NFL Player News

Buccaneers running back Doug Martin has been placed on season-ending IR.

Martin had been trying to come back from a shoulder injury, which has caused him to miss the past two games. The move will end Martin's second professional season. He finishes the year rushing for 456 yards and one touchdown in six games. 

Despite participating fully in Friday practice, Colts running back Trent Richardson is listed as questionable for the game Sunday against the Rams. He missed the last two practices with an ankle injury. His absence would result in increased reps for Donald Brown.

Dolphins running back Daniel Thomas has three straight games with nine or more carries, but he's seen his rushing yardage take a dip in each game. He scored a touchdown in Week 8 against New England, but did very little in his last game against the Bengals, with three Fantasy points in standard leagues. 

Thomas' usage has been very odd in the Dolphins' post-bye games. Each of his three performances have featured more rushing attempts than any of his pre-bye games, but fellow back Lamar Miller set season highs in attempts and rushing yards in his last two games. While the easy answer is, "the Dolphins are running more," it doesn't help divine what to do with Thomas. 

As long as he's getting the carries, Thomas is worth a start in deeper (16 teams or more) leagues. And he's a weekly threat to score a touchdown. But this Dolphins situation isn't even close to clear, and Thomas will remain a tough weekly call for the foreseeable future. 

An ankle ailment that had Colts running back Trent Richardson sidelined from practice the previous two days did not have him out on Friday. He has returned to participate, which indicates that he should be active for the game Sunday against the visiting Rams.

The continued poor production from running back Trent Richardson since his trade from Cleveland to the Colts before Week 3 is not the only mystery surrounding his season. Another is his lack of use in the passing game. But Chuck Pagano plans on changing that.

Richardson caught 51 passes for the Browns as a rookie in 2012, but only four since joining the Colts. His 24-yard catch-and-run off a screen Sunday in Houston helped set up the winning touchdown. That could be a portent of things to come.

"We know he's got that ability," Pagano told the Indianapolis Star. "I think as he gets more comfortable with the scheme and terminology and all those types of things and the game, the situation, the score, all those things kind of line up ... we'd love to get him in space more and get him the ball more."

Richardson, who is averaging just 3.0 YPC with Indianapolis, is also now dealing with an ankle injury that sidelined him from Wednesday and Thursday practices.

San Francisco running back LaMichael James could be looking at an expanded role Week 10 against the Panthers, according to the Sacramento Bee. 

James has been taking more punt-return reps during recent practices, and head coach Jim Harbaugh has been talking about finding a role for James in the past few weeks. Kyle Williams hasn't been a big play return man for the team, and James was utilized as a returner in college. While James hasn't been told he'll be taking over, it looks like he might get some opportunities sooner rather than later.

Redskins running back Roy Helu and fullback Darrel Young each has a three-touchdown game under his belt this season. Unfortunately, they didn't see their named called many times during the Week 10 loss at Minnesota Thursday night. 

Helu saw just two carries in the game for 8 yards. He did catch three passes -- mostly late -- for 23 yards on four targets. Young saw one carry and did not gain a yard. He was targeted once in the end zone, but couldn't come close to catching the ball. The Redskins play at Philadelphia during the Week 11 game Sunday. 

Vikings wide receiver Cordarrelle Patterson hauled in his first career touchdown pass during the Week 10 Thursday night game against Washington. The Vikings picked up the victory as well. 

Patterson caught a 2-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Christian Ponder in the second quarter to put the Vikings up 14-10 at the time. They would win 34-27 and come back from 13 points down in the second half. 

Patterson saw four targets come his way as he finished two catches for 22 yards and the score. He's been becoming more involved on offense, but remains mostly a return man for the Vikings as a rookie. Minnesota heads to Seattle for the Week 11 game. 

Titans running back Chris Johnson found his form in a big way last week against the Rams, and he should have no problem keeping the momentum rolling in Week 10 against the Jaguars.

One week after rushing for 150 yards and a pair of scores, Johnson gets to go up against one of the league's worst rushing defenses. The Jaguars allow opposing running backs to rack up 22.0 Fantasy points per game this season, and enter Week 10 with a three-game streak of opposing backs totaling at least 30 points against Jacksonville.

Johnson should continue to make up for a poor start to the season this week, and has to be considered a must-start Fantasy option for Week 10. 

The Minnesota Vikings had five players on the roster ruled out for Thursday's Week 10 game against Washington when Wednesday's official injury report came out. All five players are among the Vikings' inactives for the Week 10 game.

Those players are as follows: Running back Matt Asiata (shoulder); defensive backs Chris Cook (hip) and Jamarca Sanford (groin); defensive lineman Fred Evans (knee); and tight end Kyle Rudolph (foot).