NFL Player News

Spears (ankle) avoided a major injury during the Titans' 24-17 loss to the Jets on Sunday, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reports.

Spears rushed six times for 20 yards and caught two of his three targets for 11 yards before being forced off the field Sunday. Though Rapoport didn't offer more details about Spears' injury, it's encouraging that the second-year pro had dodged a major ankle issue. Spears will look to get back on the practice field in preparation for Tennessee's matchup against the Packers in Week 3, with the team's first official injury report slated to arrive Wednesday. Jim Wyatt of the Titans' official site reports that head coach Brian Callahan called Spears "day-to-day" on Monday.

Patterson carried the ball twice for three yards during Sunday's 13-6 win over the Broncos.

Patterson played just four offensive snaps, down from the nine he saw during the season opener. Despite his limited playing time, he's seen multiple carries in each of the first two games of the season. However, Patterson is unlikely to be relevant in most fantasy formats as long as Najee Harris and Jaylen Warren are healthy.

Perine played nine of Kansas City's 65 offensive snaps and finished with one reception for three yards on his lone target in Sunday's 26-25 win over the Bengals.

Perine has now logged single-digit snap counts in each of his first two games with Kansas City, but he could be headed for more playing time with Isiah Pacheco (fibula/ankle) likely to land on injured reserve after getting hurt in Sunday's win, per Charles Goldman of AToZSports.com. Undrafted rookie Carson Steele (seven carries for 24 yards in Week 2) could be first in line for early-down work, but Perine should at least settle in as the team's preferred option on passing downs. Since Steele and Perine are the only healthy backs on the active roster at the moment while Clyde Edwards-Helaire (illness) is on the reserve/non-football illness list, Kansas City will likely look outside the organization for backfield depth before their next game Sunday in Atlanta.

Texans head coach DeMeco Ryans said after Sunday's 19-13 win over the Bears that Mixon will have his injured ankle evaluated, DJ Bien-Aime of ESPN.com reports. "Joe got rolled up. The guy's weight definitely came down on his ankle," Ryans said. "We'll evaluate Joe throughout the week. Hopefully he's OK."

Mixon is slated to undergo an MRI on Monday, per Tom Pelissero of NFL Network. He picked up the injury with 11:57 left in the third quarter, when he was brought down by the Bears' T.J. Edwards with what appeared to be the now-banned swivel hip-drop tackle. Though Mixon was able to check back into the game, he played just seven snaps the rest of the night and finished with 25 yards on nine carries, plus 25 yards on three receptions. The running back took to social media after the game to criticize the NFL and NFLPA for not penalizing the hip-drop tackle, but he didn't shed any light on whether the ankle injury would jeopardize his status for Week 3 at Minnesota. If he's ruled out for next Sunday's game or is limited, Cam Akers and/or Dameon Pierce (hamstring) could take on extra carries, while Dare Ogunbowale may serve as the main replacement for Mixon on passing downs.

Steele carried seven times for 24 yards while playing 14 of Kansas City's 65 snaps on offense in Sunday's 26-25 win over the Bengals.

Steele is averaging just 3.0 yards over his first nine NFL carries, but the undrafted rookie out of UCLA could nonetheless be headed for an expanded role in the offense with Isiah Pacheco (fibula/ankle) expected to land on injured reserve, according to Charles Goldman of AToZSports.com. Along with Steele, Samaje Perine -- who played nine of 65 snaps in Week 2 -- should take on extra work, though Kansas City may prefer to limit Perine to a passing-down role. The team will almost certainly add another running back or two to the 53-man roster before Sunday's game in Atlanta to help replace Pacheco, making it difficult to project what Steele's workload might look like.

Blackshear returned three kickoffs for 81 yards and one punt for 13 yards during Sunday's 26-3 loss to the Chargers.

Blackshear was able to suit for Sunday's affair despite missing practices earlier in the week due to personal reasons, and he impressed as Carolina's top return man. The 26-year-old's longest return went for 31 yard on a kickoff in the second quarter. Despite showing some juice in the return game, Blackshear didn't play a single offensive snap in Week 2 and appears to be an afterthought in Carolina's backfield.

Kansas City is expected to place Pacheco on injured reserve after initial tests indicate that he suffered a fractured fibula in Sunday's 26-25 win over the Bengals, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL Network.

Kansas City may not make the transaction official until later in the week, but once Pacheco lands on IR, he won't be eligible to play in at least the next four games. Schefter suggests that Pacheco's recovery timeline could extend beyond four games, though the team won't have a clearer idea for how much time the running back might miss until he undergoes an MRI on Monday to determine if he also suffered a fracture or ligament damage to his ankle. Samaje Perine and Carson Steele are next up for carries, and Clyde Edwards-Helaire (illness) could also factor into the backfield equation once he comes off the reserve/non-football illness list.

Sanders rushed seven times for 20 yards and caught all three of his targets for five yards during Sunday's 26-3 loss to the Chargers.

Sanders, along with the rest of the Panthers' offense, struggled during Sunday's affair, and the 27-year-old running back tallied just 2.5 yards per touch. Sanders was far less effective than Chuba Hubbard on the ground as well, as Hubbard recorded 64 rushing yards on just 10 carries. Carolina's offense has scored just 13 total points in the team's first two games, leaving Sanders' fantasy relevance in question as the Panthers prepare to take on the Raiders in Week 3.

Initial tests indicate that Pacheco suffered a fractured fibula in Sunday's 26-25 win over the Bengals, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reports.

Pacheco left the stadium Sunday in a walking boot and crutches, and he looks poised to miss some time, although no official recovery timeline has been provided yet. Additional work in the Kansas City backfield will be available for Samaje Perine and rookie Carson Steele.

Ogunbowale had two carries for three yards and caught both his targets for 20 yards in Sunday's 19-13 win over the Bears.

Ogunbowale took a back seat to Cam Akers, who was the primary beneficiary of Dameon Pierce's hamstring injury. While Ogunbowale out-snapped Akers (20-13), the latter had more touches (8-4). Akers also had a conspicuous fumble in the red zone as the Texans were preparing to take a two-touchdown lead late in the fourth quarter. Pierce's injury, plus the ankle injury Joe Mixon played through Sunday, could shuffle up roles in the Houston backfield ahead of Week 3's road matchup in Minnesota.