NFL Player News

Chargers featured back Ryan Mathews hit the injury report this week for the first time on Friday with a hamstring tweak, but he appears good to go for the Sunday game in Oakland. He is listed as probable.

Mathews is off to a mediocre start in 2013 with 226 yards on 64 carries and no touchdowns. He is coming off a Week 4 game against Dallas in which he caught a season-high four passes for 41 yards.

The proclamation from Dennis Allen that top back Darren McFadden (hamstring) can play for the Raiders on Sunday without having practiced this week will soon be tested for its validity. McFadden made it a clean sweep by missing the Friday session and is listed as doubtful for the game against San Diego.

The likely absence of McFadden would result in vastly increased playing time for Rashad Jennings, who performed well in that role last week, particularly as a pass-catcher.

Ravens running back Shaun Draughn was able to play through an ankle injury in Week 4, and he will have to do so again in Week 5 against the Dolphins. Draughn is officially listed on the injury report for Sunday's game as questionable, after being limited throughout the week in practice. 

Browns running back Bobby Rainey saw little of the field in Week 5 against the Bills, in a 37-24 win. Rainey rushed the ball just two times for 8 yards, as the Browns leaned heavily on Willis McGahee in the win.

Cleveland is set to face the Lions in Week 6.  

Dolphins running back Daniel Thomas has seen his role in the running game shrink in recent weeks, a trend that is unlikely to reverse itself in Week 5 against the Ravens.

The Ravens defense has held strong against running backs for much of the season, allowing just their first touchdown of the season in Week 4 against the Bills. Seeing as how Thomas has actually been ceding goal-line carries to Lamar Miller in recent weeks, that does not bode well for him from a Fantasy perspective.

Thomas gains much of his increasingly limited value from the possibility of scoring on the goal line, and even that seems to be fading. Against a stout rushing defense like the Ravens, Thomas is little more than an emergency starter for Week 5. 

Ravens running back Bernard Pierce saw his role shrink in Week 4 against the Bills, and that probably won't turn around much in Week 5 against the Dolphins.  

Ravens coach John Harbaugh told reporters Wednesday the team wants to feature Ray Rice more heavily this Sunday against the Dolphins, and that seems like a good plan after Pierce proved largely ineffective while taking on a larger role. Pierce has averaged just 2.7 yards per carry on 56 carries this season, and Rice seems fully recovered from the hip injury that pushed Pierce into a larger role.

The Dolphins are vulnerable against running backs, allowing 20.5 Fantasy points per game s far, but the questions about Pierce's role make it hard to trust him. Fantasy owners should consider Pierce just a flex option for Week 5. 

Cardinals running back Andre Ellington continues to make a strong case as the most productive back in Arizona. Ellington nearly hasn't gotten enough touches as Rashard Mendenhall, but through three games, he's averaged nearly three more yards per carry than Mendenhall.

Ellington has 11 carries for 68 yards while Mendenhall has 52 carries for 176 yards (3.4 yards per carry) and one touchdown. He'll face a Carolina defense that has allowed only one rushing touchdown and one 100-yard rusher through three games. The Panthers have allowed only 93.0 yards per game on the ground, which is the seventh-fewest allowed. Opposing running backs have scored 14.00 points against the Panthers, which is the 11th fewest allowed in Fantasy.

Ellington is still a few convincing performances away from proving that he's a consistent option in Fantasy. Right now, he's nothing more than a low-end flex option heading into Week 5.

The notion that Raiders running back Darren McFadden (hamstring) will require practice time to be active for the game Sunday night against San Diego was shot down Thursday by Dennis Allen. The coach told CSNCalifornia.com that McFadden could play if deemed healthy by game time despite not having practiced during the week.

A hamstring injury placed a red light at Thursday practice for Raiders top back Darren McFadden, the Contra Costa Times is reporting. His continued absence calls into question his availability for the Sunday game against visiting San Diego.

McFadden, who has struggled to stay healthy throughout his career, left early in the Week 4 loss to Washington with his latest ailment.

Rashad Jennings took over and performed well, particularly as a receiver coming out of the backfield. Jennings will start against the Chargers if McFadden remians out.

Despite disappointing production, Colts new featured back Trent Richardson received praise from offensive coordinator Pep Hamilton on Thursday.

"He's been able to do some heavy lifting for us," Hamilton told the team website. "The major positive [is that] he's been able to avoid negative plays."

Richardson's rushing numbers have continued to dwindle in Indianapolis. He has rushed for just 95 yards on 33 carries for a 2.9 average since the trade that brought him from Cleveland. He has scored a touchdown in each of his two games with the Colts, but has just one catch.

He is destined for a heavier workload with backfield mate Ahmad Bradshaw perhaps out for the season.