The Panthers have placed Christian McCaffrey on IR for the 2nd time this season, following his left-ankle injury in Sunday's loss to the Dolphins. That automatically knocks him out for the rest of the year, since it's his 2nd IR stint. It's a surprising development after NFL Network's Ian Rapoport reported earlier Monday that the injury "doesn't seem major." We'll see about the specifics of the injury, but that won't really matter until we're evaluating McCaffrey for 2022 fantasy football drafts. For now, it's Chuba Hubbard back to the lead at the position in Carolina. He averaged 17.8 carries, 65.8 yards and 0.4 TDs per game rushing in 5 fill-in starts earlier this season, with another 2.6 receptions and 17.6 receiving yards per contest. The Panthers have since added RB Ameer Abdullah, who figures to steal some passing-down snaps from Hubbard the rest of the way. Abdullah has seen 4+ targets in 4 of the past 5 games, averaging 2.6 catches and 22.4 receiving yards per game over those 5 contests.

Vikings RB Dalvin Cook (ankle) is officially inactive for today’s game vs. the Seahawks. That leaves Alexander Mattison and Ameer Abdullah as Minnesota’s only active RBs. Mattison should handle the majority of the rushing work, but Abdullah figures to mix in on passing downs. Check out our Week 3 projections for the Vikings backfield.

The Vikings spent a 4th-round pick on RB Kene Nwangwu in Round 4 of the 2021 NFL Draft. Nwangwu likely raised his stock with tremendous testing numbers at his pro day. He ran a 4.32-second 40-yard dash at 6 feet, 210 pounds. He added 85th percentile or better measurements in the vertical, broad and 3-cone. Nwangwu totaled just 143 carries and 7 catches across 4 seasons at Iowa State. He did averaged a strong 26.8 yards per kick return for his career. That could be Nwangwu's entry point to significance in Minnesota. He's obviously not going to challenge Dalvin Cook's standing and might not even present much competition to Alexander Mattison. Ameer Abdullah might want to beware, though.

The Vikings have downgraded RB Alexander Mattison to out for Sunday's game against the Jaguars because of an illness. That elevates Ameer Abdullah to the #2 RB spot for the game -- according to the team's "unofficial" depth chart. That probably doesn't mean a lot of work for Abdullah (or Mike Boone). Perhaps losing Mattison keeps more touches on Dalvin Cook's plate. Ultimately, we wouldn't alter fantasy-lineup plans on this news.

Update: Mattison had an appendicitis and underwent successful surgery, according to NFL Network's Tom Pelissero. Mattison might end up missing more than just this week's game.

Vikings RBs Dalvin Cook (shoulder) and Alexander Mattison (ankle) are inactive for today’s game against the Bears. Mike Boone and Ameer Abdullah will again handle backfield duties, but neither is a strong fantasy play with Minnesota expected to rest key starters, including QB Kirk Cousins.

Vikings RB Dalvin Cook (shoulder) is out for Sunday’s game against the Bears. RB Alexander Mattison (ankle) is listed as questionable, but we’d be surprised if he played in this meaningless game. That'll again leave the backfield to Mike Boone and Ameer Abdullah.

Vikings RB Dalvin Cook suffered what appeared to be a left shoulder injury in the 3rd quarter of Sunday's game against the Chargers. He was down on the field for a few minutes in obvious pain. Note that it was a right shoulder injury that he'd been dealing with previously. We'll update Cook's status as soon as we know more. RB Alexander Mattison is out today with an ankle injury, leaving Minnesota with RBs Mike Boone and Ameer Abdullah.

Update: Cook was quickly ruled out for the rest of the game.

Vikings RB Alexander Mattison (ankle) is out for Sunday's game against the Chargers. That leaves Mike Boone and Ameer Abdullah behind Dalvin Cook on the depth chart. Mattison's absence could certainly mean a few extra touches for Cook.

The Vikings have claimed RB Ameer Abdullah off waivers from the Lions. While it's encouraging that Abdullah got snatched up so quickly, this obviously isn't a good landing spot. He'll sit behind Dalvin Cook and Latavius Murray on Minnesota's depth chart. Leave Abdullah on the waiver wire in redraft leagues.

