NFL Player News

Dowdle carried the ball five times for 18 yards and caught both his targets for seven yards in Sunday's 43-20 win over the Rams.

The Cowboys didn't need their running game to contribute much on a day when Dak Prescott was posting his best numbers of the season and the defense was also producing points, but Dowdle still saw his largest touch volume since Week 3. It would take an injury to Tony Pollard for Dallas' No. 2 RB to have significant fantasy value in most formats, but Dowdle has shown enough this season to be secure in his role as the top backup.

Evans rushed four times for 18 yards and a touchdown while catching three passes for 22 yards in the Bears' 30-13 loss to the Chargers on Sunday.

Evans had the most yards among the three Chicago running backs despite having fewer touches than D'Onta Foreman and Roschon Johnson. It seems likely that Evans will remain in the backfield rotation until Khalil Herbert (ankle) returns from injured reserve, which could be as soon as Week 10.

Boone had one carry for five yards, caught his lone target for 11 yards and returned two kickoffs for 44 yards in Sunday's 15-13 loss to the Panthers.

Boone was given his typical playing time on offense, but the coaches also moved him up the kick return depth chart. Devin Singletary had been the primary returner on kickoffs, but he's taken on a larger role on offense and the coaching staff may not want to expose him to injury on special teams. Boone has a combined 49 yards on seven touches this season as a running back.

Perine rushed once for five yards and caught two of his three targets for 16 yards in Sunday's 24-9 win over Kansas City.

Perine's limited usage continued Sunday, as the running back played just 17 of the Broncos' 71 offensive snaps while starter Javonte Williams was on the field for 45 snaps. Meanwhile, rookie Jaleel McLaughlin played just eight snaps but handled three more carries than Perine. The 2023 campaign has been mostly a disappointment for the former Bengal, as he has clearly taken a back seat to McLaughlin as the No. 2 option in Denver's ground game. Perine is remaining involved in the passing attack however, recording at least two receptions in every game this season. The Broncos head into a Week 9 bye, but Perine will likely remain an inconsistent fantasy contributor in Week 10 against the Bills.

Strong gained 41 yards on 10 carries and caught his lone target for 41 yards in Sunday's 24-20 loss to the Seahawks. He also returned one kickoff for 15 yards.

Strong, who played a season-high 24 snaps, led the Browns backfield in combined yards, as Kareem Hunt supplied 67 on 15 touches and Jerome Ford managed only 39 yards on 10 touches. Ford dealt with an ankle injury in practice during the week, which helps explain the near-equal three-way split. For a second straight game, Strong showed off his speed, and his 41-yard catch and run late in the first quarter set up the Browns' first touchdown. He also played in the fourth quarter of a close game for a second straight week and lined up at wideout a few times, and the coaching staff clearly trusts him. Ford (26 snaps) looked healthy in a managed role, and the Browns will monitor his ankle heading into a Week 9 tilt against Arizona. Strong's workload will depend to some extent on Ford's availability, but the former seems to have carved out a consistent role.

McLaughlin had four carries for 33 yards and caught both of his targets for six yards in Sunday's 24-9 win over Kansas City.

The rookie continues to serve as the primary backup to Javonte Williams, ahead of veteran Samaje Perine. McLaughlin finished with 39 yards on six touches, but his production was dwarfed by Williams' 30 touches for 98 scrimmage yards and a TD. It appears that the team is comfortable giving Williams his full workload after easing him back in from injury earlier in the year. McLaughlin and his Denver teammates will go on a bye in Week 9, resuming play against the Bills on Nov. 13.

Foreman rushed nine times for 34 yards and caught one of his two targets for two yards in Sunday's 30-13 loss to the Chargers.

Foreman was coming off a massive three-TD performance against the Raiders, but that didn't seem to earn the veteran any extra work against the Chargers, as he split carries almost evenly with Roschon Johnson (nine touches for 31 yards), who sat out that Week 7 game with a concussion. Predictably, neither back generated noteworthy fantasy lines in their smaller, shared roles. This figures to be the case again Sunday against the Saints barring any unforeseen roster moves, and Khalil Herbert (ankle) could be back in the mix as well as soon as Week 10.

Johnson took six carries for 21 yards while catching three of four targets for 10 yards in Sunday's 30-13 loss to the Chargers.

Johnson was able to pass the league's concussion protocol in time to suit up for Sunday's matchup against the Chargers. The 22-year-old wound up splitting touches with D'Onta Foreman, with neither player standing out in the box score. Both backs could struggle to develop consistent value due to fluctuating usage from an indecisive coaching staff trying to salvage a season that is clearly heading the wrong direction, and that's before the eventual return of Khalil Herbert (ankle) gets factored in. For now, assume another roughly even split between Johnson and Foreman against the Saints in Week 9.

Breida rushed five times for 13 yards and caught his only target for four yards in Sunday's Week 8 overtime loss to the Jets.

With starting QB Tyrod Taylor departing in the second quarter with a rib cage injury, the Giants attempted to grind out a win on the ground, accumulating 52 rushes versus just 14 pass attempts as a team. However, 36 of the carries went to Saquon Barkley, with the remaining 16 spread out between four different players. Breida's five carries were his most since Week 5, but they were still far from enough to result in meaningful fantasy numbers. If neither Taylor nor Daniel Jones (neck) is able to suit up in Week 9 against Las Vegas, New York could opt to again go with a run-heavy game plan, but that doesn't mean Breida will be involved enough to have any sort of fantasy viability.

Ekeler (ankle) carried the ball 15 times for 29 yards and caught seven of eight targets for 94 yards and a touchdown in Sunday's 30-13 win over Chicago. He also coughed up a fumble, his first of the season.

Ekeler continues to struggle as a rusher since returning from injury in Week 6, but he finally broke out for fantasy managers with his contributions as a receiver. The 28-year-old displayed his usual burst on a handful of his 22 combined touches Sunday, something that was lacking when he initially returned from injury. With an extra day of rest scheduled ahead of next Monday's tilt the Jets, we could see the healthiest version of Ekeler since Week 1, when he combined for 164 yards and a touchdown against Miami.