NFL Player News

McKinnon (ankle) did not practice Wednesday.

McKinnon said earlier in the day that he expects to play this Sunday against Detroit. However, we'll need to see him participate in practice before we're sure he'll be able to take the field.

Rainey was limited during Wednesday's practice due to a calf injury, SNY.TV reports.

His injury provides Rashad Jennings, Orleans Darkwa and rookie Paul Perkins with additional reps out of the backfield, although Rainey's status for Sunday's matchup against the Eagles remains up in the air.

Mathews (tooth) was listed as limited on Wednesday's injury report, Zach Berman of the Philadelphia Inquirer reports.

Mathews may have endured a dental procedure this week, but no one related to the team has chimed in regarding his health. In any case, his reps were merely capped to kick off the week, so he appears on pace to be available for Sunday's road tilt against the Giants. If he indeed brushes off the issue, he's set to be the Eagles' top running back, as intimated by head coach Doug Pederson during Wednesday's media availability.

Martin (hamstring) has been ruled out for Thursday's game versus the Falcons, Jenna Laine of ESPN.com reports.

Initially slated to miss three weeks due to a hamstring injury, Martin suffered a setback during the Buccaneers' Week 6 bye, extending his DNP streak indefinitely. He'll thereby log his sixth absence in a row, and with Jacquizz Rodgers (foot) also sidelined, the Buccaneers will rely upon some combination of Peyton Barber, Antone Smith and Mike James out of the backfield.

Rodgers (foot) has been ruled out for Thursday's game against the Falcons, Jenna Laine of ESPN.com reports.

Rodgers was unable to practice this week due to the sprained foot that forced him from Sunday's loss to the Raiders. With a short turnaround between games, he'll join Doug Martin (hamstring) on the pine, as Martin will miss his sixth consecutive contest. The Buccaneers must now turn to a fourth different starting running back this season, but who among Peyton Barber, Antone Smith, and Mike James gets the call remains to be seen.

Head coach Doug Pederson said Wednesday that Mathews remains the Eagles' No. 1 running back, Zach Berman of the Philadelphia Inquirer reports.

If recent usage is any indication, the top back in Philadelphia would seemingly be Darren Sproles after he galloped for 86 yards on 15 carries Sunday at Dallas. In the same contest, Mathews was contained to four carries for 10 yards on his eight snaps, which is more indicative of player spelling the starter. Alas, Pederson will stick with Mathews for now, perhaps as a means to preserve the slight and aging Sproles.

McKinnon said that his injured ankle has improved and he plans to play this week against Detroit, the St. Paul Pioneer Press reports.

McKinnon missed Monday's game against the Bears due to the injury. He'll likely return to working as the lead back in a time share with Matt Asiata, but we'll need to watch his participation level in practice to gauge how large a workload he may have in his return.

Thompson rushed for a one-yard touchdown in Sunday's win over San Diego.

Thompson scored on a short plunge from the fullback position. Fullback Andy Janovich would typically get such a carry, but the rookie reportedly has a brace on his hand. Thompson, despite just being promoted to the active roster, is the most experienced back on Denver's roster and could get some short-area touches as a halfback/fullback hybrid in the coming weeks.

Barner rushed for nine yards on three carries and added a five-yard catch in Sunday's loss to Dallas.

The touches were Barner's most since Philadelphia's Week 4 bye. The Eagles running back stable seems to be in a bit of flux with Darren Sproles overtaking Ryan Mathews on Sunday and rookie Wendell Smallwood and Barner behind. It's possible that further shuffling could be in store, but the odds are remote that Barner comes away with a larger role.

Carey rushed two times for three yards Monday against the Vikings.

After leading the Bears in rushing in Week 7, Carey saw just six snaps while Jordan Howard had 50. Before the game, head coach John Fox said that he'd go with a hot hand at running back, and since Howard broke off a 69-yard run on the second offensive play, he never gave his teammates much of a chance to get in on the action. Going forward, Carey will be a very difficult player to place in fantasy lineups, as he'll have nothing close to a guarantee of significant playing time. In addition, with Jeremy Langford back from his ankle injury, he's no longer battling with just Howard for snaps.