NFL Player News

49ers running back LaMichael James was unable to practice Wednesday, as he continues to deal with a sprained MCL suffered in the preseason.

James suffered the injury in the team's preseason finale, and could end up missing up to three weeks. The 49ers play the Packers in Week 1 Sunday, and James has not yet been ruled out.

The Falcons' matchup Week 1 at New Orleans is a running back's dream, but backup Jacquizz Rodgers might as well sleep through it. Even when he had a definite role as the change of pace for Michael Turner last season, he was just a supplemental contributor in two games against the league's worst run defense, rushing 11 times for 72 yards and catching six passes for 29.

Now that the Falcons have a legitimate pass-catcher as their starting running back in Steven Jackson, Rodgers might not even see the field. He's the backup, yeah, but anything he can do, Jackson can do better.

Plus, he's coming off a disappointing season in which he averaged 3.0 yards per carry. Jamey Eisenberg and Dave Richard don't even have him among their top 48 running backs for this week, so in Fantasy, he's a handcuff option better left on the bench, if not the waiver wire.

With the first week of practice finished, the Broncos backfield situation is no clearer entering Week 1 against the Ravens than it was during the preseason.

Second-year running back Ronnie Hillman enters Thursday's game at the top of the depth chart, but he figures to share the workload with both Montee Ball and Knowshon Moreno. As the season goes on, we should get a better indication of how the coaching staff wants to use each back, but Hillman has to be considered a risky Fantasy starter for Week 1 until we get some clarity.

Hillman rushed for 83 yards in the teams' previous meeting in last season's playoffs, but he managed just 29 yards on 14 carries just five games earlier against Baltimore. None of our experts have Hillman ranked higher than No. 40 among running backs this week, making him a risky start as anything more than a flex option for Week 1. 

Fantasy owners know running back Bernard Pierce is ready and able to shoulder a larger role in the team's offense, but it is not yet clear how much responsibility the Ravens are willing to give him just yet. We should get a good idea of what the back's share will be like after Thursday, when the Ravens open their season in Denver.

Pierce cut into Ray Rice's workload pretty heavily as a rookie, racking up 532 yards on 108 carries, including at least eight carries in eight of the team's final 10 games, including playoffs. Even if he gets that kind of workload early this season, it might be tough to trust him against the Broncos in Week 1, however.

The Ravens were not keen on relying on Pierce too heavily when they faced the Broncos last season, as the only two games he did not carry the ball at least eight times in the final 10 games came against Denver. He was held to just 34 yards on 10 carries in two matchups. With uncertainty about his role, and a tough matchup, Pierce should be considered little more than a Fantasy reserve in most league for Week 1. 

The battle for the featured back spot in Miami went down to the wire. That doesn't bode well from a Fantasy standpoint for owners of winner Lamar Miller or backup Daniel Thomas. Barring an explosive start, Miller might not receive enough reps for the Dolphins to justify playing him.

Miller showed some potential in 2012 by averaging 4.9 yards in 51 carries. He thoroughly outplayed Thomas in the preseason as well, leading Joe Philbin to give Miller the nod in what he told the Miami Herald was a "very, very close" competition. Thomas claimed he was "cool" about the decision because he would be getting the same number of reps as Miller anyway. That also should lpush Fantasy owners away from Miller.

It would be wise to hold off on playing Miller until he proves he will be used extensively and effectively. Week 1 opponent Cleveland boasts a strong front seven against the run.

The Broncos released their Week 1 injury report for Thursday's season opener. Among the players listed as out are running back C.J. Anderson (knee) and tight end Joel Dreessen (knee).

Guard Chris Kuper is doubtful with an ankle injury. Offensive tackle Ryan Clady is probable with a shoulder injury. Backup quarterback Brock Osweiler (shoulder) and defensive end Robert Ayers (Achilles) are also probable.

Patriots running back Shane Vereen steps into the role vacated by Danny Woodhead this season, and he should start his season off on the right foot with his Week 1 matchup against the Bills.

New England dominated Buffalo with its backfield last season, and Vereen should help in a repeat performance Sunday. In two meetings against the Bills last season, the Patriots running backs combined for 361 rushing yards and five touchdowns and nine catches for 96 yards and two touchdowns.

In those two games in 2012, Woodhead had three touchdowns, and Vereen could have similar results this time around. We consider Vereen a flex option in standard leagues and a solid starter in PPR formats.

Chargers running back Ryan Mathews looked good in the preseason, averaging 4.7 yards per carry and showing no hesitation after breaking both clavicles last year. But he's got a rough Week 1 matchup against the Texans.

Houston allowed the fifth-fewest Fantasy points (12.9) to opposing running backs last year. CBSSports.com experts rank Mathews, who will lose passing-down work to Danny Woodhead, in the low 30s among Week 1 options. Mathews is a Flex play, not an RB2.

The criticism aimed at Browns featured back Trent Richardson last season centered on his tentative approach to hitting holes, but a rib injury played a role in his uncertainty. He was far more aggressive this preseason and has expressed a strong desire to show his explosiveness in 2013. He will be motivated to get off to a strong start Sunday against Miami.

The Dolphins run defense ranked 13th in the NFL last year at 108.4 yards per game and they yielded just 10 rushing touchdowns. But the Browns boast two Pro Bowl offensive linemen in left tackle Joe Thomas and center Alex Mack and potentially a third in blossoming right tackle Mitchell Schwartz. Though they averaged just 3.0 yards per carry in the preseason, they used Richardson sparingly.

With no experienced backup, look for Richardson to run at least 20-25 times against Miami and be a mainstay in goal-line situations. Richardson, who seeks to increase his 2012 per-rush average of 3.6, understands the importance of playing well against the Dolphins.

"You really want to set the tone," he told the Miami Herald. "I know people say it's not about how you start, it's how you finish. You still want to get off to a good start. You still want to win that season opener."

Richardson has been ranked as a No. 1 option and at least a top eight potential scorer this week by the CBSSports.com senior Fantasy writers.

Redskins running back Roy Helu has secured the backup job in Washington and will line up that way against Philadelphia on Monday night in Week 1. Helu will spell Alfred Morris and likely should see some touches despite Evan Royster also likely getting involved.

Helu saw just two carries for 2 yards last season as a second-year player. He played in the first three games of the season and was injured after that. That said, he rushed for 640 yards with two touchdowns as a rookie in 2011. He added another 379 receiving yards and a score that year.

That said, Helu struggled as a rookie against the Eagles with just 11 rushing yards on six carries in two games. Last season, the Eagles were decent at limiting the running game. They finished in the middle of the pack in terms of Fantasy points per game allowed to RBs. Morris had two excellent games against them, though we don't expect much out of Helu in Week 1. He is a low-end Fantasy option and barely worth using as a flex.