Bears RB Jordan Howard suffered an ankle or Achilles injury during Sunday's loss to the Bucs, HC John Fox revealed afterward. We didn't notice or hear of an injury during the game. Howard's final carry came midway through the 4th quarter. We'll look for an update on his status tomorrow. Howard's absence would leave Chicago's backfield to Jeremy Langford and Ka'Deem Carey.

Bears RB Jeremy Langford (ankle) returned to practice on Tuesday, according to insider Brad Biggs. He's missed the past 4 weeks but appears to have a chance to return for Monday night's game against the Vikings. That'd turn what's recently been a 2-man committee into a 3-man backfield. Langford, Jordan Howard and Ka'Deem Carey are all better off on fantasy benches vs. Minnesota's 7th-ranked RB defense.

ESPN's Adam Schefter reports that the Bears expect RB Jeremy Langford to miss 4-6 weeks with the ankle sprain that knocked him out of Sunday night's loss to the Cowboys. That clears the way for Jordan Howard to likely take the backfield lead, starting with a solid home matchup against the Lions in Week 4. Howard should be owned in all fantasy football leagues. Given Langford's lacking performance so far, we wouldn't be surprised if Howard keeps the top job even after Langford returns. Ka'Deem Carey remains in the picture as well but is a limited player that John Fox's staff inherited from Lovie Smith & Co.

According to the Chicago Sun-Times, the battle for Chicago’s backup RB job is “getting away from” Ka’Deem Carey. He's competing with Jacquizz Rodgers, Jeremy Langford and Daniel Thomas for scraps behind Matt Forte. If you land Forte on draft day, don't bother grabbing any of his backups.

The Bears selected RB Jeremy Langford in the 4th round of the 2015 draft.  Langford racked up 2,944 yards and 40 TDs on a 5.2 per-carry average over his final 2 seasons at Michigan State.  He checked into the Combine at 6'0, 208 pounds and ran a 4.42-second 40-yard dash.  Langford disappointed in the agility drills, though, and doesn't show much wiggle on tape.  He'll sit behind Matt Forte in 2015, but note that Forte turns 30 this December.  Langford has a shot to become the heir apparent.  Chicago's selection of Langford doesn't inspire much confidence in last year's 4th-rounder, RB Ka'Deem Carey.

RB Jacquizz Rodgers has inked a 1-year deal with the Bears.  The 5'6, 196-pounder was never able to carve out more than a change-of-pace role in Atlanta and certainly won't do so behind Matt Forte in Chicago.  Rodgers is a plus pass-catcher, with 155 grabs over his 4-year career, but Forte is perhaps the best pass-catching back in the NFL.  It's tough to see Rodgers emerging as a fantasy asset with the Bears as long as Forte is healthy.  And if Forte goes down, we'd likely see a committee backfield with Rodgers and 2nd-year RB Ka'Deem Carey.

ESPN Bears reporter Michael C. Wright says he can envision a larger role for 2014 rookie RB Ka'Deem Carey in the coming season. Of course, Wright also seemed to contradict himself within the same mailbag answer. "I definitely envision Carey and Forte forming a duo similar to the Panthers' duo of DeAngelo Williams and Jonathan Stewart," Wright wrote. Three sentences later, he added, "I don't envision Carey and Forte ever splitting carries equally." So, what's a Williams-Stewart type duo if it's not splitting carries evenly? Take this as a reminder to look more at actual reports from reporters rather than their mailbag predictions. We certainly expect some more work for Carey in 2015, only because he was nearly invisible as a rookie after disappointing in the summer. But it'll take a Matt Forte injury to turn Carey into a fantasy factor next season.

Ka'Deem Carey is listed as the #2 RB on the Bears' latest depth chart.  The rookie ran behind RB Shaun Draughn for most of August but was always the favorite to win the backup job.  Carey put up big numbers in college, but he disappointed at the Combine and averaged just 2.7 yards per carry in the preseason.  We're not sure Carey would be a fantasy starter even if Matt Forte goes down this year.

The Bears selected RB Ka'Deem Carey in the 4th round of the draft.  Chicago needed a RB behind Matt Forte after letting Michael Bush go earlier in the offseason.  Carey isn't a flashy athlete but is a well-rounded, reliable back.  He racked up 3,814 yards and 42 TDs on the ground, plus 62 catches for 476 yards and 2 TDs over the last 2 seasons.  Carey should immediately step in as Chicago's #2 back but won't see more than a handful of touches per game as long as Forte is healthy this year.  Note that Forte turns 29 in December, though, and is only signed through 2015.  Carey could become the starter in 2016.