NFL Player News

Cardinals running back Andre Ellington is likely to lose his starting role in Week 10 against the Texans, with Rashard Mendenhall expected to return to the lineup.

Despite that, coach Bruce Arians told the team's official website he wants to get Ellington 20 touches in the game -- he had 17 in the team's most recent game against the Falcons, during which he racked up 162 all-purpose yards. 

Cardinals running back Andre Ellington returns from his bye with chance for a big game in Week 10 against the Texans.

Rashard Mendenhall (toe) is expected to return this week, but coach Bruce Arians said he still wants Ellington to get about 20 touches. That would be great because every time Ellington has at least 11 touches this season he has scored at least eight Fantasy points in a standard league, which has happened three times.

In Week 8 against Atlanta, with Mendenhall out, Ellington had 15 carries for 154 yards and a touchdown and two catches for 8 yards. Mendenhall will return this week, but it's clear the Cardinals know they have a special talent in Ellington.

The matchup against Houston is good, not great. The Texans have allowed seven running backs to score at least eight Fantasy points with six touchdowns.

But since Ellington will get the potential workload he deserves, Fantasy owners can buy into him as a No. 2 running back or flex option. We hope he delivers, and we hope Arians sticks to his word by giving him close to 20 touches.

Darren McFadden will be inactive Sunday against the Giants. The oft-injured Raiders running back has been ruled out with a hamstring problem that forced him out of the Week 9 loss to Philadelphia.

Buccaneers running back Doug Martin has been placed on season-ending IR.

Martin had been trying to come back from a shoulder injury, which has caused him to miss the past two games. The move will end Martin's second professional season. He finishes the year rushing for 456 yards and one touchdown in six games. 

Despite participating fully in Friday practice, Colts running back Trent Richardson is listed as questionable for the game Sunday against the Rams. He missed the last two practices with an ankle injury. His absence would result in increased reps for Donald Brown.

Dolphins running back Daniel Thomas has three straight games with nine or more carries, but he's seen his rushing yardage take a dip in each game. He scored a touchdown in Week 8 against New England, but did very little in his last game against the Bengals, with three Fantasy points in standard leagues. 

Thomas' usage has been very odd in the Dolphins' post-bye games. Each of his three performances have featured more rushing attempts than any of his pre-bye games, but fellow back Lamar Miller set season highs in attempts and rushing yards in his last two games. While the easy answer is, "the Dolphins are running more," it doesn't help divine what to do with Thomas. 

As long as he's getting the carries, Thomas is worth a start in deeper (16 teams or more) leagues. And he's a weekly threat to score a touchdown. But this Dolphins situation isn't even close to clear, and Thomas will remain a tough weekly call for the foreseeable future. 

An ankle ailment that had Colts running back Trent Richardson sidelined from practice the previous two days did not have him out on Friday. He has returned to participate, which indicates that he should be active for the game Sunday against the visiting Rams.

The continued poor production from running back Trent Richardson since his trade from Cleveland to the Colts before Week 3 is not the only mystery surrounding his season. Another is his lack of use in the passing game. But Chuck Pagano plans on changing that.

Richardson caught 51 passes for the Browns as a rookie in 2012, but only four since joining the Colts. His 24-yard catch-and-run off a screen Sunday in Houston helped set up the winning touchdown. That could be a portent of things to come.

"We know he's got that ability," Pagano told the Indianapolis Star. "I think as he gets more comfortable with the scheme and terminology and all those types of things and the game, the situation, the score, all those things kind of line up ... we'd love to get him in space more and get him the ball more."

Richardson, who is averaging just 3.0 YPC with Indianapolis, is also now dealing with an ankle injury that sidelined him from Wednesday and Thursday practices.

San Francisco running back LaMichael James could be looking at an expanded role Week 10 against the Panthers, according to the Sacramento Bee. 

James has been taking more punt-return reps during recent practices, and head coach Jim Harbaugh has been talking about finding a role for James in the past few weeks. Kyle Williams hasn't been a big play return man for the team, and James was utilized as a returner in college. While James hasn't been told he'll be taking over, it looks like he might get some opportunities sooner rather than later.

Redskins running back Roy Helu and fullback Darrel Young each has a three-touchdown game under his belt this season. Unfortunately, they didn't see their named called many times during the Week 10 loss at Minnesota Thursday night. 

Helu saw just two carries in the game for 8 yards. He did catch three passes -- mostly late -- for 23 yards on four targets. Young saw one carry and did not gain a yard. He was targeted once in the end zone, but couldn't come close to catching the ball. The Redskins play at Philadelphia during the Week 11 game Sunday.