Barber wants to play, Jones to get more carries

Sep 24, 2009

Marion Barber wants to play and plans to play but won't be sure he can play until his leg responds favorably to workouts. In the 20-minute portion of practice that's open to reporters, he looked fine jogging through drills and catching a few passes.

The extra day of preparation works in Barber's favor. But if he can't go, the Cowboys have two proven runners – Felix Jones and Tashard Choice – itching for more carries.

Rushing has been Dallas' strength. The line has opened holes as the Cowboys have averaged 184.5 yards per game and 7.0 yards per carry. Jones has 118 yards on 13 carries, and though Choice has only four attempts, he stepped in seamlessly as the main man last year when Barber and Jones were injured.

"The other two know that their roles are going to have to be picked up a bit," Cowboys running backs coach Skip Peete said. "Even if [Barber] is healthy, he may not be able to take as much of a load as he's taken in the past."

Fantasy Impact:

today

Chargers set to open window for RB J.K. Dobbins (knee)

Daniel Popper on X

0 minutes ago

Chargers will be opening J.K. Dobbins' 21-day window today, Jim Harbaugh tells reporters.

Related players: Gus Edwards

Fantasy Impact:

Dobbins has been on IR for the past four games with a knee injury. He's not a lock to play this week and he's not a lock for a safe workload even if he does play. The Chargers travel to New England in Week 17, so the matchup isn't a bad one. It's an early window game on Sunday, so owners should have plenty of notice. We'll also keep an eye on the practice reports this week.

Dolphins unsure of WR Jaylen Waddle's (knee) status for Week 17

Barry Jackson on X

5 minutes ago

McDaniel non-committal on whether Jaylen Waddle (knee) will practice this week: "I'm expecting to get everything from Waddle that he can do... I've [talked to] the trainer to make sure we protect him from himself. We will see how the week progresses. I don't know exactly what it will look like."

Fantasy Impact:

Waddle owners should probably not count on Waddle for Week 17, or at the very least have a backup plan. Waddle and the Dolphins play the Browns in the later window on Sunday so it could further complicate things for owners who were hoping to play him.

Texans WR Tank Dell tore ACL, dislocated knee

DJ Bien-Aime on X

9 minutes ago

DeMeco Ryans says WR Tank Dell tore his ACL along with dislocating his knee.

Fantasy Impact:

No surprises here as it was a terrible injury to watch during the game. While he's obviously out for the season, the bigger question is what will his status be for 2025. It's a huge question mark at this point given the seriousness of the injury. Even if Dell is able to play next season, he may take a while to get back to 100%.