The Lions have released RB Ameer Abdullah. Finally. The former 2nd-round pick has just 1 carry and 2 catches on 11 offensive snaps this season. We'll see where he ends up, although it's probably too late in the year for him to make a fantasy impact.

Lions RB Theo Riddick (knee) is out for Sunday’s game against the Dolphins after missing practice all week. We don’t have any details on the injury or when we can expect him back. Tim Twentyman of the Lions’ official website suggests that RB Ameer Abdullah will soak up most of Riddick’s role, but RB Kerryon Johnson might also pick up some extra snaps.

Lions RB Ameer Abullah is inactive for tonight's opener against the Jets. After a preseason that found him in the 1st-team mix, this indicates that Abdullah's depth-chart standing has not improved despite a new coaching staff. With no special-teams role, we're left wondering why Detroit bothers keeping the now-veteran back on the 53-man roster. His deactivation can only help rookie Kerryon Johnson's touch count.

The Lions on Saturday cut RB Dwayne Washington and placed RB Zach Zenner on IR for a back injury, according to MLive.com. That could mean RB Ameer Abdullah has secured a spot on the 53-man roster. We'll see once Detroit finalizes things later today.

Lions RB Ameer Abdullah is in danger of getting cut, according to insider Dave Birkett. That was the thought all offseason, but Abdullah has surprisingly received significant run with the 1st-team offense this preseason. Still, Birkett believes RBs Kerryon Johnson, LeGarrette Blount and Theo Riddick are roster locks, putting Abdullah on the bubble. He's averaged a decent 4.1 yards per carry this preseason and is expected to get lots of playing time in Thursday's finale. It sounds like that'll be an audition to keep his job in Detroit. Abdullah obviously isn't worth a roster spot in redraft leagues.

The Lions selected Auburn RB Kerryon Johnson with the 43rd overall pick of the 2018 NFL Draft. Derrius Guice’s slide continues. Johnson was a workhorse for the Tigers last year, carrying 285 times for 1,391 yards and 18 TDs. He caught 24 balls for 194 yards and 2 more scores. Johnson left school with a mediocre 4.8 yards-per-carry average and didn’t overly impress us on film. But he can obviously carry the mail and lands in a solid spot in Detroit. LeGarrette Blount is a 31-year-old on a 1-year deal, Theo Riddick is a pure pass-catcher and Ameer Abdullah has clearly fallen out of favor. Johnson is the odds-on favorite to lead the 2018 backfield in carries, although Riddick limits his pass-catching upside.

Lions RB Ameer Abdullah is active for today's game against the Bears, as expected. He missed the past 2 games while dealing with a neck injury, but Week 14 reports suggested Abdullah could have played and was more a healthy scratch. His return clouds an already-murky backfield that would be better to avoid in fantasy if you can.

Lions HC Jim Caldwell expects RB Ameer Abdullah to play against the Bears on Saturday. "I do, as long as things keep trending in the right direction," were Caldwell's exact words. Abdullah was reportedly a healthy scratch last week and would be returning to an uncertain role. Of course, he'd also make RB Theo Riddick tougher to trust in fantasy lineups.

Lions RB Ameer Abdullah (neck) is inactive for today’s game against the Bucs. He was listed as questionable with that neck injury, but NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport suggested this morning that Abdullah is basically a healthy scratch. He’s droppable in standard-sized redraft leagues. RBs Theo Riddick and Tion Green figure to split the ball-carrying work today, with Riddick dominating the passing-down snaps.

Lions RB Ameer Abdullah (neck) is not expected to play against the Bucs today, according to NFL Network's Ian Rapoport. "It's more for play than injury reasons," Rapoport adds. "Detroit is trying other players to improve the run game." In other words, Abdullah will be a healthy scratch. It's another disappointing turn for a guy averaging just 3.4 yards per carry this season. With Abdullah sidelined last week, RB Theo Riddick played 63% of the offensive snaps and handled 9 carries and 5 targets. RB Tion Green carried 11 times on a 33% snap rate. Expect similar usage today.