NFL Player News

Sanders (lower body) is expected to be available for Sept. 13's season-opener against Washington, Paul Domowitch of The Philadelphia Inquirer reports.

Sanders has missed a substantial amount of training camp due to a lower body injury, but reports have been consistently optimistic about his chances of suiting up Week 1. The 23-year-old will function as the lead dog in Philadelphia's backfield if he's indeed available against Washington, but until he resumes practicing without restrictions the possibility of a snap count can't be ruled out. Boston Scott and Corey Clement would be in line for increased snaps if Sanders ends up limited in any capacity.

Evans (undisclosed) is scheduled to resume practicing Thursday afternoon, Turron Davenport of ESPN.com reports.

Early reports from training camp suggested the rookie was struggling with fumbles, and he's now missed more than a week and a half of practice due to an unspecified injury. Evans still has time to prove his health before Week 1, but it isn't clear he'll be a significant part of the offensive gameplan in Tennessee's Monday night opener at Denver.

It still isn't clear how the Bills' backfield workload will be split between Singletary and Zack Moss, according to Joe Buscaglia of The Athletic.

Singletary was an effective runner throughout his rookie season and showed development as a receiving threat late in the year, but he also fumbled four times and apparently wasn't consistent in pass protection. The 223-pound Moss is a better bet to handle short-yardage work, but Singletary still figures to be the nominal starter and quite possibly the lead runner. Reports of fumbling issues at camp were probably overblown, as it was only two instances through seven practices, and we haven't heard any evidence the problem continued. For what it's worth, Singletary had only five fumbles on 765 touches in his college career, and Moss had only six on 778 touches.

It isn't clear how the Bills will split playing time between Moss and Devin Singletary, but it does seem that Moss is more likely to get goal-line touches, according to Joe Buscaglia of The Athletic.

The report kind of hints at a traditional thunder/lightning backfield split, though Singletary wins with agility and vision more so than speed, while Moss is surprisingly nimble in the passing game for a 5-foot-9, 223-pound running back. In other words, both players appear reasonably versatile, which makes it tougher to get a read on the exact nature of their respective roles. It still isn't clear if Singletary's lead role from late last season will carry over to Week 1 against the Jets, as it's also possible Moss forces something closer to a 50/50 split right out of the gate. The Buffalo backfield will be one of the major fantasy storylines for the opening week of the season.

Coach Bruce Arians said Jones is still "our guy" in the Tampa Bay backfield, suggesting the team added Leonard Fournette to provide depth at a position where "nicks and bruises can really add up," Greg Auman of The Athletic reports.

The words and actions don't really align, as the team first brought in Ke'Shawn Vaughn and LeSean McCoy to compete with Jones during the offseason, and now they're adding Fournette on a one-year, $2 million contract that can go up to $3.5 million with incentives (per Ian Rapoport of NFL Network). Arians claims "nothing has changed" for Jones, but it's pretty clear the Tampa backfield will be messy, with no guarantee Fournette won't eventually emerge with the lead role. What's more, the team is expected to use LeSean McCoy or Dare Ogunbowale for third downs and the two-minute drill, so the target upside for Jones and Fournette appears limited. Jones is still the favorite to start Week 1 at New Orleans, but his workload won't necessarily be satisfying for fantasy managers.

Coach Doug Marrone said Robinson is capable of playing on all three downs, Gene Frenette of The Florida-Times Union reports.

This might be interpreted as a hint that the undrafted rookie out of Illinois State will have a spot on the team's Week 1 roster. The practice squad seemed more likely as recently as a few days ago, but things opened up after the Jaguars waived Leonard Fournette. While Ryquell Armstead, Chris Thompson and Devine Ozigbo are all better bets to get playing time on offense early in the season, it won't come as any surprise if Robinson gets a shot at some point this year.

Ogunbowale's special teams value could keep him on the roster even after the Buccaneers signed Leonard Fournette, Greg Auman of The Athletic reports.

Fournette, Ronald Jones and third-round rookie Ke'Shawn Vaughn are roster locks, and Mike Garafolo of NFL Network suggests LeSean McCoy is still expected to have a role, potentially handling the passing-down work that went to Ogunbowale last season. It's rare for a team to carry five running backs, but it wouldn't be an unreasonable choice if Vaughn is starting the season as a healthy scratch and Ogunbowale is taking snaps on multiple special teams units.

Harris recently had surgery on his pinky finger, leaving his status in doubt for Week 1 against Miami, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reports.

The report doesn't explicitly rule out Harris from the season opener, but it does say he'll need "a few weeks" to heal. ESPN.com's Mike Reiss confirms Harris is in danger of missing Week 1, following back-to-back absences from practice Monday and Tuesday. This could leave Sony Michel with a bigger workload against Miami, or it might open things up a bit for Rex Burkhead and/or Lamar Miller. Coach Bill Belichick and running backs coach Ivan Fears both praised Harris recently, noting that the 2019 third-round pick was showing progress and looking comfortable in the passing game. There's been discussion of Harris potentially usurping Michel as the lead runner in New England, and while that could still end up happening at some point this year, we may have to wait a bit longer to find out.

Vaughn has another veteran running back to contend for playing time with in the form of Leonard Fournette, whom the Buccaneers signed to a one-year deal Wednesday, Jenna Laine of ESPN.com reports.

The rookie third-round pick was already looking at an uphill climb for touches with Ronald Jones having previously been deemed the lead back to begin the season, and with decorated veteran LeSean McCoy also around to handle plenty of change-of-pace work. The addition of Fournette takes the logjam at the position to a completely different level, considering the fourth-year pro arrives with a pair of 1,000-yard rushing seasons already on his resume and a 76-catch tally in 2019 to boot. Laine speculates the running back room is now crowded to the extent Vaughn could conceivably be a practice squad candidate to start the year, considering that unit has been expanded considerably for the 2020 season due to the unique circumstances surrounding the campaign. The exact hierarchy of the Buccaneers backfield is likely to become clearer in the days approaching the team's Week 1 tilt against the Saints.

Jones is facing additional backfield competition from Leonard Fournette, who joined the Buccaneers on a one-year contract Wednesday, Adam Schefter of ESPN reports.

Jones has put together a strong offseason and appeared to have earned coach Bruce Arians' confidence, but the Buccaneers nonetheless felt it necessary to pursue Fournette once he hit free agency. Arians commented earlier Wednesday that Jones "looks like he can be an all-around back," per Greg Auman of The Athletic, but Fournette's past production (two of three seasons with 1,000-plus rushing yards) surpasses the career-best 724 rushing yards that Jones churned out in 2019. With veteran LeSean McCoy and rookie third-round pick Ke'Shawn Vaughn also both in the mix, Tampa Bay likely will start the season with committee backfield that also includes Dare Ogunbowale as the favorite to handle passing-down work.