NFL Player News

The Broncos have had only a couple of training camp practices but it's clear in Sports Illustrated's Peter King's mind who the top running back will be. 

King tweeted Friday that he believes rookie Montee Ball is better than second-year back Ronnie Hillman and that he will "eventually" win the starting job with the Broncos. 

Hillman took the majority of first-team reps in training camp practice No. 1 for the Broncos but the competition is just beginning. 

Rams coach Jeff Fisher addressed the media Thursday and said this is new territory for him coming into training camp without a clear-cut starting running back. The Rams have listed Daryl Richardson as the starter, but he's competing with Isaiah Pead and Zac Stacy for the full-time job.

"No, I've usually had a guy, but that's what the competition is about and that's what camp's for and preseason games are for," Fisher said. "It's not going to be out of the question that we don't play two or three of them quite a bit. We may not end up with a 'bellcow' like we've had last year in 'Jack' [Steven Jackson] and previous years and just let them all play."

Fisher is open to using a committee backfield with all three running backs splitting time, but he's also looking for a lead rusher. The only one out of the mix for Week 1 is Pead, who is suspended.

"I'm not saying that we don't have one that can," Fisher said. "We just haven't seen him do it yet. One of them may emerge and carry it 350 times this year, we don't know. But offensively, it's nice to have two or three guys in a rotation just because there's different ability levels at the position."

Browns running back Trent Richardson felt great following his first practice in training camp Thursday, and he reported no issues with his injured shin during offseason workouts, according to the Cleveland Plain Dealer.

"I completely trust it," Richardson said of the shin. "I did a lot of rehab on it, and I did a lot of stuff in the offseason to build my muscle back up. Right now I'm feeling pretty good. When it comes down to it, you're going to see my game elevate. ... I'm just going up this hill we're climbing on. I'm going to keep striving to win every time."

Richardson said he's in great shape coming into the year.

"I feel way quicker, especially without all that extra padding I had around my ribs," he said, referring to last year's injury. "I lost weight. I'm 225. I probably came into camp 230 last year, probably played at 233 not being able to run fully other than Friday before the game due to injury. It’s a blessing to be in the shape that I am right now."

The Packers will have a good competition at running back during training camp, reports the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel. Five running backs -- DuJuan Harris, Eddie Lacy, Johnathan Franklin, Alex Green and James Starks -- will battle for playing time.

The report says each will carry the ball a lot during camp, assuming all are healthy. Harris (chest) will open camp on the PUP list, but the report says once he's recovered from a cyst on his lung he could move to the top of the depth chart based on how last season finished.

But no matter who starts, we could see the Packers run the ball more than ever under coach Mike McCarthy.

"Running the football is a collective effort," McCarthy said. "There has to be commitment from the play-caller. It's something we need to do a better job of and I'm confident that we will."

Browns running back Trent Richardson, who missed time this offseason because of a muscle strain in his right shin, was on the field for the start of training camp Thursday, reports the Cleveland Plain Dealer.

He did not have any brace or sleeve on his leg and appeared "light and fast" catching a ball out of the backfield.

Broncos running back Ronnie Hillman started with the first-team offense on the first day of training camp, a sign he's ahead of rookie Montee Ball and veteran Knowshon Moreno on the depth chart for now.

There are varying reports about how much Hillman shared with the other runners: Mile High Report says he ran exclusively with the first-team while an intern with the Denver Post reported Hillman and Ball worked with the first team. 

ESPN Denver's Cecil Lammey reports Hillman wowed the crowd and looked good as part of the zone-blocking scheme in team drills. Later, coach John Fox said Hillman's body has improved to the point of being a "pro body" and believes he's even more capable as a full-time running back. 

Can you really trust Chargers running back Ryan Mathews anymore? Is he worth the risk to draft him as even a flex option?

I consider Mathews a bust this season, and I will avoid drafting him this year unless he completely plummets to a late-round pick. His Average Draft Position on CBSSports.com is No. 50 overall, and he's being selected as the No. 26 running back. That's too high for me.

Mathews is saying all the right things this offseason, and the new coaching staff in San Diego is also behind him. Coach Mike McCoy told me at the NFL owners meetings in March that Mathews "had some bad luck the past couple of years" with injuries, and "he's going to be a great fit for this system."

That's good to hear, but it's clear Mathews will have a limited role. Danny Woodhead was brought in to play on passing downs, and the Chargers still have Ronnie Brown on the roster. That means Mathews is a two-down running back. He's also injury prone along the lines of Darren McFadden, and he suffered two broken clavicles in 2012.

There's a lot to like about Mathews in terms of talent, but Fantasy owners are clearly running out of patience. From what we saw last year, Mathews might not have what it takes to be a legitimate contributor.

The Vikings announced Thursday that rookie receiver Cordarrelle Patterson has signed. Patterson was one of three first round selections (No. 29 overall) by the Vikings in the 2013 draft.

During his lone season at Tennessee, Patterson led the Southeastern Conference averaging 158.4 all-purpose yards per game. His play earned him first-team All-SEC honors by the Associated Press as an All-Purpose Player.

Buccaneers running back Doug Martin heads into the season as a sought-after player in Fantasy leagues. He is currently being selected No. 3 overall based on Average Draft Position on CBSSports.com.

Martin is being drafted after Adrian Peterson and Arian Foster. We agree based on our rankings, and I like Martin at No. 3 overall in standard leagues and No. 2 in PPR formats.

Last year, Martin finished as the No. 2 running back in standard leagues behind Peterson. He had 1,454 rushing yards and 11 touchdowns and 49 catches for 472 yards and one touchdown.

Coach Greg Schiano told me he would like Martin more involved as a receiver, and he could approach 2,000 total yards. He's a beast, and he should be drafted as a Top 3 overall pick.

The Seahawks made news Tuesday when reports surfaced that second-year running back Robert Turbin is expected to be the third-down back behind starter Marshawn Lynch. That has Fantasy owners wondering who is the handcuff option for Lynch -- Turbin or rookie Christine Michael.

This is probably a scenario where if Lynch goes down the Seahawks would use a committee of Turbin and Michael. Turbin is probably the better handcuff option on Draft Day, but Michael might be the one running between the tackles and could have more upside.

This isn't like Houston with Arian Foster and Ben Tate or Baltimore with Ray Rice and Bernard Pierce. The backfield behind Lynch is wide open, and Seattle might opt to use both guys if Lynch gets hurt.

Of course, we hope that doesn't happen, but be prepared just in case. You might be better off with Michael long-term, but Turbin could get the first crack at the job.

We'd gamble on Turbin on Draft Day as the handcuff to Lynch, but be ready to pounce on Michael if he gets the majority of touches should Lynch suffer an injury.