NFL Player News

Gillislee (hamstring), who returned to practice Tuesday, suited up again Wednesday, the Patriots' official site reports.

Per ESPN.com, Gillislee, who practiced fully Tuesday, is a candidate to make his preseason debut Friday against the Lions. Following his return to the field, Gillislee revealed that an MRI on his injured hamstring came back clean, adding that he feels 100 percent at this stage. After missing time of late, Gillislee will look to establish his role in the New England offense, which could include him carving out a majority of the team's short-yardage duties, which were dominated last year by LeGarrette Blount. Meanwhile, fellow newcomer Rex Burkhead has missed two straight practices, while James White and Dion Lewis profile as pass-catching aces in the Patriots' backfield. Ultimately, the team's tendency to parse our carries in a game-plan-specific manner figures to lead to a degree of volatile fantasy production from any component of what looks like a deep and versatile backfield. That said, if Gillislee does indeed claim the bulk of the the goal-line opportunities, he'll provide value in TD-heavy formats.

Pumphrey has been struggling at practice, Jimmy Kempski of Philly Voice reports.

There was some talk about Pumphrey entering Week 1 with a significant role when he got snaps with the first-team offense during the offseason program and into the first few days of training camp. It increasingly seems the rookie is merely being groomed as the successor to Darren Sproles, with Pumphrey's 2017 involvement largely dependent on his mentor's ability to stay healthy. Given that he won't contribute on special teams unless he wins a return job, Pumphrey could be a game-day inactive to start the season. Philadelphia might also stash him on injured reserve, though he seems to be healthy at the moment.

While he's happy about Perine's growth, Redskins coach Jay Gruden said Wednesday that he still has full confidence in Rob Kelley and is excited about having the second-year player as his starting running back, Mike Jones of The Washington Post reports.

Gruden seems to be shutting down any notion of a true job battle, after Perine's impressive showing in Saturday 's exhibition against the Packers reinvigorated the hype surrounding the rookie. Perine did well to gain 45 yards on eight carries and 29 yards on one target, but his prior preseason outing was a complete disaster that included a dropped pass, a fumble, issues in pass protection and a 6-15-0 rushing line. He still has time to push for a significant role early in the year, but the Week 1 starting gig may already be out of the question.

Redskins coach Jay Gruden said Wednesday that he has full confidence in Kelley and is excited about having him as the starter, Mike Jones of The Washington Post reports.

Samaje Perine's big preseason outing over the weekend may have reinvigorated the discussion regarding Washington's backfield, but Gruden's comments suggest Kelley is secure in his role as the Week 1 starter. That doesn't mean Perine won't also be heavily involved, nor does it mean Kelley will be immune to eventually losing the starting job. Gruden just doesn't seem to view it as a true job battle, which means Perine will need to continue his strong work in practice and preseason games if he's going to open the season with a significant share of the rushing workload. Passing-down specialist Chris Thompson will also be heavily involved, particularly when the Redskins can't establish the run and/or are forced into catch-up mode.

Dayes rushed five times for 15 yards and snagged five catches for 29 yards in Monday's preseason tilt against the Giants.

Dayes led the Browns in receptions versus the Giants and showed explosiveness on a 10-yard rushing attempt. Coach Hue Jackson has praised Dayes throughout camp, and all signs point to the rookie making the roster as the third running back.

Magee carried the ball four times for 15 yards and hauled in two passes (three targets) for two yards during Monday's preseason contest with the Giants.

Magee duplicated his serviceable rushing stats from the first preseason game, but the 5-foot-9 back out of LSU may find himself on the outside looking in with the team's third-string running back competition. Matthew Dayes -- who is also vying for the job -- showed his value in the passing game Monday with five catches, earning praise from coach Hue Jackson. Meanwhile, Magee's two receptions went for a lowly two yards. The 24-year-old will likely see more touches in the next two contests and still has a reasonable chance to make the roster.

Williams, who missed Tuesday's practice due to a minor knee injury, is back practicing Wednesday, Joe Buscaglia of 7 ABC Buffalo reports.

As expected, this was just a minor ailment and the second-year player will get right back to it. Williams remains the handcuff to LeSean McCoy, and given McCoy's age and perhaps a plan for the Bills to keep his body away from goal-line scrums, a decent fantasy sleeper in what looks to be a run-based offense.

Williams suffered a knee injury in a previous practice and is listed as day-to-day, Vic Carucci of The Buffalo News reports.

No one is making this sound like anything serious, so we'll see if Williams can return to action soon and suit up for the Bills' third preseason game.

Crossan (undisclosed) is a free agent after reaching an injury settlement with the Colts.

The undrafted rookie is now free to explore other options. If he's brought in, expect it to be for extra competition with the possibility of becoming a return man.

Daniels (undisclosed) showed up to practice in full gear Tuesday, Erik Scalavino of the Patriots' official site reports.

The undrafted rookie likely won't find any offensive duties with the Patriots, but he could find himself in a special teams role. If Daniels doesn't make the team, however, he's shown efforts in the preseason that are worthy of a practice squad spot.