kansas City, might be out for the year. Dennis Allen said Friday that the team is considering placing him on IR.

McFadden might now be no more than the third-string featured back behind Rashad Jennings and Marcel Reece. This is speculation that he has played his last game for the Raiders.

Raiders running backs Darren McFadden and Jeremy Stewart have both been ruled out for the Week 15 game against the Chiefs with ankle injuries.

The Patriots have designated six players as probable for the game Sunday against the Dolphins, including quarterback Tom Brady (shoulder), wide receiver Danny Amendola (groin), running back Shane Vereen (wrist) and cornerback Aqib Talib (hip).

The others are wideout Matthew Slater (wrist) and safety Steve Gregory (finger).

Cardinals running back Andre Ellington is probable Week 15 against the Titans.

Ellington was listed on the injury report with a knee issue. He was able to practice in full Friday after being limited earlier in the week. 

Rams OL Harvey Dahl CB Janoris Jenkins and RB Daryl Richardson are questionable Week 15 against the Saints.

Dahl is dealing with a knee injury, and was unable to practice Thursday and Friday. Richardson has a thigh issue, and has also not been able to practice during the week. Jenkins has a back injury.

This could be a good week for Cardinals running backs Rashard Mendenhall and Andre Ellington at Tennessee based on the way the Titans have played of late. We like both in Week 15.

Tennessee has allowed a running back to reach double digits in Fantasy points in 10 consecutive games with 12 reaching that mark over that span, including Knowshon Moreno and Montee Ball last week. The Titans have allowed 15 touchdowns to running backs during that stretch.

Mendenhall is the better of the two Arizona running backs this week because he comes into this matchup with at least seven Fantasy points in each of this past four games and three touchdowns over that span. Ellington also has at least seven Fantasy points in each of his last two games, but he's not getting as much work as Mendenhall, which makes him more of a risky option.

I consider Mendenhall a low-end No. 2 running back, and Ellington is more of a sleeper as a flex option.

Cardinals running back Andre Ellington (knee) was limited in practice yet again Thursday, as the team continues to prepare for Week 15 against the Titans. Ellington was limited in as a result of the injury last week as well, but was able to practice in full Friday.  

Chargers running back Ryan Mathews continued his strong play in Week 15, as he carried the Chargers to a 27-20 win over the Broncos Thursday.

Mathews just barely set a new season high, finishing with 128 yards on 29 carries, besting his previous high by 1 yard. He received plenty of carries in the second half, with the Chargers nursing a lead out of halftime. His longest run of the night came at a good time, as he scampered 23 yards down the sideline for his lone touchdown, giving the Chargers a 24-10 lead in the third quarter.

Mathews now has 1,000 yards rushing for the second time in three years. He enters Week 16 against the Raiders with 1,013 yards on 236 carries, with five touchdowns. 

Dolphins running back Daniel Thomas went from potentially out for the season to featured back after making his return from an ankle injury last week. With Lamar Miller set to return from the concussion that forced him out last week, a big encore might not be in the cards for Thomas in Week 15 against the Patriots.

Thomas has generally received the smaller part of the team's backfield split this season, and Miller seems likely to be at full strength this week. He did manage to rack up 10 Fantasy points in Week 8 against the Patriots even with Miller healthy, however much of his success came as a result of his first receiving touchdown since 2011.

When both have been healthy, the Dolphins haven't shown a particular inclination to feature Thomas; his season-high in touches before last week was just 13. Assuming Miller is healthy enough to play, Thomas should be considered a risky Fantasy option for Week 15.

The Patriots backfield situation has been nearly impossible for Fantasy owners to sort out, but there has been one recent constant. Since his return from a wrist injury, Shane Vereen has touched the ball at least 15 times in three of four games. That is a trend that should continue in Week 15, with the Dolphins on the schedule Sunday. 

Given his pass-catching skills and the fact that he was the lone back to find the end zone last week, Shane Vereen is looking like the best Fantasy option of the trio. Vereen has appeared in just five games this season, but has already racked up 373 yards on 40 receptions, to go along with 186 yards on the ground on 38 carries.

Despite a recent upward turn, the Dolphins have struggled against running backs this season. Opposing backs up are putting up 19.2 Fantasy points per game against Miami's defense, including 42.0 yards per game through the air, the 12th-highest average in the league.

Vereen could be in position to take advantage of Miami's linebackers, so Fantasy owners will want to keep him in the lineup in all leagues for this pivotal week. He looks like a solid starting matchup for Week 15.