NFL Player News

Rawls (leg) is unlikely to play next Monday against the Bills, but he will resume running at full speed this week, 710 ESPN Seattle's Liz Mathews reports.

Rawls started running again last week and will increase his activity level further in the buildup to Seattle's Week 9 contest, but he's not expected to be ready to play the Bills. Sidelined since Week 2 due to a hairline fracture in his left fibula, Rawls will understandably need some time to get back into game shape and speed, and until he reaches that point, Christine Michael and C.J. Prosise should continue to carry the Seahawks' backfield workload.

Hightower has earned more carries as the Saints prepare for Sunday's game against the 49ers, ESPN's Britt McHenry reports.

Hightower finished with 102 yards on 26 carries against the vaunted Seahawks defense after teammate Mark Ingram was pulled for another fumble Sunday. That workload greatly exceeded Hightower's previous season high of five carries, which came in New Orleans' prior game amid Ingram fumbling as well. Two strong relief showings have boosted the 30-year-old Hightower's average to 4.2 yards per rush, so getting him the ball more is reportedly part of New Orleans' Week 9 game plan. That being said, the Saints' backfield figures to continue to deploy a committee approach, which, along with their offense's penchant for passing, should probably temper Hightower's heightened expectations.

Grimes (ankle) carried the ball twice for 11 yards in Houston's 20-13 win over Detroit on Sunday.

Grimes had not played since Week 3, when he cracked his fibula in a loss to the Patriots. His return comes at a time when both Lamar Miller (shoulder) and Alfred Blue (ribs) are banged up, but both played through those injuries in Sunday's win. With a bye week coming up and time to heal, the Texans are expected to have a full complement of healthy backs when the season resumes in Week 10 on the road in Jacksonville.

Mathews had four carries for 10 yards and a touchdown, adding one catch for one yard on his only target, in Sunday's 29-23 overtime loss to the Cowboys.

With the exception of a walk-in touchdown from one yard out, Mathews was the clear second fiddle to Darren Sproles, who had 15 carries for 86 yards and five catches for 17 yards (seven targets). The workload split might seem to suggest the Eagles played from behind, but they actually held a lead for the majority of Sunday's game. As such, Sproles appears to have leapfrogged Mathews from the lead-back role, though it's possible things could change if the Eagles decide on a more power-oriented gameplan in any given week. Considering how poorly Mathews has played this season, Sproles is clearly the player to own in a messy Philadelphia backfield. Wendell Smallwood lost a fumble on his only carry in Sunday's game, and Kenjon Barner had 15 yards on four touches. Mathews could be headed for a complete dud if he doesn't find the end zone in a Week 9 road matchup with the Giants.

Elliott gained 96 yards on 22 carries and caught each of his four targets for another 52 yards in Sunday's 29-23 overtime win over the Eagles.

Facing a tough Philadelphia defense, Elliott didn't have quite as many open lanes as he did in the past four games, but a season-high mark in rushing yards helped make up for the end of his four-game streak with at least 134 rushing yards. He was held out of the end zone for a second straight game, but he's still scored five times in seven contests while emerging as a clear favorite for the rushing title. Elliott is locked in as an elite option even for the most difficult matchups -- which he won't have to deal with next week in Cleveland.

Rodgers, who exited Sunday's 30-24 overtime loss to the Raiders late in the fourth quarter with a foot injury, could be in for a multi-week absence according to head coach Dirk Koetter's comments following the contest. "I'm not sure. I don't think it's probably good."

Koetter also went on to say that the injury is specifically ankle-related, lending further credence to the notion that Rodgers may not see the field for a while, given how such ailments can linger. However, the matter remains highly speculative for the moment, but more information regarding the running back's status should come to light at some point Monday. Rodgers has filled in admirably in the absences of Doug Martin (hamstring) and Charles Sims (knee), and if he's unable to take the field in just four days against the Falcons, the Bucs could be down to Antone Smith and Peyton Barber in the backfield if Martin is unable to return to action.

Gordon rushed for 111 yards on 23 carries and added 44 yards on four catches in Sunday's loss to Denver.

How special was Gordon's performance? It was the first time that Denver's vaunted defense had surrendered 100 yards to a single rusher in 22 games. Gordon, at times, was simply gashing Denver's front. The only thing missing from the outing was a score, though San Diego made it inside the Denver 10 on just one drive all game - so opportunities were scarce. On the year, only LeGarrette Blount has more rushing touchdowns than Gordon's eight and the back is delivering on the promise of his first-round status from a year ago.

Michael gained 40 yards and scored a touchdown on 10 carries during Sunday's 25-20 loss to the Saints. He also gained two yards while securing one of his two targets.

Michael got off to a strong start and put his team up 11 with a two-yard score in the second quarter, but his workload waned as the game moved along and he ended up with his fewest touches of the season as well as his lowest yardage output. He has been the top dog in the backfield for Seattle and has been leaned upon while Russell Wilson continues to provide lackluster results due to his various physical maladies, but his stock would benefit if Wilson were able to turn things around. Michael should see his involvement increase next week versus Buffalo at home, where he has 236 yards and four touchdowns in three games this season.

Williams rushed five times for 12 yards in Sunday's loss to New England while scoring his first NFL touchdown.

Williams saw work given the one-sided nature of the game. With LeSean McCoy out with a hamstring injury, the rookie appears to be the top backup to temporary starter Mike Gillislee. However, that might all be short-lived -- even if McCoy can't rally to play next week at Seattle, the Bills go on bye after that challenging contest.

Gillislee rushed 12 times for 85 yards and a touchdown while catching all three of his targets for nine yards during Sunday's loss to the Patriots.

Considering he came into the game with a foot injury and there was a shot for part of the week that LeSean McCoy would try and suit up, this was a pretty good result for Gillislee owners, especially given the one-sidedness of the game. The only buzzkill was that rookie Jonathan Williams vultured away a touchdown late in the contest.