NFL Player News
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Roschon Johnson RB | CHI
Bears' Roschon Johnson: Serves as clear No.2 runner
Johnson rushed five times for 13 yards and caught one pass for two yards in the Bears' 31-28 loss to the Broncos on Sunday.
Johnson is often used as the passing-game running back when the Bears trail, but since the team led until that latter stages of the game, he saw significantly less work than Khalil Herbert. Despite his light usage in this contest, Johnson should have a good chance of seeing closer to 10 touches in a significant number of games as Chicago is likely to be trailing frequently this season.
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James Conner RB | ARI
Cardinals' James Conner: Season-low 11 attempts
Conner rushed 11 times for 52 yards while adding a four-yard reception off of two targets in Sunday's 35-16 loss to San Francisco.
The 49ers took a quick 21-3 lead in this contest, forcing the Cardinals to abandon the running element from its gameplan in the second half. Conner performed well on an individual basis by averaging 4.7 yards on his 11 attempts, which actually dropped his season average to a healthy 5.1 yards per carry through four games. No other Cardinal running back received more than one carry in Sunday's loss, confirming Conner's firm grasp of the starting job as the team prepares to face Cincinnati next Sunday.
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Tony Pollard RB | TEN
Cowboys' Tony Pollard: Quiet in blowout win
Pollard rushed the ball 11 times for 47 yards in Sunday's 38-3 win over the Patriots. He added three receptions for 13 yards.
Most of the Cowboys' top skill-position players had quiet days as the defense scored two of the team's four touchdowns while another came in garbage time with backups on the field. As a result, even given a fairly efficient effort, Pollard's volume and production were limited. Entering Sunday's game, Pollard had either scored multiple touchdowns or topped 100 total yards in all three games this season, so there's little reason for concern moving forward.
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Christian McCaffrey RB | SF
49ers' Christian McCaffrey: Carries offense with four scores
McCaffrey took 20 carries for 106 yards and three touchdowns while catching seven of eight targets for 71 yards and another score in Sunday's 35-16 win over Arizona.
McCaffrey wound up scoring a career-high four touchdowns en route to his third 100-yard rushing performance through four weeks. The star running back broke off a healthy chunk of yardage on nearly every one of his 27 touches Sunday, finishing with 177 combined yards from scrimmage without recording a gain of 20-plus yards. McCaffrey has taken on a workhorse role in his first full season with the 49ers, clearing 20 touches in every game this year after reaching 20 touches in just four of his 10 starts following last year's blockbuster trade. That hefty workload figures to lighten at some point as the undefeated 49ers begin to look towards the playoffs. As for next week, expect another heavy dose of McCaffrey when the 49ers take on the Cowboys in a Sunday night battle between long-time rivals.
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Josh Jacobs RB | GB
Raiders' Josh Jacobs: Big day as pass catcher
Jacobs rushed the ball 17 times for 58 yards and a touchdown in Sunday's 24-17 loss to the Chargers. He added eight receptions on 11 targets for 81 yards.
Jacobs was the focal point of the offense to begin the game as the Raiders tried to ease rookie Aidan O'Connell into his first NFL start. However, he was unable to find much room on the ground -- he entered halftime with eight carries for 25 yards -- and game script forced Las Vegas to the air. Given that combination, the majority of Jacobs' production came as a receiver, highlighted by three gains of more than 10 yards. Jacobs also found the end zone for the first time this season with a touchdown late in the fourth quarter to close the team's deficit to one score. While it wasn't the most efficient performance, Sunday's effort was by far his best fantasy effort of the campaign to date.
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Joshua Kelley RB | TEN
Chargers' Joshua Kelley: Struggles to pile up much yardage
Kelley registered 17 carries for 65 yards in the 24-17 win over the Raiders on Sunday.
With Austin Ekeler out for a third and likely final game due to a high-ankle sprain, Kelley ended his multi-week stretch as the top running back on an underwhelming note. While Kelley essentially was the only running back to see much work Sunday, he averaged only 3.8 yards per carry despite facing a Raiders defense that had previously struggled to stop the run. With the Chargers on a bye in Week 5, expect Kelley to revert to the No. 2 running back role with Ekeler likely ready to hit the ground running against the Cowboys come Oct. 16.
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Rachaad White RB | WAS
Buccaneers' Rachaad White: Solid all-around day in win
White rushed 15 times for 56 yards and secured all three targets for 22 yards in the Buccaneers' 26-9 win over the Saints on Sunday.
White put together a trademark two-way performance, turning in a workman-like effort on the ground while making his usual complementary contributions as a receiver. The second-year back has no fewer than 14 carries or two catches in any of his first four games, and even though backfield mate Ke'Shawn Vaughn saw nine carries Sunday, there's no questioning White's role as the Bucs' lead back heading into the team's Week 5 bye.
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Khalil Herbert RB | NYJ
Bears' Khalil Herbert: Season-high rushing total in loss
Herbert rushed 18 times for 103 yards and brought in four of five targets for 19 yards and a touchdown in the Bears' 31-28 loss to the Broncos on Sunday.
Herbert took advantage of a highly exploitable matchup against a short-handed Broncos defense while logging season highs in carries and receiving yards. The third-year back was encouragingly the clear leader in rushes for the Bears after splitting work fairly closely with rookie Roschon Johnson over the first three games, outpacing his teammate by 13 totes Sunday. Given Herbert's performance, it's likely he spearheads the backfield in a Week 5 road matchup against the Commanders on Thursday night.
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James Cook RB | BUF
Bills' James Cook: Scores first TD of season
Cook rushed 12 times for 29 yards and a touchdown and brought in his only target for a 48-yard gain in the Bills' 48-20 win over the Dolphins on Sunday.
Cook had his roughest day on the ground on the season from an efficiency perspective, but he partly made up for it by finally finding the end zone in 2023 on a one-yard run late in the first quarter that survived a replay review. His big 48-yard grab also was instrumental in an early third-quarter drive that culminated in a Tyler Bass 33-yard field goal that extended Buffalo's lead to 34-20. Cook continues to contribute explosive plays each week, but he could have another uphill battle for rushing yards in a Week 5 matchup against the Jaguars in London.
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Rico Dowdle RB | PIT
Cowboys' Rico Dowdle: Ruled out against New England
The Cowboys have ruled Dowdle (hip) out for the remainder of Sunday's game against New England, Michael Gehlken of The Dallas Morning News reports.
Dowdle will not return to the game after carrying the ball three times for nine yards and hauling in his lone target for an additional eight yards. With the 25-year-old out, Deuce Vaughn should be in line for increased playing time.