NFL Player News

There remains no featured back on the Broncos, John Fox told the Denver Post. He said that Knowshon Moreno, Ronnie Hillman and Montee Ball will all play Sunday against the New York Giants.

The trio combined for 21 carries in Week 1, spending most of their time blocking for quarterback Peyton Manning or watching from the sideline as he fired seven touchdown passes to bury the Ravens. Moreno received the most carries with nine.

The sharing of reps won't change in Week 2. "All three played Thursday, and all three will play Sunday," Fox said.

Rams running back Daryl Richardson finished the opener against the Cardinals, but "he did spend some time being looked at by Rams' medical personnel on the sideline," reports ESPN.com. It's a situation worth monitoring, the report said.

Richardson, who left the game briefly and got his toe wrapped, rushed 20 times for 63 yards and caught five passes for 33 yards.

With the news that Shane Vereen will miss the next eight weeks following a wrist injury suffered in Week 1, Fantasy owners have to make the call on either keeping him on the bench or cutting him for someone who will actually play. 

Depending on the size of your bench and whether or not you have space specifically for players on IR, the time has come to say goodbye to Vereen. 

The earliest Vereen can play again for the Patriots is Week 11. I spoke to people at the NFL who confirmed he is ineligible to practice for six weeks and ineligible to play in a game for eight weeks as per the rules for players placed on short-term Injured Reserve. When Vereen is eligible to come back, the Patriots will be on bye. Hence the 10-game layoff. I can't justify keeping a player on my bench that long unless I have the room. 

Running backs I'm aiming for off waivers immediately to replace him include (in order) Joique Bell, Bilal Powell, Isaiah Pead, Knowshon Moreno and then LeGarrette Blount, the backup running back in New England. None of these guys quite have the potential of Vereen but at least they'll play and potentially give me a fix at Flex for a few weeks until a better replacement is found. 

Vereen is already off my rosters in 10- and 12-person formats with six bench spots or fewer. However, I have set my mobile device's calendar to remind me to put in a claim for him on October 30, the night before Week 9 kicks off. I won't mind picking him up and waiting for him then. 

Patriots running back Shane Vereen will miss the next eight weeks after being placed on injured reserve/designated for return for his wrist injury, which leaves Fantasy owners in a tough position. The earliest we'll likely see Vereen is Week 11 since New England has a bye in Week 10.

In shallow leagues, you should cut Vereen and hope to get him back probably in Week 9 if he's healthy and practicing without a setback. Vereen is good, as we saw in Week 1 with 159 total yards against the Bills, but he's not worth tying up a roster spot when you have limited bench space.

It goes without saying that you should stash Vereen if you have an IR spot, and owners in deeper leagues should keep him if possible. He could be a valuable addition to a playoff run because when he's back the Patriots will use him, especially if Stevan Ridley continues to fumble.

This is tough news for Fantasy owners who had high expectations for Vereen as a breakout player. We can only hope that his wrist heals in time, and then he can contribute to a Fantasy championship with a late-season flurry.

The Patriots announced Tuesday running back Shane Vereen (wrist) was placed on injured reserve/designated for return. He can't practice for six weeks or play for eight weeks.

Ravens running back Bernard Pierce had a quiet 2013 debut, averaging 2.4 yards per carry in a Week 1 loss at Denver. He will look to increase his output Week 2 vs. Cleveland.

Pierce had good success against the Browns as a rookie in 2012. He managed just 13 carries, but he averaged 5.7 yards per carry and had one touchdown in two games.

Dolphins running backs Lamar Miller and Daniel Thomas struggled Week 1 against Cleveland, totaling 17 rushing yards on 18 carries. Though, Pierce and Ray Rice should have better success against Cleveland in Week 2.

Although Pierce is enjoying increased reps on offense, Rice is still the lead back. Pierce is nothing more than a flex option for deeper Fantasy formats Week 2.

Playing behind the newly acquired Steven Jackson for the first time, Falcons running back Jacquizz Rodgers had a grand total of three touches for 2 yards in Week 1. His role doesn't figure to change that much against the Rams in Week 2.

While Rodgers was a necessary pass-catching complement to Michael Turner in his first two years in the league, Jackson can handle that role himself -- and did quite admirably in Week 1, catching five passes for 45 yards.

Maybe if the Falcons build up a big lead -- which seems unlikely after the Rams scored 27 against the Cardinals in Week 1 -- Rodgers can get some touches late, but other than as a handcuff option for Jackson, Fantasy owners should want no part of him.

Browns running back Trent Richardson has never gone more than two games in his young NFL career without scoring a touchdown. He hasn't scored in his last two games dating back to last season, so he seems due heading into Week 2 at Baltimore.

Richardson's last 100-yard rushing game came against Baltimore in Week 9 last season. Richardson performed well against the Ravens as a rookie, totaling 152 rushing yards, 88 receiving yards and one touchdown in two games. 

While Broncos quarterback Peyton Manning shred the Ravens' secondary for seven touchdowns Week 1, the Denver backfield managed just 67 rushing yards and averaged 3.2 yards per carry.

Browns coach Rob Chudzinski said Monday Richardson was held to 15 touches Week 1 against the Dolphins because Cleveland couldn't extend drives due to a poor third-down conversion rate (1 for 14). It sounds like the Browns could run Richardson early and often Week 2. If you own Richardson, then consider starting him in all Fantasy formats.

Though he's able to practice again after being suspended in Week 1 for violating the NFL's substance-abuse policy, Rams running back Isaiah Pead hasn't been promised anything by coach Jeff Fisher, who said "we'll see" when asked Monday if Pead would play Week 2 at Atlanta, according to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.

Pead wasn't especially effective in the preseason, but he did lead the Rams with 26 carries for 86 yards. As a former second-round pick on a team still searching for a running game with Steven Jackson now out of the picture, he's a good bet to contribute in some capacity.

Most likely, he's not going overtake Daryl Richardson, who averaged just 3.2 yards on his 20 carries in Week 1, but the two could work in tandem. Unfortunately, a tandem role probably won't amount to much even against a Falcons defense that struggled against the run last season, allowing 123.2 yards per game and 4.8 yards per carry.

Until Pead proves his worth on offense, he's nothing more than a bench option in Fantasy.

Though second-year running back Daryl Richardson gained just 63 yards on 20 carries (to go along with 33 yards on five catches) in Week 1, the Rams seemed mostly pleased with his first go as Steven Jackson's replacement.

"He showed that he has matured since last year both in the ability to run the football and to pick up blitzes," quarterback Sam Bradford told the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. "I'm extremely proud of him, and I'm excited for what this year is gonna be for him."

That said, Richardson may not get the same workload Week 2 at Atlanta with former second-round pick Isaiah Pead due back from suspension. Coach Jeff Fisher hasn't said how he'll use Pead, if he uses him at all, but because Richardson didn't exactly separate himself from the pack in Week 1, you have think he's at risk of losing some touches.

And even if he doesn't, you can't assume he'll get another 20 carries. The Falcons have one of the league's most prolific offenses, and with Jackson gone, Bradford is the Rams' best bet for keeping pace. Because he'll be hard-pressed just to repeat last week's numbers, Richardson remains more of a flex option than a true starting running back in Fantasy.