NFL Player News

Sermon is slated to be a part of the 49ers' running back rotation with Raheem Mostert (knee) expected to miss the next eight weeks, David Lombardi of The Athletic reports.

Coach Kyle Shanahan made Sermon a healthy scratch in the team's season opener, leaving Mostert, JaMycal Hasty and rookie sixth-rounder Elijah Mitchell is the available running backs. After Mostert went down with a knee injury in the first half, Mitchell was the player to profit most, taking 19 carries for 104 yards and one touchdown. Hasty himself had just two touches for 18 yards and one TD, so Mitchell seems to be the preferred RB option in San Francisco for the time being. Having said that, the 49ers invested more draft capital in Sermon than Mitchell back in April, so the former will get a chance to climb the depth chart as soon as Sunday at Philadelphia.

Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll said Monday that Penny (calf) is trending toward sitting out Sunday's game against the Titans, Michael-Shawn Dugar of The Athletic reports.

Ultimately, the severity of Penny's strained calf will determine when he's next able to suit up, but the Seahawks could allow him to take his time and place him on injured reserve to free up a roster spot. If Penny is sidelined Week 2, the trio of Alex Collins, Travis Homer and DeeJay Dallas will be the backups to starting running back Chris Carson.

Gibson (shoulder) was listed as limited on Washington's practice estimate Monday, Nicki Jhabvala of The Washington Post reports.

Gibson had his shoulder examined by the training staff during the season opener against the Chargers but stayed in the game. His status for Thursday's game against the Giants isn't in danger, barring any setbacks, but Gibson's practice participation still will be worth monitoring throughout the short week.

Wilkins did not have a carry or target in Sunday's loss to Seattle. He played 15 snaps, all on special teams.

Neither Wilkins nor Marlon Mack played a snap on offense, which shows that the coaching staff is set on giving Jonathan Taylor and Nyheim Hines large workloads. Both Wilkins and Mack may have little role in the offense unless Taylor or Hines gets hurt.

Barkley (knee) was listed as a limited participant on Monday's practice estimate, Dan Salomone of the Giants' official site reports.

Barkley came out of the season opener with no setbacks, and coach Joe Judge said the plan is for him to suit up for Thursday's game against Washington, per Dan Duggan of The Athletic. Still, the team is taking a cautious approach with the star running back's return from major surgery, and the quick turnaround could lead to a modest Week 2 workload for Barkley rather than a significant ramp-up from his season-opening total of 11 touches.

Williams, Latavius Murray and Trenton Cannon are in line to handle the Ravens' backfield duties Monday night against the Raiders, Jeff Zrebiec of The Athletic reports.

Per Zrebiec, the Ravens elected not to elevate either Le'Veon Bell or Devonta Freeman from their practice squad in advance of the contest. It's a scenario that Zrebiec believes should result in Williams seeing the bulk of the team's backfield work Monday night, with Murray -- a recent addition to the roster -- a candidate to mix in, while Cannon makes his mark on special teams

Mitchell's teammate, Raheem Mostert, is expected to miss about eight weeks with a knee injury, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reports.

Mostert exited Sunday's season opener after logging just two carries, and upon his exit Mitchell rushed 19 times for 104 yards and a TD. It was a strong enough performance to put him in the driver's seat to start this coming weekend's game against the Eagles, though it's possible rookie Trey Sermon -- who was a surprising healthy scratch Week 1 -- could re-enter the 49ers' backfield equation in short order, with JaMycal Hasty also in the mix.

Jacobs (illness) is trending toward playing Monday against the Ravens, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reports.

Confirmation likely won't surface until shortly before kickoff, but Jacobs is more likely to suit up than not. How much he'll contribute, if healthy, is another story, making Kenyan Drake an arguably safer fantasy play given the newcomer's health and expected pass-catching contributions.

Mostert (knee) is expected to miss about eight weeks and will go on IR, Nick Wagoner of ESPN.com reports.

Mostert exited Sunday's win over the Lions with a knee injury, which turns out to be chipped cartilage. Rookie sixth-round pick Elijah Mitchell took over for Mostert against Detroit and rushed for over 100 yards, so he'll likely lead San Francisco's backfield in Mostert's absence. JaMycal Hasty and rookie third-round pick Trey Sermon should also see additional opportunities while Mostert recovers.

Penny (calf) is expected to miss multiple weeks, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reports.

So much for the injury being minor. The oft-injured Penny once again will be sidelined, and a stint on short-term IR hasn't been ruled out. Seattle has no shortage of options vying for playing time behind Chris Carson in Penny's absence, with Alex Collins, Travis Homer and DeeJay Dallas all on hand in the backfield.