NFL Player News

Artis-Payne will serve as Christian McCaffrey's backup following Monday's release of C.J. Anderson, Jelani Scott of Panthers.com reports.

Artis-Payne will move up the depth chart, but considering McCaffrey has been on the field for over 95 percent of Carolina's offensive plays, his backup has hardly featured this season. In fact, coming off his first 1,000-yard season, the veteran Anderson managed just 24 carries in nine games. A fifth-round pick of the Panthers in 2015, Artis-Payne has been inactive for all but two contests this season, so his stock should at least benefit from being consistently available, and his career mark of 4.3 yards per carry suggests he could do well with spare touches.

The Titans released Fowler on Tuesday, Jim Wyatt of the Titans' official site reports.

Fowler signed with the Titans in late October, though he was inactive for Sunday's game against the Patriots. The 28-year-old has spent the last three seasons with Tennessee, and it wouldn't be a surprise if he ends up joining the Titans' practice squad.

Edmonds notched two carries for seven yards during Sunday's 26-14 loss at Kansas City.

Yet again, Edmonds did little more than spell David Johnson, who accounted for 183 yards from scrimmage and both of the Cardinals' touchdowns on the afternoon. To make matters worse, Edmonds wasn't the most productive reserve running back. That honor went to T.J. Logan, who hauled in both of his targets for 14 yards on three offensive snaps. Sure, Edmonds handled 17 such snaps, but his outlook appears barren due to the amount of volume taken on by Johnson.

Tampa Bay promoted Ogunbowale to the active roster Tuesday.

Ogunbowale spent the preseason with the Buccaneers, rushing 21 times for 55 yards and catching six passes for 69 yards. He also returned kicks, and Tampa Bay could utilize him in a similar way now that he's back on the roster.

Le'Veon Bell (contract dispute) didn't sign his franchise tender by Tuesday's 4 p.m. ET deadline, ensuring Conner will remain the Steelers' starting running back going forward, Bob Labriola of the team's official site reports.

With Bell ineligible to play for the rest of the season, the Steelers will continue onward with Conner is the unquestioned lead running back. Through nine games, Conner has received 78 percent of the designed runs and 14 percent of the targets, marks that closely mimic Bell's -- 81 and 19 percent, respectively -- from a season ago, per Mike Clay of ESPN.com. The huge workload has translated to five games of 100-plus yards from scrimmage and 11 total touchdowns, making Conner a weekly must-start no matter the matchup.

The Patriots cut Barner on Tuesday, Field Yates of ESPN reports.

Barner didn't contribute much to the Patriots in his five games with the club, logging just 42 offensive snaps and racking up 71 yards on 19 carries. With Rex Burkhead (neck) on the recovery trail, New England elected to use the roster spot to evaluate a player at a different position. Barner is now free to sign with another team.

Sims worked out for the Titans on Tuesday, Adam Caplan of SiriusXM Radio reports.

Tennessee is in the market for a No. 3 running back after David Fluellen injured his knee in Sunday's win over the Patriots. While unlikely to match Fluellen's contributions on special teams, Sims could provide passing-down insurance for Dion Lewis, whose recent uptick in workload creates a higher risk of injury. Selected 69th overall in the 2014 draft, Sims averaged just 3.9 yards per carry and 6.7 yards per target while playing 47 of 64 games in his four seasons with Tampa Bay. He hasn't been a useful player since 2015.

Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers said the team needs to continue giving Jones opportunities, Ryan Wood of the Green Bay Press-Gazette reports.

Rodgers should get his wish without much question after Jones took 15 carries for 145 yards and two touchdowns while handling a 74 percent snap share in Sunday's 31-12 win over Miami. Jamaal Williams poached just three carries on 14 snaps and Tra Carson strictly played special teams. With his supremacy in the Green Bay backfield safely established, Jones is gearing up for Thursday's road game against a Seattle defense ranked 29th in yards allowed per carry (5.0) and t-18th in rushing yards allowed per game (118.6). To be fair, the Seahawks have already faced some impressive running backs, including Todd Gurley (twice), Melvin Gordon and Ezekiel Elliott.

Conner is still in the concussion protocol, but coach Mike Tomlin expects the running back to practice Wednesday, Dale Lolley of DKPittsburghSports.com reports.

Conner has three extra days to make it through the protocol after suffering a brain injury in last Thursday's 52-21 win over the Panthers. Even if he's a limited participant, Conner's presence on the practice field Wednesday would put him on track to avoid an absence Sunday at Jacksonville. With Le'Veon Bell not expected to join the team, Conner is positioned for a massive workload over the final seven weeks of the season.

Breida rushed 17 times for 101 yards and a touchdown and caught three of four targets for 31 yards and another score in Monday night's 27-23 loss to the Giants.

Breida was again San Francisco's standout offensive player, doing damage both on the ground and through the air. The second-year back struck first with a three-yard touchdown rush in the second quarter, then hauled in an 11-yard score shortly after halftime. Overall, Breida's 132 scrimmage yards marked his second-most this season, offering a resurgence following 104 total yards and zero touchdowns in his previous three games combined. Seemingly back to his healthy self, Breida now enters the Niners' bye week for extra rest ahead of a Week 12 matchup with the Buccaneers.