NFL Player News

Mike Pettine has declared that Browns rookie running back Terrance West, who was banished to the inactive list in Week 6 following poor practice performances, will be active Sunday against Jacksonville after picking up the pace in more recent sessions.

West rushed for 100 yards in his NFL debut in Week 1, but has since slipped behind impressive fellow rookie Isaiah Crowell on the depth chart as the chief backup to featured back Ben Tate.

What was feared is now reality - Jaguars running back Toby Gerhart has been ruled out for the Sunday game against Cleveland with a foot injury.

The setback continues a poor start to the season for Gerhart, who has been out of practice throughout the week after missing the game last Sunday at Tennessee. He has rushed for just 126 yards on 48 carries for a 2.6 average.

Gus Bradley has announced that the absence of Gerhart will result in Storm Johnson and Denard Robinson splitting the featured back duties with Jordan Todman playing on third downs. per the Florida Times-Union.

Patriots coach Bill Belichick addressed the decision to promote running back Jonas Gray from the practice squad and the opportunity that he'll get moving forward with Stevan Ridley out for the remainder of the season, per ESPN.

Gray was added to the live rosters hours before Week 7 against the Jets and emerged as the team's second option behind Shane Vereen on Thursday night. He rushed for 12 yards on three carries.

"I think Jonas has been solid for us all the way through preseason," Belichick said. "He's done a good job in practice and got an opportunity last night -- not a lot of opportunities -- but he had some blitz pickup opportunities and a few carries. He works hard and he's a tough kid, a bigger back obviously -- more in the Ridley size range."

Belichick would not indicate whether Gray would be used as the team's second option in the ground game moving forward.

Cardinals running back Andre Ellington has mostly been held in check on the ground over the past three games, but that could change in Week 7 against the Raiders.

Ellington did have one massive performance in Week 5, scoring two touchdowns and finishing with 144 all-purpose yards, but that masked that he ran for just 32 yards on 16 carries that game. He is averaging a meager 3.03 yards per carry over his past three games but will be looking to break free against a Raiders defense that has struggled against running backs.

Ellington has topped double digits in Fantasy scoring twice in five games, but has a very good chance to make it three times after he gets done with Oakland. The Raiders have allowed five backs to reach that level in five games, with No. 1 running backs averaging a robust 15.0 Fantasy points per game, on 4.8 yards per carry.

Ellington is a dangerous player in both the running and receiving game, and he should get a chance to show that off in Week 7. Consider him a solid starting option. 

Jets running back Chris Johnson got back on track, matching a season high in carries (13) in a Week 7 defeat to the Patriots in Foxboro.

After rushing for only 9 yards the previous week against Denver, bounced back with 80 yards of total offense. He caught two passes -- both on the final drive -- for 19 yards and rushed for 61 yards on 13 carries, averaging 4.7 yards per attempt in a 27-25 defeat. He has cracked the 60-yard mark on the ground just twice through seven games. He has 261 rushing yards this season.

The Jets will take on the Bills at home in Week 8.

The Patriots received contributions from a number of players Week 7 against the Jets.

Brandon LaFell led the way, hauling in four passes for 55 yards. He finished third on the team in yardage, and was targeted five times. Danny Amendola caught one pass, but made it count. In the fourth quarter, Amendola scored on a 19 yard reception from Tom Brady. Amendola should have had a better game, but had a couple catches taken away due to penalties. Brandon Bolden also caught one ball for 4 yards. 

They'll look for more Week 8 against the Bears. 

The Patriots opted to use Jonas Gray as their backup running back Thursday against the Jets.

Gray was promoted from the practice squad prior to the contest. He received three carries, gaining 12 yards. Gray was not targeted in the passing game. He'll look to contribute more Week 8 against the Bears.

Patriots running back Shane Vereen had a big game Thursday against the Jets.

With Stevan Ridley out, Vereen got a chance to show off his skills as the primary ball-carrier. Vereen turned in an average performance as a runner, picking up 43 yards on 11 carries. He really showed off his abilities as a pass-catcher. On the first drive of the game, Vereen snagged a 49 yard touchdown reception from Tom Brady. The two would hook up again later in the contest on a 3 yard touchdown. Vereen led the team with 71 receiving yards.

Vereen will look for more Week 8 against the Bears. 

Though no announcement was ever made (except to refute the claim in the days that followed), Jerick McKinnon appeared to overtake Matt Asiata as the Vikings' top running back Week 6 against Detroit, getting each of the team's first six carries and 17 total touches to Asiata's three.

But since coach Mike Zimmer is saying he prefers a more even distribution between the two, this situation is far from settled, and with the matchup the Vikings have in Week 7, it would need to be for you to gamble on either player.

The Vikings visit the Bills, who rank first against the run. They've allowed 67.5 yards per game and an astonishing 2.8 yards per carry. They also have yet to surrender a touchdown on the ground.

As you might expect, they've allowed the fewest Fantasy points per game to running backs. Two unproven options in an uncertain timeshare aren't the best bets to reverse the trend. Better to sit back and watch what develops this week than to try something sneaky.

The following offensive players have received the green light for the Jets Week 7 at New England: Tight end Jace Amaro (knee), Eric Decker (hamstring), Chris Johnson (ankle) and David Nelson (ankle).