NFL Player News

Mathews (knee) will not practice Wednesday.

Mathews is considered day-to-day with his knee injury -- which bodes well for his long-term status -- but his setback will prevent him from taking the field Wednesday. He will have an extra day to recover with the Eagles playing Monday night in Week 12, but his week is not off to a promising start. The Eagles' running back situation is in limbo this week with both Mathews and Darren Sproles (ribs) banged up, and it will likely be a day or two before the situation becomes clearer. Wendell Smallwood and Kenjon Barner are candidates for more snaps if either or both of Mathews and Sproles is unable to play Monday.

Ellington carried the ball five times for 21 yards and added two receiving yards in Sunday's loss to Minnesota.

The six touches tied a season high for Ellington and his 23 yards were two off his season-high mark. It's the bleak reality of playing behind one of the league's most dominant backs. So long as David Johnson keeps rolling, don't expect Ellington to turn it around.

Abdullah underwent a scheduled checkup on his left foot Tuesday, which apparently "went well," Michael Rothstein of ESPN.com reports.

Abdullah has been out of commission since suffering an unknown but serious foot injury in Week 2. What "went well" Tuesday remains to be seen, but until he's given clearance to practice, it's unclear if the Lions are keen to use their one designated-to-return spot on the running back. In the meantime, head coach Jim Caldwell will continue to rely on the tandem of Theo Riddick and Dwayne Washington out of the backfield.

The Chargers claimed Hillman off waivers Tuesday, Ricky Henne of the team's official site reports.

After Dexter McCluster broke his forearm in a freak incident at his residence on Nov. 4, the offense was able to get by with Melvin Gordon powering the rushing attack in the Chargers' two games before a Week 11 bye. Upon reconvening this week, Hillman has been brought in to bolster the RB ranks but will contend with Kenneth Farrow for slotting behind Gordon. Notably, running backs not named Gordon have cobbled together just 6.8 touches per outing this season, so Hillman will be hard-pressed to make an impact on his third squad since the preseason kicked off.

Hunt carried five times for minus-2 yards in Monday's 27-20 loss to the Raiders.

Hunt was bumped up to the top backup as Alfred Blue (calf) was inactive Monday, but Lamar Miller, who had been dealing with a shoulder injury, held up well. As such, Hunt, who had 52 yards last week, was not needed to spell Miller. One area where Hunt may be of use is in the return game. Tyler Ervin, the team's top returner, lost his second fumble of the season and wasn't given another opportunity to return. Hunt filled in and had a 39-yard kickoff return, putting the Texans in position for a go-ahead score, which never materialized.

Cunningham only saw the field on 17 offensive snaps and rushed twice for seven yards while catching just one of three targets for negative-three yards during Sunday's loss to Miami.

Cunningham's involvement in the offense has been shifting between minimal and non-existent, and he offers limited fantasy potential. Outside of being a desperation handcuff to Todd Gurley in deep leagues, it likely isn't worth owning Cunningham.

Murray gained just 33 yards on 12 carries during Monday's win over the Texans, but he also added five catches on as many targets for 59 receiving yards.

Murray along with his companions in the Raiders' backfield couldn't get anything going on the ground Monday, but he was able to do some damage in the team's aerial attack. Fantasy owners would've been very disappointed if it weren't for Murray's season high in receiving yardage, which was boosted by a long catch of 39 yards. He'll have quite the test next week against a Carolina defense that gives up less than 85 rushing yards per game, but he remains a candidate for goal-line carries on a weekly basis.

Drake rushed once for two yards Sunday against the Rams.

Drake's lone carry was notable since Damien Williams, the No. 2 running back on the depth chart, didn't receive any. However, both tailbacks are squarely behind Jay Ajayi in the pecking order, and as long as Ajayi continues to see the lion's share of work, barely any touches will be left for the taking.

Williams logged only nine snaps and failed to secure his only target Sunday against the Rams.

Williams was unable to come close towards replicating his productive Week 10 performance in which he found pay dirt twice. While the third-year running back is evidently trusted in goal-line situations, he's firmly planted behind Jay Ajayi and will only post serviceable stat lines if he gets in the end zone.

Murray (ankle) is listed as active Monday night against the Texans.

Prior to the Raiders' Week 10 bye, Murray logged 20 carries for 114 yards and three TDs in the team's Nov. 6 win over the Broncos. Expect Murray to continue to lead the Raiders' rushing attack once again Monday night, in the absence of any setbacks with his ankle.