NFL Player News

Rodgers wrapped up the 2016 season with 129 carries for 560 yards and two touchdowns along with 13 receptions (on 16 targets) for 98 yards over 10 games.

The sixth-year pro was the surprise of the Bucs near-playoff season in 2016, especially considering he didn't seem to be on the team's radar heading into the season. After opening his career with four years in Atlanta as a change-of-pace option, Rodgers spent an uneventful 2015 campaign in Chicago, playing in only five games and seeing only 15 total touches from scrimmage. However, his past Falcons tenure with Bucs head coach Dirk Koetter and others on the team's staff bore fruit once both Doug Martin (hamstring) and Charles Sims (knee) were sidelined during the first four weeks of the 2016 season, as Rodgers was thrust into a starter's role that he ended up thriving in. The Oregon State product opened his stint as the top runner with back-to-back 100-yard outings against the Panthers and 49ers, respectively, and was in the midst of another productive afternoon against the Raiders in Week 8 before succumbing to a foot injury that would sideline him for the following four games. Rodgers eventually returned to a starting role for the final two games of the season after Martin departed the team due to a pending PED suspension, totaling 138 yards and a touchdown on 32 carries and three receptions for 19 yards over that span. The expanded opportunity he saw in 2016 helped Rodgers shatter the third-down back label he'd previously been saddled with, as he carried the ball a combined 56 times over Weeks 5 and 7, while seeing double-digit totes in three other contests as well. He thus heads into the offseason as a potential full-time tailback for the first time in his career, and given his favorable track record with the team's coaching staff, diverse skill set, and Martin's uncertain future, he figures to have a strong chance of returning to Tampa on a potential multi-year deal.

Sims finished the 2016 campaign with 51 rushes for 149 yards and a touchdown along with 24 receptions (on 32 targets) for 190 yards and another score in seven games. He also lost a fumble.

The third-year back couldn't come close to duplicating his solid sophomore campaign, as injuries limited him to less than half a season's worth of games. Sims finished the 2016 season on injured reserve due to a pectoral injury suffered in Week 16 versus the Saints after missing eight games earlier in the campaign with a knee injury sustained in Week 4 against the Broncos. Had he not gone down with the latter injury, the West Virginia product was in line for what would have turned out to be an extended run as the starter, as Doug Martin would ultimately miss six games due to a hamstring ailment. Instead, Sims would go on to be sidelined for the following eight contests himself, which ended up opening the door for journeyman Jacquizz Rodgers to put together a potentially career-saving stint as the top backfield option. For the seven games in which he was active, Sims had trouble finding consistent running room behind an inconsistent Bucs offensive line but did display his usual proficiency in the passing game when given the opportunity. Heading into the final year of his original four-year deal in 2017, Sims' outlook is somewhat muddled, as the Bucs' backfield is currently in a state of unexpected flux; Martin, assuming he's retained by the team, will open next season serving a PED suspension, while Rodgers' status is still uncertain, given that he is now a free agent. Given his past body of work and skill set, Sims still profiles most in the change-of-pace, pass-catching back role that he's been deployed in over his first trio of pro seasons, but circumstances could potentially dictate an expanded role in 2017.

Washington played on just one offensive snap during the Lions' postseason loss to the Seahawks on Saturday.

Washington earned a roster spot out of training camp due to his impressive play on special teams, but failed to make much of an impact as a rusher at any point in the season even after Ameer Abdullah (foot) and Theo Riddick (wrist) succumbed to injury. In fact, the seventh-round rookie was ultimately phased out of the offense altogether by Week 17 and replaced by Zach Zenner, who forced a monopoly on backfield snaps in the two games since (including 50 out of a possible 52 offensive snaps during Saturday's affair). With each of Abdullah, Riddick and Zenner set to return in 2017, Washington's future with the Lions is far from certain.

Davis finished the 2016 regular season with six carries for nine yards in Sunday's game against the Chargers.

Davis finished the campaign with just 18 total carries for 28 rushing yards between the Chiefs and Packers, and likely will be looking for a job elsewhere in the offseason due to his contract expiring. However, it's unlikely the fourth-season back will attain fantasy relevance any time in the near future.

Rawls rushed for 161 yards and a touchdown on 27 carries in Saturday's 26-6 wild-card victory over the Lions. He also secured one of two targets for one yard.

