NFL Player News

Judkins rushed the ball 23 times for 110 yards in Sunday's 21-17 loss to the Vikings. He added one reception on two targets for 18 yards.

Judkins' takeover of the Cleveland backfield continued, as he accounted for 23 of 29 rush attempts by running backs. Even with plenty of attention from the Minnesota defense, Judkins ripped off long runs of 32,14 and 14 yards on the ground to top 100 rushing yards in a game for the first time in his career. Jerome Ford and Dylan Sampson will take away some opportunities as a pass catcher, but Judkins has a reliable workload and has been very effective through four games as a pro.

The Cardinals plan to keep Demercado in his usual role as a passing-down specialist in Sunday's game against the Titans, Adam Schefter of ESPN reports.

Though James Conner (foot) and Trey Benson (knee) have both been sent to injured reserve within the past two weeks, Demercado won't be asked to take on the same three-down role that the other two backs had handled prior to going down with their respective injuries. Instead, the Cardinals plan to have Michael Carter take on the brunt of the snaps on first and second downs, allowing the more explosive Demercado to remain more of a change-of-pace option. That being said, Carter was only recently signed off the practice squad and may not have as much security on early downs as Conner and Benson did when healthy, so Demercado could still have a path to getting more involvement as a runner after carrying just four times through Arizona's first four games. The third-year back has shown the ability to reel off some big gains in the past; he's averaging 6.0 yards per carry on 86 totes through 31 career NFL games.

Blue is listed as active Sunday at the Jets.

After being a healthy scratch for each of the Cowboys' first four games of the season, Blue will be available to make his pro debut Week 5. The rookie fifth-round pick will be one of the reserves behind starter Javonte Williams along with FB Hunter Luepke, as Miles Sanders (knee/ankle) is inactive. Blue averaged 5.7 yards per carry, recorded 56 catches for 503 yards and scored 18 total touchdowns in 29 games in his final two collegiate campaigns at Texas.

The Cardinals are expected to "lean on" Carter on first and second downs during Sunday's game against the Titans after Trey Benson (knee) was placed on injured reserve Wednesday, Adam Schefter of ESPN reports.

Just over a quarter of the way into the season, Arizona is already down its top two running backs. James Conner suffered a foot injury Week 3 that required season-ending surgery, while Benson is appears set to miss at least 4-to-6 weeks after undergoing meniscus surgery earlier this week. Emari Demercado had opened the season as Arizona's No. 3 running back behind those two players, but rather than elevating Demercado to the lead-back role, Schefter relays that the Cardinals instead plan to keep him in his usual pass-catching/change-of-pace role. Carter, who had previously been elevated from the practice squad for Week 4 before being signed to the 53-man roster Monday, thus looks poised to see the brunt of the early-down work and represents the best bet to lead the Arizona backfield in carries Sunday. Even so, Carter could still struggle to see enough overall touches to make for a comfortable option in fantasy lineups. In addition to losing out on some third-down snaps to Demercado, Carter could also cede some red-zone running opportunities to dual-threat quarterback Kyler Murray.

Pierce is active for Sunday's game against the Ravens.

Pierce is back in the Texans' RB mix in Week 5, but with Nick Chubb, Woody Marks, Dare Ogunbowale and British Brooks also on hand, it remains to be seen what sort of snap share/volume Pierce might see Sunday. In one game thus far, Pierce has logged three carries for five yards.

Neal (coach's decision) is inactive for Sunday's game against the Giants.

Neal will be a healthy scratch for a fourth consecutive game while the Saints roll with a three-man backfield of Alvin Kamara, Kendre Miller and Velus Jones. Neal's next chance to see the field is Week 6 against the Patriots on Sunday, Oct. 12.

Wright is inactive for Sunday's game against the Panthers.

With Wright the odd man out, De'Von Achane and Ollie Gordon will handle Miami's backfield duties Sunday. Wright is thus off the fantasy radar until he reclaims a spot in the team's RB rotation behind Achane.

McLaughlin (coach's decision) is inactive for Sunday's game against the Eagles.

For a fifth straight week, McLaughlin is a healthy scratch. J.K. Dobbins and RJ Harvey have handled most of the RB duties, with Tyler Badie serving as a depth option.

Tracy (shoulder) is listed as inactive Sunday at New Orleans, Dan Salomone of the Giants' official site reports.

Tracy got back on the practice field Friday for the first time since dislocating his right shoulder Week 3 versus the Chiefs, but the limited session wasn't enough for the Giants to clear him for game action. While Tracy is missing a second consecutive contest, Cam Skattebo will continue to lead New York's backfield, and Devin Singletary will mix in behind him. Tracy's next chance to return to action is Thursday against the Eagles.

Sanders (knee/ankle) is inactive for Sunday's game at the Jets, Nick Harris of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram reports.

Sanders wasn't able to practice during Week 5 prep due to knee and ankle injuries, but a questionable designation left the door open for him to be available to the Cowboys offense Sunday. The proceeding didn't come to pass, though, so Dallas will roll with rookie fifth-round pick Jaydon Blue and fullback Hunter Luepke as the backfield options behind starter Javonte Williams. Sanders' next chance to suit up is Sunday, Oct. 12 in Carolina.