NFL Player News

Wilkins (ankle) is listed as active for Sunday's game against the Chargers, Andrew Walker of the Colts' official site reports.

Wilkins is available Sunday, but his current fantasy prospects are capped by the fact that he slots in behind Indy starter Marlon Mack and top change-of-pace back Nyheim Hines.

Drake will come off the bench in Sunday's game against the Ravens with the Dolphins announcing Ballage as their starting running back for the season opener, Cameron Wolfe of ESPN.com reports.

At least for Week 1, coach Brian Flores will deviate from the Dolphins' initial depth chart, which lists Drake as the top back. While Drake missed a good portion of the preseason with a foot injury, Ballage saw the bulk of the backfield snaps but averaged a meager 2.2 yards per carry during the exhibition slate. Drake was able to turn in a healthy week of practices leading up to the season opener, so it's still expected that he'll handle a sizable workload Sunday, despite not being listed as the starter. Look for the Dolphins to deploy a timeshare between the two running backs.

Ekeler could be in store for an extended run as the Chargers' starting running back with top option Melvin Gordon (contract dispute) potentially extending his holdout until late November, Adam Schefter of ESPN reports.

As Schefter notes, Gordon would only have to show up 30 days prior to the Chargers' regular-season finale in order for his contract not to toll over into 2020, making it likely that he'll report to Los Angeles at some point before the Dec. 1 game in Denver. Of course, Gordon may end his holdout well before that date if the Chargers trade him or meet his demands on an extension, but he'll at least be unavailable for the Week 1 matchup with the Colts, and quite possibly, additional games to follow. While Gordon is away, coach Anthony Lynn has expressed a desire to use a backfield timeshare of Ekeler and Justin Jackson, though the distribution of snaps and touches should tilt in favor of Ekeler. The 24-year-old thrived in a change-of-pace role behind Gordon the previous two seasons, averaging an efficient 5.3 yards per carry and 10.3 yards per reception.

Laird (coach's decision) will be inactive for Sunday's game against the Ravens.

The undrafted rookie out of California made the roster out of camp, but will have to wait another week to make his NFL debut. With Laird out, the Dolphins will role with Mark Walton as their third-string running back.

Gaskin (coach's decision) is inactive for Sunday's clash against Baltimore.

Gaskin wasn't dealing with an injury coming into the game, and continues to face an uphill battle for snaps. With the Washington product sidelined, Mark Walton will fill in as the third running back behind Kenyan Drake and Kalen Ballage.

Ollison (coach's decision) is inactive for Sunday's game in Minnesota.

A 2019 fifth-round pick, Ollison got a lot of run during the preseason and made the 53-man roster on cut-down day. That said, he'll be part of the squeeze to get to 46 players for Week 1. With Ollison and Brian Hill on the inactive list, the Falcons backfield will be handled by Devonta Freeman and Ito Smith while Kenjon Barner pitches in on special teams.

Pollard is slated to serve as the top backup to starting tailback Ezekiel Elliott in Sunday's game against the Giants, but the extent of the rookie's role in the Week 1 game plan is uncertain. Ian Rapoport of NFL Network relays that Elliott is expected to play around 20-to-25 snaps, while a source tells Jordan Raanan of ESPN.com that the veteran will handle a "normal" workload.

Even if Rapoport's report proves more accurate of the two, Elliott would still make for a solid universal lineup play in season-long formats, but Pollard's fantasy viability would vary more wildly based on Elliott's usage. If Elliott is on tap for a 20-to-25-snap role, Pollard might still have a path to around 10 touches, which would keep him on the radar in deeper leagues. If Raanan's prediction comes to pass, however, little work would likely be left over for Pollard, as Elliott never played fewer than 76.8 percent of Dallas' offensive snaps in any game in 2018. Rather than committing to a firm plan for Elliott's workload, it's possible the Cowboys assess his condition as the game unfolds before determining when or if to stagger or reduce his snap count.

Elliott is expected to receive around 20-to-25 snaps in Sunday's game against the Giants, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reports. Meanwhile, Jordan Raanan of ESPN.com reports that Elliott is expecting to handle a "normal" workload in Week 1.

Unless Elliott is getting the ball on nearly every snap he plays in Rapoport's projection, the two reports are seemingly at odds with one another with regard to the running back's projected workload. Though Rapoport notes that the Cowboys are satisfied with Elliott's conditioning after he logged only three practices this week following an extended holdout, the team reportedly wants to ease the 24-year-old back into the mix and avoid the soft-tissue injuries that can often crop up after a prolonged layoff. Of course, the Cowboys could end up loosening any restrictions if Elliott looks good as the game unfolds, a development that would align with Raanan's report. The lack of definitive word on a touch/snap count for Elliott makes him a riskier DFS option than normal while he's one of the higher-priced options at running back, but he still looks like a solid lineup option in season-long leagues even if he ends up ceding more work than usual to his backup, rookie Tony Pollard.

Sanders won't start Sunday's game against the Redskins, with the Eagles expected to go with veteran running back Jordan Howard, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reports.

Coach Doug Pederson is notorious for using all the running backs at his disposal, but he also confirmed earlier in the week that Sanders will have a role in his first NFL action. Aside from Howard and Sanders, the Eagles also have Darren Sproles and Corey Clement on the 53-man roster, meaning if one is inactive Sanders would have an easier path to touches.

Gordon's holdout has a chance to last until late November, Adam Schefter of ESPN reports.

Per NFL rules, Gordon must report to the Chargers 30 days before the end of the regular season to ensure that his contract doesn't toll for this year and allows him to become an unrestricted free agent next offseason. In essence, he'll have to join his teammates Week 13 as they prepare for a Dec. 1 divisional matchup at Denver. Schefter's report comes on the heels of Ian Rapoport of NFL Network noting Gordon is expected to come back in a window that spans "Week 6 though Week 8," so this situation may be resolved well before the end of November.