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7-on-7: Special injured running back edition, featuring Richardson, Bradshaw

Andy Behrens
·Fantasy analyst

Let's begin with an encouraging quote from Browns rookie Trent Richardson, who was sidelined for a stretch in Week 6 with a rib issue. These were his thoughts on Wednesday, after putting in a limited practice:

"I'm going to try not to let the coaches tell me I can't play," Richardson said after practice. "I want to be out there. I want to be out there with my team. I want to be out there fighting with them, playing every down with them. They usually see me, so in my head, most definitely, I'm playing."

It's clearly a nice sign that Richardson was able to put in some work, mid-week. Cleveland has the Colts on deck, so the match-up is plenty friendly. Indianapolis currently ranks No. 29 against the run, allowing 159.0 rushing yards per game and 5.0 per carry. If Richardson can't handle a full workload, Montario Hardesty will be a factor.

• Ahmad Bradshaw is again dealing with some foot problems, of as-yet-unknown severity. Bradshaw is coming off a pair of excellent games, so this is particularly unwelcome news. He didn't practice on Wednesday, so you'll want to pay close attention to the end-of-week reports. We should note that Andre Brown has returned to practice, having sufficiently recovered from his concussion. David Wilson would be in the mix as well, if Bradshaw's issues persist.

• Neither Rashard Mendenhall nor Isaac Redman practiced on Wednesday, and the pair is considered questionable for the upcoming Sunday night game at Cincinnati. You'll recall that Pittsburgh's O-line is also banged up (Pouncey, Gilbert), so things aren't looking great for that offense at the moment. The Mendenhall and Redman issues don't seem severe, so there's reason to believe one or both should be good to go.

• If Ed Werder can be believed on non-Favre matters, DeMarco Murray is apparently telling Dallas teammates that he'll return for the rematch against the Giants in Week 8. On behalf of Murray owners everywhere, I accept these terms. Felix Jones, of course, remains a solid single-serving play versus the Panthers.

• Houston's Ben Tate (toe) practiced on Wednesday, and his head coach had some nice things to say:

Kubiak said [Tate] was "back to work full-time" and "had a really good day."

So that's nice. With Arian Foster on pace for something like 12,000 carries this season, Tate's return to health is key.

OK, that's enough RB news...

• Saints tight end Jimmy Graham (ankle) didn't practice on Wednesday, and no one seems to be spreading much sunshine about his condition. This is a legit concern. Graham owners will clearly need to have a Plan B at their disposal. Here's a pile of TEs, for your review.

• A bunch of Dwayne Bowe-to-the-Dolphins buzz popped up yesterday, connected to Yahoo!'s Jason Cole. However, Jason himself threw cold water on that specific rumor not long after it erupted. But then he tossed out this nugget...

...so if you're a fan of a receiver-starved team (Washington, Miami, St. Louis, et al), feel free to speculate. Bowe is headed for free agency, unless he gets the franchise tag again. The NFL trade deadline — which is typically a lot less active than your fantasy league's trade deadline — doesn't arrive until Tuesday, October 30.