NFL Player News

Browns running back Trent Richardson, who missed time this offseason because of a muscle strain in his right shin, was on the field for the start of training camp Thursday, reports the Cleveland Plain Dealer.

He did not have any brace or sleeve on his leg and appeared "light and fast" catching a ball out of the backfield.

Broncos running back Ronnie Hillman started with the first-team offense on the first day of training camp, a sign he's ahead of rookie Montee Ball and veteran Knowshon Moreno on the depth chart for now.

There are varying reports about how much Hillman shared with the other runners: Mile High Report says he ran exclusively with the first-team while an intern with the Denver Post reported Hillman and Ball worked with the first team. 

ESPN Denver's Cecil Lammey reports Hillman wowed the crowd and looked good as part of the zone-blocking scheme in team drills. Later, coach John Fox said Hillman's body has improved to the point of being a "pro body" and believes he's even more capable as a full-time running back. 

Can you really trust Chargers running back Ryan Mathews anymore? Is he worth the risk to draft him as even a flex option?

I consider Mathews a bust this season, and I will avoid drafting him this year unless he completely plummets to a late-round pick. His Average Draft Position on CBSSports.com is No. 50 overall, and he's being selected as the No. 26 running back. That's too high for me.

Mathews is saying all the right things this offseason, and the new coaching staff in San Diego is also behind him. Coach Mike McCoy told me at the NFL owners meetings in March that Mathews "had some bad luck the past couple of years" with injuries, and "he's going to be a great fit for this system."

That's good to hear, but it's clear Mathews will have a limited role. Danny Woodhead was brought in to play on passing downs, and the Chargers still have Ronnie Brown on the roster. That means Mathews is a two-down running back. He's also injury prone along the lines of Darren McFadden, and he suffered two broken clavicles in 2012.

There's a lot to like about Mathews in terms of talent, but Fantasy owners are clearly running out of patience. From what we saw last year, Mathews might not have what it takes to be a legitimate contributor.

The Vikings announced Thursday that rookie receiver Cordarrelle Patterson has signed. Patterson was one of three first round selections (No. 29 overall) by the Vikings in the 2013 draft.

During his lone season at Tennessee, Patterson led the Southeastern Conference averaging 158.4 all-purpose yards per game. His play earned him first-team All-SEC honors by the Associated Press as an All-Purpose Player.

Buccaneers running back Doug Martin heads into the season as a sought-after player in Fantasy leagues. He is currently being selected No. 3 overall based on Average Draft Position on CBSSports.com.

Martin is being drafted after Adrian Peterson and Arian Foster. We agree based on our rankings, and I like Martin at No. 3 overall in standard leagues and No. 2 in PPR formats.

Last year, Martin finished as the No. 2 running back in standard leagues behind Peterson. He had 1,454 rushing yards and 11 touchdowns and 49 catches for 472 yards and one touchdown.

Coach Greg Schiano told me he would like Martin more involved as a receiver, and he could approach 2,000 total yards. He's a beast, and he should be drafted as a Top 3 overall pick.

The Seahawks made news Tuesday when reports surfaced that second-year running back Robert Turbin is expected to be the third-down back behind starter Marshawn Lynch. That has Fantasy owners wondering who is the handcuff option for Lynch -- Turbin or rookie Christine Michael.

This is probably a scenario where if Lynch goes down the Seahawks would use a committee of Turbin and Michael. Turbin is probably the better handcuff option on Draft Day, but Michael might be the one running between the tackles and could have more upside.

This isn't like Houston with Arian Foster and Ben Tate or Baltimore with Ray Rice and Bernard Pierce. The backfield behind Lynch is wide open, and Seattle might opt to use both guys if Lynch gets hurt.

Of course, we hope that doesn't happen, but be prepared just in case. You might be better off with Michael long-term, but Turbin could get the first crack at the job.

We'd gamble on Turbin on Draft Day as the handcuff to Lynch, but be ready to pounce on Michael if he gets the majority of touches should Lynch suffer an injury.

Browns offensive coordinator Norv Turner predicted 300 carries for Trent Richardson and said the second-year back stacks up to the greats he’s coached, namely Emmitt Smith and LaDainian Tomlinson.

"Just watching him and seeing him against us when I came here in October and then watching the tape, yeah, he’s that type of runner,'' Turner said Tuesday, via the Plain Dealer. "Obviously he’s the third pick in the draft. I think he has a lot of great days ahead of him. I always have a problem comparing players because each guy has his own unique style, but I think he’s capable of doing great things.”

Richardson carried 267 times for 950 yards and 11 touchdowns in 15 games as a rookie. Turner said he thinks Richardson will hit 300 carries this season.

"Obviously, the trend in the league is to not do that, but I think it depends on your team and everyone around it,'' Turner said. "If that player is your best player, then I think it’s probably a good thing to have him in the game and give him the ball. So I would hope Trent would have that many carries. That means he’s playing healthy and playing at a pretty high level.''

Lamar Miller should not be assumed to be the starting running back for the Dolphins, the Miami Herald reports. Though Miller has taken a huge portion of the first-team reps throughout the spring and early days of training camp, the team still thinks Daniel Thomas can put together a big season if he can stay healthy.

Miller is one of Jamey Eisenberg's breakout candidates for 2013 and has set a not-unrealistic goal of 1,500 yards this season. This could be a smoke screen by the Dolphins hoping to flip Thomas for something via trade before the end of the preseason or just a way to keep Miller grounded since he technically hasn't earned the top role -- yet.

Anyone looking for a stud running back in the first round between picks four and 10 overall should be elated that Trent Richardson has already been back at practice. As promised from the coaching staff, Browns executives and Richardson himself back in the spring, the burly do-it-all back is fine and ready for a big campaign.

I'm aiming for Richardson in that four-to-10 range and even have no problem taking him at fourth overall. The track record of his two primary offensive coaches (Rob Chudzinski, Norv Turner) combined with Richardson's own natural abilities and the expectation that he'll get fed the ball a lot makes him a valuable Fantasy property. You might call him an injury risk but the reality is that he's missed no more than three games in any of his last six years of playing football. I'm not scared to draft him at all.

Broncos second-year running back Ronnie Hillman will open camp as the starter, ahead of rookie Montee Ball and veteran Knowshon Moreno, reports The Denver Post.

Hillman played in 14 games as a rookie but wasn’t overly impressive, averaging 3.9 yards a carry. He scored one touchdown and lost one fumble on 94 touches.

The paper says Ball, who scored an FBS-record 83 touchdowns at Wisconsin, “will get a look as a third-down option and a rotation runner on early downs.”

This is a competition to watch closely as Denver opens camp Thursday.