NFL Player News

Abdullah (neck) may have been healthy enough to play in Sunday's 24-21 win over the Buccaneers, MLive.com's Kyle Meinke reports.

A limited practice participant throughout the week, Abdullah seemingly was on track to return but instead found his name on the inactive list for a second straight week. While there's been some talk that he essentially was a healthy scratch, Lions head coach Jim Caldwell suggested after the game that Abdullah's neck injury played a part in his absence. Caldwell also hinted that Abdullah will be back in the game plan in the coming weeks, though the extent of his role wasn't specified. The Lions mostly relied on Theo Riddick (16 touches) in Sunday's win, but Tion Green (five) and Zach Zenner (two) also chipped in. Abdullah is averaging just 3.4 yards per carry and 5.1 yards per target this season.

Rodgers did not log any touches from scrimmage but returned three kickoffs for 60 yards in Sunday's 24-21 loss to the Lions.

The versatile veteran didn't see any snaps on offense for the first time since Week 9, as Doug Martin's return from a concussion made Rodgers the odd man out in the backfield. The seven-year veteran has been minimally involved as a running back since the first three games of the season, when he served as the lead back while Martin finished serving his suspension. As such, his fantasy value remains limited to formats that factor in return yards.

Sims rushed three times for 16 yards and brought in two of three targets for 11 yards in Sunday's 24-21 loss to the Lions.

Sims mirrored his Week 13 rushing line while also posting at least two catches for the sixth straight game. The four-year pro has yet to see more than three carries in any game this season, so his primary fantasy value is essentially limited to deep PPR formats. He'll look to exploit a Falcons defense that's been vulnerable to pass-catching backs in a Week 15 divisional battle.

Ellington had three carries for six yards and caught one of two targets for an additional 16 yards in Sunday's 26-16 loss to the 49ers.

With Alfred Blue (concussion) inactive, Ellington moved up to second on the depth chart, but a banged-up offensive line with guys playing out of position was unable to create running room for either Ellington or starter Lamar Miller. With Houston running backs averaging less than three yards per carry (20 carries, 59 yards), the game plan shifted to the pass. Ellington's status for Week 15 against the Jaguars depends on Blue's recovery.

Anderson carried the ball 22 times for 48 yards and caught both passes directed his way for 25 more yards in Sunday's 23-0 win over the Jets.

That many carries in a blowout victory might have deked Anderson's fantasy owners into thinking he'd had a big day, but he was only able to manage 2.2 YPC. On the plus side, Devontae Booker had a similarly poor day with just 22 yards on nine carries. Meanwhile, the 26-year-old touched the ball more than he had since Week 4 and probably will retain the feature-back role heading into a favorable Week 15 matchup with Indianapolis.

Zenner carried twice for zero yards during Sunday's 24-21 victory over the Buccaneers.

Ameer Abdullah (neck) remained sidelined a second consecutive week, but Zenner remained quiet. Theo Riddick paced the team with 10 carries while Tion Green received five. No tailback on the Lions was particularly effective, however. Regardless, there's zero indication that Zenner will see an increased workload going forward regardless of Abdullah's availability.

Green rushed five times for 15 yards during Sunday's 24-21 victory over Tampa Bay.

Green didn't receive the workload many expected after rushing for 51 yards and a touchdown on 11 carries during last week's loss to Baltimore, especially with Ameer Abdullah (neck) sidelined again. Making matter worse is that Green wasn't nearly as efficient with his touches, either. Instead, it was Theo Riddick who lead the charge, considering the scatback totaled 10 carries and accounted for both of the team's rushing touchdowns. If Abdullah continues to sit in Week 15, Sunday's game indicated that Riddick is the preferred play in the Lions backfield, though Detroit runners will be up against a Bears defense allowing just 3.9 yards per carry.

Williams rushed 20 times for 73 yards while catching his only target for 15 yards during Sunday's 12-7 victory over the Titans.

Again receiving the start in Adrian Peterson's (neck) continued absence, Williams was much less efficient than he was last week against the Rams, when the Utah State product averaged 6.7 yards on 16 carries. However, he still managed a respectable stat line Sunday due to volume alone. In fact, the 18 carries per game Williams has seen the past two weeks is right in line with what Peterson was getting (17.6 attempts per game). Should Peterson remain sidelined for yet another week, Williams should again be poised for a featured role against a Redskins defense allowing 4.3 yards per carry.

Henry carried eight times for 20 yards and a touchdown during Sunday's 12-7 loss to the Cardinals.

Henry managed just 2.5 yards per carry against a tough Cardinals front, but he salvaged some fantasy utility with a six-yard touchdown run in the second quarter. DeMarco Murray had a bit more success on 13 touches in this one, but he fell short of 43 rushing yards for the fifth time in six games since the team's bye week. A larger share of the workload is seemingly there for the taking for Henry, but he'll need to produce better returns next week against the 49ers to stake his claim.

West (calf) is inactive for Sunday's game in Pittsburgh.

With Alex Collins locked in as the lead back and Danny Woodhead handling passing downs, the Ravens prefer to use Javorius Allen as their No. 3 running back. Allen is better than West in the passing game and also plays special teams, but the Ravens might actually turn to West as the new lead runner if Collins were to suffer an injury. As for the immediate future, West will once again be a healthy scratch.