NFL Player News

Colts head coach Chuck Pagano said Wednesday that Mack would be in store for an increased workload in the weeks to come after Robert Turbin (elbow) suffered a likely season-ending injury in Monday's loss to the Titans, Andrew Walker of the Colts' official site reports.

Frank Gore and Mack had both ranked ahead of Turbin on the depth chart, but the latter still managed to pick up double-digit offensive snaps in each of the Colts' first six games thanks to his prowess on third down. Neither Gore nor Mack are top-flight receivers out of the backfield, but both players should see more passing-down work out of necessity, with the more explosive Mack probably offering greater upside in those scenarios. After turning heads with a 91-yard, one-touchdown performance against the 49ers in Week 5, Mack took a step back with just two carries for 18 yards in Monday's loss to the Titans, but the lackluster showing may prove to be more of an anomaly now that rookie is healthy and Turbin is out of the picture. According to Kevin Bowen of 1070 The Fan Indianapolis, Colts offensive coordinator said that Mack's lack of touches after the first quarter Monday was due in large part to quarterback Jacoby Brissett's run-pass option reads going to other players based on how the Titans' defense was aligned.

The Bears listed Cunningham (hamstring) as a limited participant in Thursday's practice, Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune reports.

Cunningham, who exited Sunday's overtime win over the Ravens with the hamstring injury, was also limited in Wednesday's session. The expectation remains that Cunningham will suit up Sunday against the Panthers, but if he plays, he'll provide most of his value to the Bears as a special-teams player rather than in his role as the team's third-string running back. In fact, Cunningham's lone touchdown on the season came on a fake-punt pass play in the Week 5 loss to the Vikings.

West (calf) remained sidelined at practice Thursday, Jeff Zrebiec of The Baltimore Sun reports.

West looks iffy, at best, for Sunday's game against the Vikings. If he is unavailable this weekend, look for Javorius Allen and Alex Collins to split reps out of the Baltimore backfield once again in Week 7.

Gordon was limited at Wednesday's practice due to a shoulder injury, Jack Wang of the Los Angeles Daily News reports.

Gordon looked perfectly healthy in Sunday's 17-16 win over the Dolphins, taking 34 touches (including nine catches) for 150 yards and two touchdowns while playing 89 percent of the offensive snaps. It's no surprise to see him a bit nicked up after handling that kind of workload, but his ability to get in a limited practice suggests he'll be available for the Chargers' tough matchup with the Broncos in Week 7. The Denver defense limited Gordon to 54 yards on 18 carries in Week 1, but he still turned in a solid showing for fantasy owners with five catches for 25 yards and a touchdown on six targets.

Oliver (hamstring) practiced fully Wednesday, Jack Wang of the Los Angeles Daily News reports.

Oliver could return to the field Sunday against the Broncos, but steady touches aren't on tap for him as long as starter Melvin Gordon remains healthy enough to play.

Ellington was limited at Wednesday's practice due to a quadriceps injury, Darren Urban of the Cardinals' official site reports.

Ellington's production fell off a cliff with Adrian Peterson in the backfield Sunday, but the injury may have been to blame for no touches and only 13 offensive snaps. No matter, Ellington likely won't receive many carries moving forward, meaning he'll have to make his hay as a receiver. Without a significant snap count, he'll be hard pressed to put up consistent production.

West (calf) won't practice Wednesday, Jeff Zrebiec of The Baltimore Sun reports.

While West isn't believed to be nursing a long-term injury, reports last week suggested he'd likely miss more than one game. Javorius Allen and Alex Collins will likely split reps out of the backfield again Sunday in Minnesota unless West returns to practice by the end of the week.

Titans head coach Mike Mularkey said he's been happy with the workload split between Henry and DeMarco Murray, Jim Wyatt of the Titans' official site reports. "That's probably been the case of late, when we go into a four-minute," Mularkey said of Henry. "He's probably a little fresher from not taking a lot of snaps. But I really like how it has played out with percentages and how these guys [get along]."

Henry played more snaps (40) than Murray (38) for the first time all season in Monday's 36-22 win over the Colts, also holding a 19-12 advantage in carries and 20-16 edge in touches. It was a significant change from Week 5, when Henry took just four carries on 11 snaps as the Titans played from behind in a 16-10 loss to the Dolphins. Murray's role on passing downs ensures he'll stay involved regardless of game context, while Henry's role as the "four-minute" back should lead to significant volume when the Titans nurse a second-half lead. Both backs figure to have key roles Sunday in Cleveland, facing a Browns defense that's allowing 7.9 yards per pass attempt and just 3.0 yards per carry. Murray will likely get more playing time early in the game, but Henry could be busy in the second half if the Titans storm out to a lead.

McFadden could be included among the Cowboys' inactives for the Week 7 matchup with the 49ers after starting running back Ezekiel Elliott was granted a temporary restraining order Tuesday for his six-game suspension, the Associated Press reports.

Since being handed the suspension during the preseason in August, Elliott has had the ban overturned twice by the courts, and it remains unlikely that the saga has concluded. However, the most recent legal decision at least tentatively puts Elliott on track to play Sunday against San Francisco, meaning that McFadden will likely miss out on an opportunity to earn his first snaps of 2017. With Elliott having suited up in all five of the Cowboys' games to date, Alfred Morris has acted as his primary backup, while the lone other running back on the roster, Rod Smith, has seen the bulk of his snaps on special teams. Since McFadden doesn't offer any value on the special-teams units, the Cowboys have little reason to keep him active as a third-string option when all of their other running backs are available.

Drake did not record a touch during Sunday's 20-17 win over the Falcons.

Earlier this month, reports out of Miami said the Dolphins were going to begin phasing their 2016 third-round pick into the offense more behind starter Jay Ajayi. In the two games since, he has a grand total of one carry and no yardage, and he saw the field for just one offensive snap on Sunday. This offense still runs through Ajayi, and it continues to be Damien Williams, not Drake, who adds the pass-catching ability and change of pace in Miami's backfield.