Head coach Pete Carroll had vowed to get Rawls involved early and often Saturday, and the run-heavy approach certainly paid handsome dividends. Both Rawls' overall rushing total and his first-half yardage set new franchise records, and his four-yard touchdown run with 8:49 remaining essentially sealed the victory by giving the Seahawks a 19-6 edge at the time. The second-year tailback looked healthier and more decisive than he had throughout an injury-marred regular season, and the Seattle offensive line also performed several notches above their typical level of play, blowing open sizable running lanes on multiple occasions. While Saturday's performance was considerably rewarding for those who rostered Rawls in DFS contests and playoff formats, Rawls now faces the task of producing similar results in what will be a raucous Georgia Dome during next Saturday's divisional round matchup against the Falcons.

Zenner rushed 11 times for 34 yards and caught all six targets for 54 yards during the Lions' 26-6 postseason loss to the Seahawks on Saturday.

Zenner was on the field for 50 of the Lions' 52 offensive snaps Saturday and once again served as the Lions' clear lead tailback in the absence of Theo Riddick (wrist). He flashed in the pass-catching department, too, which came especially handy on a day most of Detroit's pass-catchers struggled. However, with both Riddick and Ameer Abdullah (foot) set to return in 2017, Zenner enters the offseason with little opportunity to seize anything more than No. 3 status on the depth chart.

Murray rushed 12 times for 39 yards and a touchdown while catching one of four targets for 12 yards in Oakland's 27-14 loss to Houston in their AFC wild-card round playoff game Saturday.

The Raiders took advantage of advantageous field position set up by a punt return late in the first quarter when Murray's two-yard TD scamper made it a 10-7 game. But Oakland, led by over-matched rookie quarterback Connor Cook, could not move consistently, fell behind by multiple scores and largely abandoned a running game that never got going against the league's top-ranked defense.

Ellington handled 34 carries for 96 yards, corralled 12 of 19 passes for 85 yards, and averaged 16.3 yards on 10 punt returns during the 2016 season.

When a team's backfield is populated by a dynamo like David Johnson, touches are difficult to mine, especially with Chris Johnson receiving mop-up duty in his stead. Even when the latter was lost for the season following sports hernia surgery in early October, Ellington was merely a change-of-pace option, with the younger Johnson more often than not gobbling up all the carries on a weekly basis. Head coach Bruce Arians extended Ellington an olive branch in the form of kick-return duty, but the RB didn't make his presence felt in that realm after Week 10. The final nail in the coffin for Ellington's time with the Cardinals was likely the emergence of Kerwynn Williams, who averaged 8.7 YPC over the final four games of the campaign. As an unrestricted free agent once March rolls around, Ellington may have packed up his locker in Arizona for the final time.

Williams tallied 18 carries for 157 yards and two touchdowns during the 2016 season.

Although he was active in each of the Cardinals' last 10 contests, Williams only received touches over the last four, during which he displayed plenty of explosiveness. Particularly noteworthy was a 49-yard TD dash in Week 15 sans one of his shoes, but he was able to ditch a change-of-pace role in the season finale after David Johnson suffered a nasty knee injury. Acting as the top RB over Andre Ellington for the final three quarters, Williams made sure the Rams respected the ground game with 12 rushes for 60 yards and his other score of the campaign. During his three-year stint in Arizona, Williams has surely impressed in his brief showings, averaging 5.6 YPC and reeling off four runs of 20-plus yards among his 98 carries. Both Ellington and Chris Johnson (groin) enter the offseason as unrestricted free agents, meaning general manager Steve Keim may opt for the cheap and younger option (Williams) as the primary backup to the All-Pro that is David Johnson.

Head coach Pete Carroll said this week that he wants to use Rawls heavily during Saturday's wild-card game against the Lions, Sheil Kapadia of ESPN.com reports. "I hope, like I said last week -- I want him to get the ball 20 times this week," Carroll said. "We'll see what happens, we'll see how the game goes."

Game flow will be one of the determining factors for Rawls' workload in the Seahawks' playoff opener, but the game plan may also be engineered to take advantage of one of the Lions' weaknesses. In particular, Detroit's defense ranked 18th against the run this season, a component that includes 4.4 yards allowed per rush. Since Rawls returned from a fractured fibula in Week 11, he's reached the 20-carry threshold just once in seven contests. Granted, a shoulder concern slowed him down in the final two games of the regular season, containing him to eight runs on both occasions. If Carroll has indeed given offensive coordinator Darrell Bevell an ultimatum to focus on the rushing attack, Rawls will at least have plenty of opportunity to hearken back to his breakout rookie campaign.