NFL Player News

Ahmed logged eight carries for 23 yards during Sunday's divisional win over the Jets.

Ahmed managed to clear the league's COVID-19 protocols in time to suit up Week 15, but he logged another disappointing fantasy performance, as has become routine for the 22-year-old. Through 12 appearances this season, Ahmed has compiled a dismal 2.8 yards per carry on 54 attempts and has been held out of the end zone entirely. Now, Duke Johnson appears to have passed him on the depth chart.

Barner has reverted to the Buccaneers' practice squad, per the NFL's official transactions report.

Barner was inactive Week 15, despite having been elevated to the active roster. He hasn't appeared in a single game this season he but logged six appearances with the Buccaneers in 2020 as a special-teams contributor.

Kelly played six snaps on special teams in Monday's 16-14 loss to the Raiders.

Kelly was elevated to the active roster and served as the fourth back behind Nick Chubb, D'Ernest Johnson and Demetric Felton. It was the fourth time that Kelly's been active for a game in 2021; he has two carries for 13 yards while playing three snaps on offense.

Felton caught three of four targets for 16 yards and returned one kickoff for 24 yards in Monday's 16-14 loss to the Raiders.

With Kareem Hunt (ankle), Austin Hooper and Jarvis Landry all on the reserve/COVID-19 list, Felton saw an uptick in targets and playing time. He was on the field for a season-high 29 offensive snaps (52 percent). The rookie has made a bigger impact as a return man this season, but he was removed as the primary punt returner Monday after muffing a couple of punts in last week's win over Baltimore. Donovan Peoples-Jones took over as the punt returner.

Vaughn rushed three times for 19 yards and failed to bring in either of his two targets in the Buccaneers' 9-0 loss to the Saints on Sunday night.

Vaughn, who was primarily active Sunday night due to Giovani Bernard's (hip/knee) placement on injured reserve earlier in the week, was called into action when Leonard Fournette exited early with a hamstring injury. While Vaughn's role still was modest (19 snaps), that may not be the case in coming weeks, considering Fournette could miss at least the Week 16 contest versus the Panthers, at minimum. In such a scenario, Ronald Jones still projects to helm the Bucs backfield, but Vaughn could be a key complementary option.

Ozigbo reverted to New England's practice squad Monday.

Ozigbo was elevated to the active roster ahead of Saturday's matchup with the Colts but failed to see any snaps. He's appeared in three games so far this season, registering one carry for minus-3 yards and one reception for seven yards.

Cook rushed 28 times for 89 yards and brought in two of three targets for two yards in the Vikings' 17-9 win over the Bears on Monday night.

Cook had to work for every blade of grass Monday, with the 3.2 yards per carry he averaged qualifying as his lowest since the Week 1 overtime loss to the Bengals. The fifth-year back's night was exponentially more difficult than his 205-yard outburst against the Steelers in Week 14, but Cook helped churn out some key yards and kept the defense from keying even further on Kirk Cousins, who was still sacked four times and hit on seven occasions overall. Cook has cleared the 80-yard mark in five of the last six games heading into a critical Week 16 home date against the Rams.

Herbert caught three of four targets for 34 yards in the Bears' 17-9 loss to the Vikings on Monday.

Herbert did most of his damage on receptions in the final minutes of the game. Otherwise, he saw occasional change-of-pace work. Unless David Montgomery misses time, Herbert won't likely see enough work to be a major factor in the fantasy playoffs.

Montgomery rushed 18 times for 60 yards and caught five passes for 23 yards in the Bears' 17-9 loss to the Vikings on Monday.

Montgomery had a number of successful runs up the middle early in the game, but with the Bears going with a run-heavy approach, the Vikings began to place the focus of the defense on him, resulting in a number of runs for no gain or lost yardage. With Chicago largely unable to move the ball consistently, he had no chances to carry the ball near the end zone. Although he'll have a couple tough upcoming matchups against the Seahawks and Giants, Montgomery's volume as both a runner and receiver ensures he'll be a strong option in the fantasy playoffs.

Johnson rushed once for minus-2 yards and caught all four of his targets for 17 yards in Monday's 16-14 loss to the Raiders.

Johnson was a non-factor on the ground behind workhorse Nick Chubb, who mustered 91 yards and a touchdown on 23 rushing attempts. He played a scaled-down version of the third-down back role normally occupied by Kareem Hunt, who's currently on the reserve/COVID-19 list while also dealing with an ankle injury, and Johnson actually tied Donovan Peoples-Jones for the team lead in catches. Given his role in this one, Johnson will be tough to trust Week 16 against the Packers, even if Hunt isn't ready to return.