NFL Player News

Strong had two carries for 10 yards and caught two of three targets for 20 yards in Sunday's 33-17 loss to Dallas in Week 1.

Strong, who played 18 snaps on offense, was the primary backup to Jerome Ford (57) while D'Onta Foreman was limited to just one snap. The distribution of backfield snaps was likely the result of the Browns falling behind early, as the Cowboys were ahead by three scores at halftime. Passing situations play to Strong's strengths more than Foreman's, but neither player is a serious threat to Ford's lead role while Nick Chubb (knee) remains out.

Foreman did not have a touch or target and played only one snap on offense in Sunday's 33-17 loss to the Cowboys in Week 1.

There had been some uncertainty as to how the backfield depth chart behind Jerome Ford (57 snaps) would shake out, and it didn't tilt toward Foreman in the season opener. Pierre Strong (18) was the primary backup behind Ford, but that could be due to the personnel packages used by the Browns after they fell behind early. In a closer contest, perhaps there would be a bigger role for Foreman, especially if Cleveland has a late lead and wants to grind down the clock.

Dowdle carried the ball eight times for 26 yards in Sunday's 33-17 win over the Browns. He added one reception for six yards.

Ezekiel Elliott was on the field first for Dallas, though he way gave way to Dowdle for the second possession, and the duo alternated for the rest of the game. Dowdle's statistical output was poor, though he did have the team's only double-digit gain on the ground from a running back on the day. The Cowboys will presumably be willing to shift the touch allocation to the more effective back at some point in the campaign, and Elliott appears to have the leg up after Week 1.

Elliott rushed the ball 10 times for 40 yards and a touchdown in Sunday's 33-17 win over the Browns. He added two receptions for nine yards.

Elliott was on the field for Dallas' first possession, but he alternated drives with Rico Dowdle for the entirety of the game. Elliott was the more efficient of the duo by averaging 4.0 yards per carry, and he also plowed into the end zone from three yards away late in the second quarter. A continued even split between Elliott and Dowdle would be bad from a fantasy perspective for each rusher, though Dallas will presumably be willing to turn to one more consistently if either Elliott of Dowdle can prove effective with his opportunity.

White gained 44 yards on 13 carries in Sunday's 22-10 loss to the Chargers. He added two receptions for two yards and also lost a fumble.

White out-carried Alexander Mattison by a 13-4 margin, though he found running room hard to come by as he picked up only six yards on his first six carries. While his results improved mildly from there, he also lost a fumble early in the second half. White will likely continue to lead the Raiders in carries on early downs, though Mattison was targeted six times and caught a touchdown for the team's only trip to the end zone on the day.

Spears rushed the ball four times for 21 yards in Sunday's 24-17 loss to the Bears. He added four receptions on four targets for 11 yards.

The Titans insisted they would run an evenly split backfield between Spears and Tony Pollard to begin the season, but that didn't come to fruition. Pollard got each of the first eight carries for the team, while Spears didn't manage a carry until early in second quarter -- Tennessee's fourth possession. Spears did enter the game in obvious passing situations and as a breather back but ultimately saw 11 fewer touches than Pollard and played 11 fewer offensive snaps, per Turron Davenport of ESPN.com.

Warren rushed the ball twice for seven yards and recorded two catches on two targets for 13 yards in Sunday's 18-10 win over Atlanta.

Warren was cleared to play Sunday after battling a hamstring injury throughout the preseason. Based on his efficiency from 2023, it was expected that Warren would challenge Najee Harris for the lead-back role in Pittsburgh, though he was limited to only 22 offensive snaps in Week 1 compared to 38 for Harris. That likely indicates that Warren isn't fully healthy, though there should be more clarity on that as the week progresses.

Ford rushed the ball 12 times for 44 yards and a touchdown in Sunday's 33-17 loss to the Cowboys. He added six receptions on seven targets for 25 yards.

Ford unsurprisingly served as Cleveland's lead back but saw his volume on the ground limited by the game script. He made up for that with a garbage-time touchdown with 29 seconds remaining and also had strong involvement as a pass catcher. While Deshaun Watson made things difficult for the majority of the Browns' skill-position players, Ford was a beneficiary as a regular dump-off option. So long as Nick Chubb (knee) is sidelined, Ford should be capable of putting together similar results moving forward.

Williams notched 11 carries for 38 yards and one touchdown and caught his only target for 13 yards during Sunday's 47-10 win against the Panthers.

Williams logged the final touchdown of the game with a 14-yard score early in the fourth quarter. The 29-year-old brusier primarily helped salt away this blowout win for New Orleans, as he recorded just three carries for 11 yards in the first half. Meanwhile, Alvin Kamara shouldered the bulk of the workload when the game was still in hand, totaling 15 carries for 83 yards, and Taysom Hill logged four carries for 28 yards in the first half. Hill is expected to be an even bigger part of the rushing game this season with new offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak, as the 34-year-old spent increased time working with the Saints' running backs and fullbacks during training camp and the preseason. So long as Kamara and Hill remain healthy, expect them to handle the primary rushing duties for the Saints.

Williams rushed 18 times for 50 yards and a touchdown while catching all three targets for four receiving yards in Sunday's 26-20 overtime loss to the Lions.

Williams struggled on a per-touch basis (2.6 yards) in his first game following his 2023 breakout campaign. The positive news for the 23-year-old's fantasy managers was that one of his 21 combined touches hit pay dirt in addition to his domination of the backfield touches Sunday. Backup Ronnie Rivers saw two carries while rookie sleeper Blake Corum surprisingly did not see the field in a game during which the Rams lost a primary offensive weapon in Puka Nacua (knee). It appears Williams is in no threat of losing his status as a starter for both the Rams and fantasy GMs this season.