NFL Player News

Akers had five carries for 15 yards and two receptions for three yards on two targets in Sunday's loss to Kansas City.

Akers' share of the backfield work increased slightly in his second game with the Vikings, but Alexander Mattison remained the team's primary running back. Akers played on 21 of the offense's 73 snaps while Mattison logged 37. Mattison had eight carries and two receptions. Akers likely will remain in a similar role unless Mattison stumbles.

Coach Mike McDaniel said Monday that Achane is being evaluated for a knee injury sustained during Sunday's win over the Giants, Marcel Louis-Jacques of ESPN.com reports.

Achane rushed 11 times for 151 yards and a touchdown during Sunday's 31-16 win over the Giants while also securing his only target for 14 yards, but he was forced off the field in the fourth quarter. If the electric rookie is forced to miss any time, Salvon Ahmed and/or Chris Brooks would have a chance to handle increased carries behind Raheem Mostert, who would stand to operate as the clear No. 1 option without Achane present. Meanwhile, Jeff Wilson (ribs) also appears slated to come off IR this week.

Sermon did not have a carry or target in Sunday's win over Tennessee. He played three snaps on offense.

It was bit of a surprise that Sermon was on the field on offense with the return of Jonathan Taylor from an ankle injury. He should have a minimal role as long as Taylor and Zack Moss are healthy.

Rivers rushed once for one yard during Sunday's 23-14 loss to the Eagles.

Rivers saw just nine snaps on offense, a far cry from the 47 that Williams was a part of. While a more traditional split of snaps looked like it could be forming after Rivers handled nine rushing attempts against the Colts in Week 4, it appears that last week was more of an aberration than a sign of things to come. As long as Williams stays healthy, Rivers won't have much value from a fantasy perspective.

Jones (hamstring) is viewed as unlikely to play Monday night against the Raiders, Tom Pelissero of NFL Network reports.

Initially injured Week 1, Jones missed Weeks 2 and 3 before returning to face the Lions in Week 4, when he played 20 offensive snaps in the 14-point loss. It's possible he suffered a setback versus Detroit, as he's had 11 days to get ready for Monday's date with Las Vegas. The Packers have a bye next week and may want Jones to just get to 100 percent health for the final 12 games of the season. If Jones doesn't play, AJ Dillon and Patrick Taylor will handle most of the backfield work, with Emanuel Wilson also available.

Coach Brian Daboll said the status of Barkley (ankle) for Sunday's game against the Bills is "yet to be determined," Jordan Raanan of ESPN.com reports.

Barkley hasn't suited up since Week 2 due to a lingering right ankle injury. Last week, the star running back managed a trio of limited practices, a notable step in the right direction, though he ultimately wasn't able to take the field for Sunday's loss to the Dolphins. Daboll said tackle Andrew Thomas (hamstring) is also TBD for Week 6, though he noted that Barkley is the closer of the two to a return. Matt Breida has struggled to lead New York's backfield with Barkley absent, having rushed nine times for 21 yards and securing his only target for three yards Week 5.

Bigsby carried three times for eight yards during Sunday's 25-20 win against Buffalo.

Starter Travis Etienne once again dominated the backfield work and finished with 30 touches for 184 yards and two touchdowns. Bigsby was encouragingly the only Jacksonville running back besides Etienne to play more than a single offensive snap, but it's clear the rookie will likely stick in a minor offensive role as long as Etienne remains healthy.

Wilson (ribs) is expected to be designated for return from injured reserve this week, David Furones of the South Florida Sun Sentinel reports.

Once the transaction is official, Wilson would then have a 21-day practice window opened, which would give him a chance to make his season debut as early as Sunday's matchup against the Panthers. The veteran running back has missed the first five weeks of the 2023 campaign due to midsection and finger injuries suffered in the preseason. Raheem Mostert and rookie De'Von Achane have performed superbly to begin the 2023 campaign, so it's possible Wilson is relegated to a depth role when he returns to action.

Patterson caught his lone target for seven yards during Sunday's 21-19 win over the Texans. He also returned one kickoff for 35 yards.

Patterson, who was sidelined with a thigh injury to begin 2023, made his season debut in Week 4, but he played just one offensive snap. The veteran's role slightly increased versus Houston, and he garnered his first touch of the season, but it appears he's still working his way back to game speed. While the offensive production was modest, Patterson did make a splash on special teams, and he figures to get more kick-return opportunities moving forward now that his offensive workload is reduced with Bijan Robinson and Tyler Allgeier leading the backfield.

Singletary did not get a carry and failed to catch his lone target in Sunday's 21-19 loss to Atlanta.

Singletary entered the game averaging eight touches per game, but the backup running back went largely unused over 17 snaps against the Falcons. Houston's ground game never got going, failing to reach 100 yards for the fourth time in five weeks, but that hadn't prevented offensive coordinator Bobby Slowik from giving Singletary more looks in previous weeks. There's only so many touches he'll get while Dameon Pierce is healthy, but Singletary could be part of the solution that fixes an offense tied for last in the league with 3.0 yards per carry.