NFL Player News

Corum rushed three times for minus-4 yards during Saturday's 13-9 victory against the Cardinals.

The rookie's role on offense has continually deteriorated over the past five weeks, with his three snaps on offense his lowest usage since he saw just a single offensive snap in Week 9 against the Seahawks. Corum was particularly ineffective against the Cardinals, with only one of his three rushing attempts netting positive yardage. If the Rams are able to clinch a playoff spot prior to their Week 18 contest against Seattle, however, Corum may see an expanded role in hopes of keeping Kyren Williams fresh and healthy for a playoff run.

Boone is expected to have a role in the Panthers' offensive game plan for Sunday's contest against the Buccaneers, though Raheem Blackshear in on track to start at running back, Mike Kaye of The Charlotte Observer reports.

The Carolina backfield will be led by a new face for the first time all season, as three-down workhorse Chuba Hubbard (knee/calf) was placed on injured reserve Saturday and will miss the Panthers' final two games. Blackshear has been a fixture on the roster all season, but he's made his mark almost exclusively on special teams as a return man, as he didn't receive his first carries until the Week 16 win over the Cardinals. The 5-foot-9, 190-pound Blackshear was an adept receiver in college and on the few times he's been called upon in that capacity during his three years in the professional ranks, but with an average of just 3.4 yards per carry on 40 totes during his career, the Panthers may prefer to use him in a change-of-pace/passing-down capacity Sunday, despite the fact that he's picking up the start. With that in mind, Kaye relays that he would be surprised if Blackshear ends up getting more touches than Boone, who has bounced between the Panthers' active roster and practice squad for much of the season. At 5-foot-10 and 205 pounds, Boone offers a bit more size as a runner between the tackles and has been much more effective as a ball carrier than Blackshear, averaging 5.1 yards per carry on 111 totes over parts of seven NFL seasons.

Mims (coach's decision) is inactive for Sunday's game against the Raiders.

Mims logged a season-high 23 offensive snaps against the Packers last Monday with Alvin Kamara (groin) out of action and produced 32 total yards on four carries and five catches. Kamara is sidelined again this week, but the recently signed Clyde Edwards-Helaire was elevated to the active roster Saturday to serve as one of the Saints' three healthy running backs. As such, Mims will be the odd man out versus Las Vegas.

Vaughn (coach's decision) is inactive for Sunday's game against the Eagles.

The 2023 sixth-round pick finds himself as the third man on the depth chart behind Rico Dowdle and Ezekiel Elliott. Vaughn has not played in a game since Week 11 against Houston. He has 11 carries for 33 yards and no touchdowns this season.

Edwards-Helaire is listed as active Sunday versus the Raiders, Mike Triplett of NewOrleans.Football reports.

Edwards-Helaire joined the Saints' practice squad on Dec. 18, and after a week and a half in the program, he'll be available for his debut with his new organization after the team elevated him from the practice squad Saturday. With Alvin Kamara (groin) sidelined again and Jordan Mims a healthy scratch, Kendre Miller, Jamaal Williams and Edwards-Helaire will be the backfield options for New Orleans in Week 17.

Blackshear will start at running back in Sunday's game against the Buccaneers, Darin Gantt of the Panthers' official site reports.

With Chuba Hubbard (knee/calf) joining Jonathon Brooks (knee) and Miles Sanders (ankle) on injured reserve earlier in the week, Blackshear will be the next man up in the Carolina backfield, though he won't necessarily be tasked with handling Hubbard's three-down workhorse role. Since entering the NFL in 2022, Blackshear has seen the bulk of his action on special teams, where he's shined as a return man. However, the 5-foot-9, 190-pound Blackshear was an accomplished receiver in college, producing a 123-1,213-7 receiving line over five seasons between Rutgers and Virginia Tech. Blackshear should thus have some extra appeal as a lineup option or DFS play in PPR formats with the likelihood that Carolina keeps him involved in the passing game, though the Panthers may not ask the diminutive running back to take on heavy volume on the ground. Mike Boone and Velus Jones are also on hand as options out of the backfield and could carve out roles in the Week 17 game plan.

Brown, who is dealing with a right ankle sprain, has a chance to play next weekend against the Steelers, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reports.

Brown was hurt during Saturday's 30-24 overtime win over the Broncos, but according to Rapoport, the running back's ankle injury is not considered major. Added context regarding Brown's Week 18 status will arrive once the Bengals resume practice, but in the event that he's limited or out versus Pittsburgh, Khalil Herbert would be next in line for work in Cincinnati's backfield.

Conner (knee), who exited Saturday's game against the Rams in the second quarter and was deemed questionable to return, never re-entered the contest despite wanting to retake the field, Josh Weinfuss of ESPN.com reports. Conner finished the defeat with four carries for four yards along with two receptions on three targets for four yards.

According to Arizona head coach Jonathan Gannon, Conner may have aggravated the knee injury he initially suffered last Sunday against Carolina by being "twisted up on" at the end of a carry early in the second quarter. After the Cardinals announced that the veteran running back was questionable to re-enter the contest, Conner spent much of the rest of the game with his helmet on along the sideline, and he was never formally ruled out, though he did get looked at by trainers. Gannon mentioned that the plan going into the game was for Conner to be "full go," and the head coach suggested that the talented tailback "wasn't healthy enough to go back in" after being pulled despite Conner's desire to do so. Arizona has already been eliminated from postseason contention, which could be a factor in Conner's status for the team's regular-season finale next weekend against San Francisco.

Williams rushed the ball 13 times for 56 yards and a touchdown in Saturday's 13-9 win over the Cardinals. He added three receptions on three targets for 16 yards.

The Rams had a tough offensive night and ran only 54 plays while possessing the ball for just 23:05. That left Williams with unusually low volume, as his 13 carries were his fewest since Week 2. Nevertheless, he turned in an efficient performance, highlighted by his 16th touchdown of the season, which came on a one-yard plunge into the end zone late in the second quarter. He's now scored in five of his last six games. More will be revealed about Los Angeles' playoff status after Sunday's games, news that could dictate whether Williams sees a heavy workload in a potentially pivotal divisional Week 18 matchup against the Seahawks.

Carter rushed 13 times for 70 yards and brought in both targets for 11 yards in the Cardinals' 13-9 loss to the Rams on Saturday night.

The journeyman back unexpectedly was handed the reins of the Cardinals' ground attack after James Conner exited the game in the first half with a knee injury. With Trey Benson (ankle) inactive, Carter took over as the lead back and consistently put together productive runs while compiling his highest rushing yardage total since Week 9 of the 2022 season. If the Cardinals opt to shut Conner down for the regular-season finale against the 49ers, Carter should have a solid complementary role, at minimum, in that game assuming Benson is also active.