NFL Player News

Murray rushed six times for 17 yards and caught two of three targets for 13 yards in Monday night's 31-25 overtime win over the Colts.

He started at tailback but got little going over the course of Monday's contest, due both to game flow -- the Ravens trailed by 19 at one point in the third quarter before mounting a remarkable comeback -- and the presence of teammates Ty'Son Williams and Devonta Freeman. Although Murray potentially could've added a touchdown to his tally had quarterback Lamar Jackson not kept the ball and fumbled it on a zone-read play near the goal line, the veteran back overall was underwhelming Monday. With neither Williams nor Freeman topping 35 scrimmage yards, however, the Ravens' backfield picture remains muddled, potentially enabling Murray to maintain his top place on the depth chart ahead of a Week 6 matchup versus the Chargers.

Taylor rushed 15 times for 53 yards and a touchdown and caught three of four targets for 116 yards and another score in Monday night's 31-25 overtime loss to the Ravens.

Taylor dropped his first target of the night, but he then showed his open-field explosiveness by taking a simple swing pass 76 yards for a touchdown on 3rd-and-15 the very next play. The tailback later put together a pair of impressive runs following a Ravens fumble in the second half, ultimately capping that drive with a four-yard touchdown rush, his first of this season. With many strong gains and involvement as a pass catcher, Taylor turned in comfortably his best performance through five games, and he's now topped 110 scrimmage yards while scoring in back-to-back contests. Despite Monday's disappointing defeat, Taylor's recent play is certainly encouraging ahead of a favorable matchup versus the Texans in Week 6.

Kelley carried the ball two times for 17 yards in Sunday's 47-42 win over the Browns.

Kelley was activated for the first time this season and promptly usurped rookie Larry Rountree as the backup behind Austin Ekeler, earning 26 offensive snaps while Rountree and Justin Jackson saw zero. It's a bit odd to see Kelley in the backup role after struggling through the preseason and the conclusion of the 2020 campaign, but it's also not a role that has a lot of value with Austin Ekeler thriving as a three-down workhorse.

Rountree did not see an offensive snap in Sunday's 47-42 win over the Browns.

Rountree was somewhat surprisingly benched in favor of Joshua Kelley, who made his season debut Sunday and played 26 snaps. The rookie hadn't necessarily been effective in a limited workload to begin the season, but it's still surprising to see him lose his backup role to Kelley, who reportedly struggled throughout the preseason.

Murray seems set to be the Ravens' starting running back Monday against the Colts, Jamison Hensley of ESPN.com reports.

During pregame warmups, Murray was the No. 1 RB, while Ty'Son Williams and then Devonta Freeman mixed in behind him. On the season, Murray has been the most consistently used running back for the Ravens, who have been attempting to cover for season-ending injuries to J.K. Dobbins (knee) and Gus Edwards (knee). Murray has averaged just 3.4 YPC on his 44 rushes, however, and he hasn't been targeted through four games. Meanwhile, Williams is back in the mix after his surprise scratch Week 4, and on the campaign he's been more efficient to the tune of 6.1 YPC on 27 runs and five catches for 45 yards on seven targets. Murray likely will be the lead back Monday, but Williams could steal some work in key situations.

Williams is active for Monday's game against the Colts.

Williams hovered around a 50 percent snap share in the Ravens' offense in each of the first three games of the season, turning 27 carries into 164 yards and one touchdown to go with five catches (on seven targets) for 45 yards. Clearly the initial beneficiary of all the injuries in Baltimore's backfield, he was curiously a healthy scratch Week 4 while Latavius Murray was the lead runner, with Le'Veon Bell and Devonta Freeman getting the rest of the RB work. The team opted not to elevate Bell from the practice squad Monday, leaving Murray, Freeman and Williams as its available running backs. Considering he's been active for each of the Ravens' five contests this season, Murray again seems poised to be the No. 1 RB, but it'll be interesting to see if Williams can regain a foothold.

Cowboys head coach Mike McCarthy said Elliott is feeling soreness in his lower back and ribcage, but the running back is expected to be available for the team's Week 6 game in New England, Michael Gehlken of The Dallas Morning News reports. "I don't see [the injury] being an issue as far as him playing this week," McCarthy said.

Elliott picked up the injury in question during the Cowboys' win over the Giants on Sunday, when he landed awkwardly on a camera pylon. On an encouraging note, McCarthy didn't express any concern about the knee issue Elliott nursed heading into the weekend, as the 26-year-old proceeded to compile 112 total yards and two touchdowns on 23 touches. After back-to-back 100-plus-yard games on the ground, Elliott now ranks third in the NFL in rushing.

Giants head coach Joe Judge said Monday that X-rays on Barkley's sprained left ankle came back "with better news than it could've been," Ralph Vacchiano of SportsNet New York reports. Though Judge was unwilling to offer a timeline for Barkley's return, the running back appears likely to miss 2-to-3 weeks.

Judge's unwillingness to go into detail about the extent of Barkley's injury means he can't yet officially be ruled out for the Giants' Week 6 game against the Rams, but fantasy managers should already begin preparing to look at other options at running back this week, and likely next week, too. Devontae Booker served as the primary replacement when Barkley exited early in Sunday's loss to the Cowboys, finishing with 42 yards and a touchdown on 16 carries to go with three receptions for 16 yards and another score.

Perine's placement on the reserve/COVID-19 list earlier Monday was the result of a positive test, Tom Pelissero of NFL Network reports.

Since Perine was deactivated as a result of a positive test rather than through contact-tracing reasons, he may not clear the NFL's COVID-19 protocol ahead of the Bengals' next game Sunday in Detroit. The development is a less-than-ideal one for the Bengals, given that top back Joe Mixon was able to handle only a limited role in the Week 5 loss to the Packers while managing an ankle injury. While Mixon's workload was restricted, Perine picked up a season-high 11 carries and gained 59 yards. He also drew five targets, hauling in four of them for 24 yards and a score. With Perine sidelined and Mixon banged up, rookie Chris Evans is the only healthy back on the roster, so expect Cincinnati to add another body at the position ahead of the matchup with the Lions.

Williams is expected to be active for Monday's game against the Colts as the Ravens' third running back after Baltimore elected not to elevate Le'Veon Bell from the practice squad, Jamison Hensley of ESPN.com reports.

While the possibility exists that the Ravens may keep only two backs (Latavius Murray and Devonta Freeman) active for Week 5, the team's decision not to bring Bell aboard for another game suggests that Williams may have temporarily exited head coach John Harbaugh's doghouse. Though Williams averaged a healthy 6.1 yards per carry through the Ravens' first three games, his ball-security concerns and struggles as a pass blocker likely contributed to him being a healthy scratch Week 4 in Denver. With that in mind, Williams may not be in line to handle an extensive role behind Murray and Freeman even if he dresses Monday.