NFL Player News

Croskey-Merritt carried the ball seven times for 47 yards and caught both his targets for 10 yards in Sunday's 34-27 loss to the Falcons.

The rookie running back led the Commanders' backfield in touches on the day with nine, but Chris Rodriguez paced the team in rushing yards, turning seven totes into 59 yards, while Deebo Samuel got three carries in addition to his receiving work and Jeremy McNichols also chipped in with three touches. The overall effectiveness of the arrangement -- 6.7 yards per carry for Washington's backfield as a whole -- was impressive once again, but none of the team's RBs will be reliable fantasy plays without a consistent path to more volume. Croskey-Merritt will try to make an impact with what touches he gets in Week 5 against the Chargers.

Saylors is questionable to return to Sunday's game against Cleveland due to a hamstring injury.

Saylors appeared to suffer the injury during a Lions' punt return. He's primarily been deployed on special teams this season, so his absence won't impact the Lions' backfield, which is led by Jahmyr Gibbs and David Montgomery.

Mitchell (coach's decision) is a healthy scratch for Sunday's game versus the Chiefs.

Mitchell has now been ruled a healthy scratch for each of the first four weeks of the season. The Ravens will once again use Justice Hill and Rasheen Ali as the backup running backs behind bell-cow starter Derrick Henry. Mitchell's next chance to play is Week 5 versus the Texans on Sunday, Oct. 5.

White (coach's decision) is inactive for Sunday's game against the Bears.

White is a relatively surprising healthy scratch Sunday, considering he's filled a complementary role in each of the first three games of the season and posted 13 total touches over that span. However, the fourth-year pro will don street clothes for the interconference clash, leaving Dylan Laube and veteran Raheem Mostert as Ashton Jeanty's backups versus Chicago.

Swift (hip) is active for Sunday's game at Las Vegas.

A limited practice participant during Week 3 prep due to a quadriceps injury and in advance of Week 4 action due to a hip issue, Swift remains ready to pace the Bears backfield Sunday. Through three contests this season, his snap share has ranged from 57 to 81 percent, but his workload has remained steady, as he's averaged 17 touches for 70.7 yards from scrimmage per game while scoring one TD on the ground.

Johnson rushed the ball six times for 22 yards in Sunday's 24-21 win over the Vikings.

Jaylen Warren's (knee) absence opened up a lot of opportunity in the Pittsburgh backfield. Kenneth Gainwell was the primary back and performed well, though Johnson did see the most significant opportunity of his rookie season. He was servicable in the role, picking up 14 yards on the ground on a drive early in the fourth quarter to help the Steelers to a field goal. Johnson isn't likely to see much of a role when Pittsburgh returns to the field in Week 6, but it was a small step forward after a poor start to his rookie campaign.

James (coach's decision) is inactive for Sunday's game against the Jaguars, Briana Jeannel of the 49ers' official site reports.

James will be a healthy scratch for the third week in a row. With the rookie fifth-rounder inactive, Brian Robinson and Isaac Guerendo will serve as the backup running backs behind starter Christian McCaffrey. James also missed Week 1 with a finger injury, so his next opportunity to make his NFL regular-season debut will come Week 5 versus the Rams on Thursday, Oct. 2.

Gainwell rushed the ball 19 times for 99 yards and two touchdowns in Sunday's 24-21 win over the Vikings. He added six receptions on six targets for 35 yards.

Jaylen Warren (knee) was surprisingly inactive Sunday morning, leaving Gainwell to fill in as Pittsburgh's lead back. He did so admirably, scoring touchdowns from one and four yards away while also ripping off long gains of 15 and 10 yards. Gainwell also remained active as a pass catcher, giving him a well-rounded fantasy line. The Steelers are headed into their bye week, meaning this may be Gainwell's only chance to handle this type of workload for the time being, but he proved plenty capable of handling the lead-back role if needed.

Scott carried the ball twice for one yard and caught six of eight targets for 43 yards and a touchdown in Sunday's 24-21 loss to the Steelers in Dublin.

The Vikings couldn't get much going on the ground and found themselves staring at a 21-6 deficit heading into the fourth quarter, so Scott saw a career-high workload as a pass catcher and capped a drive inside the final four minutes with a 16-yard TD reception, his first score in the NFL. Jordan Mason is locked into the top spot on the backfield depth chart for Minnesota as long as Aaron Jones (IR, hamstring) is sidelined, but Scott may have earned a more consistent role with this performance, beginning with a Week 5 tilt against the Browns in London.

Mason carried the ball 16 times for 57 yards and caught all three of his targets for 15 yards in Sunday's 24-21 loss to the Steelers in Dublin.

The former 49ers wasn't able to repeat his Week 3 breakout versus Cincinnati against a tougher front seven, and Mason's longest run against Pittsburgh went for only nine yards. He also saw backup RB Zavier Scott catch a 16-yard TD in the fourth quarter as Minnesota tried to come back from a 21-6 deficit. Things won't get any easier for Mason in Week 5, as he'll take on a Browns defense in London that has already stuffed Derrick Henry and Josh Jacobs this season.