NFL Player News

Barner caught one of two targets for four receiving yards during Sunday's 29-22 win against the 49ers. He also collected 19 yards on four punt returns and lost one fumble.

The seven-year NFL veteran once again served as the Falcons' primary return man Week 15, but his fumble on a punt return early in the fourth quarter set up San Francisco for a Jimmy Garoppolo-to-Kyle Juszczyk touchdown pass. Fortunately for Atlanta, Matt Ryan and the offense orchestrated consecutive TD drives in response to pull off the 29-22 upset, perhaps lessening the pressure on Barner for the late-game gaffe. Barner has committed an alarming three fumbles on the season but has counteracted that flaw by establishing 8.1 yards per punt return, good for ninth best in the NFL heading into Week 16.

Freeman ran for 12 yards on five carries and added 14 yards on four catches during Sunday's 23-3 loss in Kansas City.

Freeman, and the Denver ground game more generally, were extremely limited during Sunday's loss. Head coach Vic Fangio told reporters Monday that the poor production was the result of poor blocking, some missed opportunities by the backs, and the Broncos digging themselves into an early hole. It was more of the same for Freeman, who has been held under 30 yards in four of his last six contests. He scored just once during that span. He's a hard back on which to rely, but his receiving ability should be on full display Sunday against Detroit's 31st-ranked pass defense.

Coach Jon Gruden acknowledged Monday that Jacobs -- who has been dealing with a shoulder injury since Week 7 -- had a hard time taking off his shoulder pads after Sunday's 20-16 loss to the Jaguars.

Gruden praised the running back's toughness, while suggesting that the status of Jacobs for the coming weeks will continue be in some question. That's not to say that the 6-8 Raiders are inclined to shut Jacobs down, but he'll need to be monitored closely during practice in the coming days to see if his shoulder rebounds well enough for him to play this coming weekend against the Chargers. For now, consider Jacobs -- who carried 24 times for 89 yards and caught two of three targets for 20 yards against Jacksonville -- questionable for Week 16 action.

Abdullah had five carries for 25 yards and didn't record a catch despite two targets in Sunday's win at the Chargers.

Abdullah got more carries than usual with Dalvin Cook leaving the game with a shoulder injury and Alexander Mattison inactive with an ankle injury. Mike Boone took over as the primary ballcarrier late in the blowout win. Boone likely would get the most carries if both Cook and Mattison are out again next week with Abdullah working in a backup and passing-down role.

Coach Mike Zimmer said Cook "feels good" Monday and expressed optimism that the running back will be able to play through his right shoulder injury in the Vikings' Week 16 game against the Packers, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reports.

Zimmer's comments about his players' injuries aren't always especially reliable, so the Vikings' practice reports this week will likely prove more telling with regard to Cook's status for the matchup between the NFC North's top two teams. Given that the division title is still up for grabs, it would be somewhat surprising if Cook ultimately was withheld from action against Green Bay if he's healthy enough to practice in at least a limited fashion this week. With Cook exiting early in the Week 15 win over the Chargers and backup Alexander Mattison (ankle) sitting out with an injury of his own, Mike Boone (13 carries for 56 yards and two touchdowns) finished the contest as Minnesota's top performer out of the backfield.

Ogunbowale rushed once for three yards and secured his only target for 13 yards in the Buccaneers' 38-17 win over the Lions on Sunday. He also returned two kickoffs for 43 yards.

Ogunbowale filled his usual change-of-pace role, but with the Buccaneers enjoying a rather rare comfortable lead from the second quarter onward, he wasn't as involved as in recent weeks. He also continued filling the primary kickoff returner role with T.J. Logan (thumb) on injured reserve and should see varying levels of modest activity over the final two games of the campaign.

Gaskin carried the ball nine times for 43 yards and caught two of three targets for 29 yards during Sunday's 36-20 loss to the Giants.

Gaskin once again played second fiddle to Patrick Laird during Sunday's loss, but he notched season-high totals in terms of both rushing and receiving yards. The rookie seventh-round pick has steadily earned increased touches down the stretch, and he could realistically operate in a near-even timeshare with Laird against the Bengals in Week 16.

Homer rushed twice for seven yards in Sunday's 30-24 win over the Panthers.

Homer didn't log an offensive snap over the first 13 games of his NFL career, but Rashaad Penny's (knee) season-ending injury opened the door, as he played six offensive snaps Sunday. The rookie sixth-round pick and C.J. Prosise (10 snaps) recorded minimal usage compared to Chris Carson, who turned 25 touches into 137 yards from scrimmage. Neither Homer nor Prosise is a dependable fantasy asset as long as Carson is healthy.

Snell had two carries for one yard in Pittsburgh's 17-10 loss to Buffalo on Sunday night.

The return of James Conner found Snell in a familiar role as a backup with his fewest touches since Week 4. He still has value as a handcuff to Conner but is otherwise touchdown dependent in Week 16 against a Jets defense that has allowed just two rushing touchdowns in the last eight games.

Conner (shoulder) rushed eight times for 42 yards and caught four passes (five targets) for nine yards and a touchdown in Sunday's 17-10 loss to the Bills.

Eight rushes may suggest that the team was taking it easy on their lead back in his first week back in action, but those eight carries led the backfield by a decent margin (the next-highest total was two carries). The Steelers simply could not do much against Buffalo's tough defense, and this resulted in few opportunities for all of the team's skill players. Expect Conner to get more involved in an easier matchup against the Jets on Sunday.