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Benny Snell RB | DET
Steelers' Benny Snell: Minimal usage in Week 4
Snell recorded one carry for zero yards and failed to haul in his lone target in Sunday's 27-17 loss to the Packers.
Snell played a season-high eight offensive snaps against Green Bay, but he failed to record any yardage in the loss. The 23-year-old has had a minimal role on offense behind rookie Najee Harris, who played 80 percent of the Steelers' offensive snaps in Week 4.
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David Montgomery RB | HOU
Bears' David Montgomery: Needs more tests
The Bears believe Montgomery (knee) avoided an ACL tear Sunday, but they still need more testing to determine the extent of his injury, Adam Schefter of ESPN reports.
Montgomery left in the fourth quarter of Sunday's 24-14 win over the Lions, with postgame reports suggesting he'd suffered a hyperextension of his left knee. The mere mention of an ACL issue will make fantasy managers nervous, even if it's a report that he's believed to have avoided said injury. In any case, the Bears have Damien Williams and Khalil Herbert as reserve options in their backfield for now should Montgomery miss additional time, with Tarik Cohen (knee) not eligible to come off the PUP list until Week 7. The Bears play at Las Vegas in Week 5.
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Royce Freeman RB | CHI
Panthers' Royce Freeman: Just three touches
Freeman rushed three times for 12 yards in Sunday's 36-28 loss to the Cowboys.
Freeman was listed as Carolina's second option at tailback with Christian McCaffrey (hamstring) sidelined, but that role still didn't offer him much usage. Overall, the veteran played just 12 offensive snaps, trailing both starter Chuba Hubbard (33 snaps) and fellow reserve Rodney Smith (26 snaps), who saw passing-down work in the second half with Carolina in catch-up mode. If McCaffrey remains sidelined for Week 5's matchup against the Eagles, Freeman would have another shot at helping to fill in, but his sparse involvement Sunday should keep expectations tempered, especially with Smith factoring in.
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D'Ernest Johnson RB | TEN
Browns' D'Ernest Johnson: Used on special teams only
Johnson did not have an offensive snap and was on the field for 19 snaps on special teams during Sunday's 14-7 win over Minnesota.
This was second time in four games Johnson wasn't part of the offense, and he has a total of eight offensive snaps and two carries through four games. He'd likely be first in line for duty should anything happen to Nick Chubb or Kareem Hunt. Rookie Demetric Felton has more offensive snaps than Johnson, but the latter has more time in the system and is a more traditional running back, while Felton is viewed more as a gadget player.
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Demetric Felton RB | WAS
Browns' Demetric Felton: Seeing more targets
Felton caught two of two targets for 12 yards and returned five punts for 25 yards in Sunday's 14-7 win over the Vikings.
Felton has been limited to just 20 offensive snaps through four games, but the Browns tend to look his way when he enters a game. He's been targeted seven times in those 20 snaps. Felton out-targeted wide receivers Donovan Peoples-Jones and Anthony Schwartz on Sunday and has more combined targets than either wideout over the last three weeks.
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Damien Harris RB | BUF
Patriots' Damien Harris: Forgettable performance on SNF
Harris rushed four times for negative four yards and caught both of his targets for 30 yards in Sunday's 19-17 loss to Tampa Bay.
Harris technically led the Patriots in rushing attempts (no other rusher had more than one carry), but he also led the team in negative rushing yardage. Brandon Bolden didn't fare any better on the ground (one carry for zero yards), but the latter had a much bigger impact in the passing game (six receptions for 51 yards). Harris has contributed just 10 yards on 10 carries over the last two contests following a hot start to the year. It wouldn't be surprising to see the Patriots mix things up in the backfield given how poor the rushing attack has looked over the last two weeks.
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Jeremy McNichols RB | WAS
Titans' Jeremy McNichols: Steps up in passing game
McNichols recorded eight receptions on 12 targets for 74 yards in Sunday's Week 4 loss to the Jets. He added one rushing attempt for 11 yards.
McNichols remainined limited in the rushing attack, as Derrick Henry racked up an impressive 33 attempts on the ground. However, McNichols did increase his involvement as a receiver in the absence of both Julio Jones (hamstring) and A.J. Brown (hamstring), and he ultimately led the team in all receiving categories. Heading into Week 5, it will be difficult to project McNichols to carry this type of volume forward, though he could maintain increased involvement in the offense if the Titans' remain short-handed among its wide receiver corps.
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Devin Singletary RB | NYG
Bills' Devin Singletary: Bounces back against Texans
Singletary recorded 14 rushes for 79 yards in Sunday's Week 4 win over the Texans. He added one reception for seven yards.
Singletary split carries exactly evenly with Zack Moss, and he outgained Moss by 18 yards. Though he managed only two runs of 10 or more yards, Singletary regularly picked up chunk gains to help the Buffalo offense stay on schedule. Singletary has now earned double-digit touches in every game, and both he and Moss seem to be settling into roughly a 15-touch role per game.
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Javonte Williams RB | DAL
Broncos' Javonte Williams: Looks good with limited touches
Williams carried the ball seven times for 48 yards and caught all three of his targets for 11 yards in Sunday's 23-7 loss to the Ravens.
The Denver running game had some success in the first half, and both Williams and Melvin Gordon finished the afternoon averaging better than six yards a carry, but when Teddy Bridgewater left the game with a concussion late in the second quarter, the whole offense stagnated. Williams came into Sunday with just a 3.5 YPC through his first three NFL games, however, and the rookie could slip back to that level in Week 5 against a tough Steelers run defense.
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Melvin Gordon RB | BAL
Broncos' Melvin Gordon: Leading rusher in loss
Gordon carried the ball nine times for 56 yards and caught two of four targets for 11 yards in Sunday's 23-7 loss to the Ravens.
The Denver running game had some success in the first half, and both Gordon and Javonte Williams finished the afternoon averaging better than 6.0 yards a carry, but when Teddy Bridgewater left the game with a concussion late in the second quarter, the whole offense stagnated. Gordon's performance suggests the various injuries he was dealing with in practice this week won't be a factor moving forward, but he'll face a tough matchup in Week 5 against the Steelers.