NFL Player News

Broncos running back Ronnie Hillman went above and beyond in his first game replacing the injured Montee Ball Week 6 at the Jets, not only rushing for 100 yards to give the Broncos their best individual rushing performance of the season but also doing it against what at the time a top-five run defense.

Unfortunately, he'll have to prove himself all over again against San Francisco in Week 7. The 49ers rank seventh against the run, allowing 79.8 yards per game, and have given up the fifth-fewest Fantasy points per game to running backs this season. They limited the Eagles' LeSean McCoy to 17 yards on 10 carries in Week 3 and the Bears' Matt Forte to 21 yards on 12 carries in Week 2.

Then again, the Chiefs' Jamaal Charles and the Cowboys' DeMarco Murray did fine against them, so it's not like Hillman is an automatic sit for this matchup (in case he didn't show you that last week). But he's risky. If you need him to be your second running back, no problem, but if you're considering him for your flex spot, you might want to go with a wide receiver instead.

The Patriots have promoted running back Jonas Gray and offensive lineman Chris Barker from the practice squad, according to ESPN.

The two players will take the place of Stevan Ridley and Jerod Mayo, who were both placed on IR Thursday. Gray should replace Ridley, though it's unknown how much playing time he'll get. Barker gives the team another option on the line. 

Chargers running back Branden Oliver has flourished in two weeks since being given a larger role, and should be worth rolling out there in your Fantasy lineup for Week 7 even with a tough matchup against the Chiefs on the way.

The Chiefs have done a good job against running backs this season, allowing just 14.0 Fantasy points per game to them. However, Oliver already showed he can find success even against a tough matchup, as he racked up 172 all-purpose yards on the Jets in Week 5.

Oliver has been the featured back since Donald Brown suffered a concussion in Week 5, and Brown was still unable to practice both Wednesday and Thursday. We should get a healthy dose of Oliver yet again this week, and will be worth starting in all Fantasy formats for Week 7. 

The Patriots are on the verge of promoting former Notre Dame power back Jonas Gray from their practice squad to replace the injured Stevan Ridley on their roster, according to NFL Network Insider Ian Rapoport.

Jaguars running back Storm Johnson didn't blow anyone away in his first start, but he should continue to see a decent role in Week 7 against the Browns, and could be in line for a better performance this time around.

Johnson rushed for just 21 yards on a career-high 10 carries against the Titans last week, but faces an easier matchup Sunday. The Browns are allowing 4.8 yards per carry to opposing running backs, compared to 4.0 for the Titans. The Browns are also allowing 21.6 Fantasy points per game to running backs, the eighth-highest total in the league.

The Jaguars' running game has been a disaster all season, so we shouldn't expect a huge showing from Johnson even as his role increases. This is a bit of a better matchup, though, and he looks like the primary option in the running game, even getting work on the goal line last week.

Though he shouldn't be considered a must-start option by any means, Johnson can be viewed as a bye-week replacement or Flex option for Week 7. 

The humbling experience of being inactive for the Week 6 win over Pittsburgh has Browns rookie running back Terrance West thinking about his outlook.

Benched by Mike Pettine for poor practice habits and lack of effort when he wasn't carrying the ball, West is hoping to earn his way back into the coach's good graces. He has fallen behind featured back Ben Tate and impressive fellow rookie Isaiah Crowell on the depth chart, which he admits bothered him.

"Sometimes I let it get the best of me," West told the Cleveland Plain Dealer. "I wish I could get the ball every play. I wish I could, but this is the NFL. It's not college anymore. ... I'm a team guy, but at the same time I'm a ball hog. If I could tell a coach, 'Give me the ball every play,' I would. ... That's just the competitor in me."

West, who was a healthy scratch against the Steelers, rushed for 100 yards in his NFL debut. But he remains clearly behind Tate, who has exceeded 200 yards rushing in the last two games combined, and Crowell, who has scored four touchdowns this season and ran for 77 yards on just 11 carries in the Week 6 win.

Pettine has stated that West's status for Sunday in Jacksonville will be determined by how well he practices this week.

The Patriots are going to have a tough time replacing Stevan Ridley in the running game, and we will get our first glimpse of how the team plans to do that in Week 7 against the Jets Thursday. The primary options to replace Ridley are Brandon Bolden and James White, though Bolden would not tell the Boston Herald Wednesday how he expects to be used in Thursday's matchup.

"I'm going into this game just doing whatever they ask me to do, whether it's special teams or offense," he said.

Neither Bolden nor White has much of a track record, though Bolden does at least have one 100-yard game under his belt back in 2012. He should get the first crack at an increased role, as he received six carries in Week 6, but Patriots head coach Bill Bellichek is notoriously fickle with running backs, so he could have a short leash Thursday.

We should have a much better idea of how the Patriots' backfield share will shake out after Thursday, but Fantasy owners will want to steer clear for Week 7. The Jets have allowed just 3.6 yards per carry and 13.0 Fantasy points per game to opposing running backs, so Bolden only makes sense as a desperation player this Week. White is just a long-term flier for now. 

Chargers running back Ryan Mathews (knee) has yet to be cleared to resume running, U-T San Diego reports.

"I'm just taking it one day at a time," Mathews said Wednesday. "When they think it's time for me to start running, then it's time to start running. It's all in their hands."

Mathews has been out for slightly longer than a month with an MCL sprain. The team has no reason to rush him back with Branden Oliver emerging as a threat at the running back position.

A rather lengthy Jets injury report for their Thursday game against the Patriots is dominated by probables. The lone exceptions are wide receiver Greg Salas (wrist/ankle) and linebacker Trevor Reilly (knee), both of whom have been ruled out.

The probables are tight end Jace Amaro (knee), guard Willie Colon (knee), wideouts David Nelson (ankle) and Eric Decker (hamstring), tackle Breno Giacomini (back), defensive lineman Damon Harrison (ankle), running back Chris Johnson (ankle), center Nick Mangold (shoulder) and cornerback Darrin Walls (knee).

Browns running back Terrance West said Wednesday he expects to be active Week 7 against the Jaguars after being a healthy scratch Week 6, per the Elyria Chronicle-Telegram. West said being inactive will "most definitely" make him a better player down the road.

West said the coaches want him to do a better job of carrying out fakes. He added he is supposed to continue running down the field on play-action.