NFL Player News
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Travis Etienne RB | NO
Jaguars' Travis Etienne: Quiet close to regular season
Etienne rushed the ball 14 times for 32 yards in Sunday's 41-7 win over the Titans. He added one reception on one target for six yards.
Etienne had a very strong regular season, though Sunday served as a disappointing close. He logged a long rush of 11 yards, but eight of his 14 attempts on the ground picked up two or fewer yards. Etienne was also limited to only one target for just the third time this season and ultimately ended up with limited volume after being pulled early in the fourth quarter. If there was a positive point to note, he was able to surpass 1,100 rushing yards for the first time since 2022, his second season as a pro. Etienne should be in line for a bounce-back effort in the wild-card round, though it is still undetermined who the Jaguars will face.
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Jonathan Taylor RB | IND
Colts' Jonathan Taylor: Held in check in season finale
Taylor carried the ball 14 times for 26 yards and caught both his targets for 13 yards in Sunday's 38-30 loss to the Texans.
It was the least productive game of the season for Taylor, as his longest run went for only eight yards and rookie DJ Giddens wound up leading the Colts with 30 rushing yards. Taylor missed his chance to catch James Cook for the NFL rushing crown, but he still wraps up an impressive campaign with 1,585 rushing yards and a career-high 18 TDs on the ground, along with a 46-378-2 line on 55 targets through the air. The 26-year-old RB will head into 2026 as the centerpiece of the Indianapolis offense.
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Chase Brown RB | CIN
Bengals' Chase Brown: Finds end zone in season finale
Brown carried the ball 13 times for 72 yards and caught four of six targets for 18 yards and a touchdown in Sunday's 20-18 loss to the Browns.
The rushing yardage gave Brown his first 1,000-yard campaign on the ground, while the first-quarter TD gave him a total of 11 on the season (six rushing, five receiving) to tie his career high. The third-year RB also set a new personal best with 1,456 scrimmage yards, and he'll head into the final year of his rookie contract in 2026 locked into the top spot in the Cincy backfield.
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Dylan Sampson RB | CLE
Browns' Dylan Sampson: Held in check Sunday
Sampson carried the ball 10 times for 32 yards and caught two of three targets for 12 yards in Sunday's 20-18 win over the Bengals.
Making his second straight start with Quinshon Judkins (ankle) done for the year, Sampson wasn't able to get much going, with his longest gain of the day going for only 11 yards. The 2025 fourth-round pick wraps up his first NFL campaign with 446 scrimmage yards and two touchdowns, both through the air, on 98 touches over 15 games. Assuming Judkins is healthy for the beginning of next season, Sampson figures to work behind him, primarily on passing downs.
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Jaydon Blue RB | DAL
Cowboys' Jaydon Blue: Caps poor rookie year on high note
Blue rushed 16 times for 64 yards and a touchdown but wasn't targeted in the passing game during Sunday's 34-17 loss to the Giants.
Blue spent most of his rookie season as a healthy inactive, but he took on the lead-back role in the regular-season finale as the Cowboys played without Javonte Williams (shoulder) and Malik Davis (eye/calf). Blue made the most of his opportunity, scoring his first NFL touchdown on a 14-yard run in the first quarter. The 2025 fifth-round pick will try to carve out a larger role in his second NFL campaign after dressing for only five games as a rookie. Blue had 38 carries for 129 yards and one touchdown while catching his only target for five yards across those five appearances.
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Jordan Mason RB | MIN
Vikings' Jordan Mason: Productive in Week 18
Mason carried the ball 14 times for 94 yards in Sunday's 16-3 win over the Packers.
With Aaron Jones (hip) ruled out for the Vikings' regular-season finale, Mason led the backfield with his best yardage total since Week 3. Fullback C.J. Ham vultured a one-yard TD run in the second quarter, however. Mason finishes his first season in Minnesota with 758 rushing yards and six touchdowns on 159 carries, and with both Jones and Mason on affordable contracts in 2026, the duo will likely remain in some form of timeshare next season.
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Christopher Brooks RB | GB
Packers' Chris Brooks: Leading rusher in loss
Brooks carries the ball 13 times for 61 yards in Sunday's 16-3 loss to the Vikings.
The No. 3 running back on the Green Bay depth chart saw his most extensive action of the season as the team rested Josh Jacobs (knee/ankle) ahead of the playoffs, and Brooks wound up leading the Packers in rushing yards despite seeing less volume than Emanuel Wilson. Brooks came into the game with just 14 carries for 45 yards on the season, so he's unlikely to make any kind of impact in the wild-card round.
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Emanuel Wilson RB | SEA
Packers' Emanuel Wilson: Tough sledding against Vikings
Wilson carried the ball 18 times for 44 yards and caught his only target for four yards in Sunday's 16-3 loss to Minnesota.
The Packers rested key players ahead of the playoffs, including Josh Jacobs (knee/ankle), but Wilson wound up being outgained by Chris Brooks out of the backfield as the team deployed a ground-heavy attack. Wilson has seen no more than four carries in four of the last five games, so he isn't likely to have a big role in the wild-card round. The third-year RB wraps up the regular season with 496 rushing yards and three touchdowns on 125 carries.
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Audric Estime RB | NO
Saints' Audric Estime: Plays workhorse role in loss
Estime rushed 21 times for 63 yards and brought in all five targets for 43 yards in the Saints' 19-17 loss to the Falcons on Sunday.
With Alvin Kamara (knee) sidelined once again to close out the season, Estime easily paced the Saints' ground attack in carries and rushing yards for a second straight week. The second-year pro was much less efficient than during his 14-carry, 94-yard performance against the Titans in Week 17, but Estime helped make up for it with an impressive day as a pass catcher. Estime put some good play on tape over the last two games, and with Kamara's future uncertain, it's possible Estime enters the final year of his deal with New Orleans in position to compete for significant playing time in 2026.