NFL Player News

Etienne rushed the ball 14 times for 35 yards and a touchdown in Sunday's 31-27 loss to the Browns. He added four receptions on four targets for 37 yards.

Etienne played through a rib injury that had him questionable leading up to Sunday's contest and accounted for 14 of the team's 17 touches by running backs. He was inefficient with those touches by averaging just 2.5 yards per carry, though he did manage a long run of 16 yards midway through the first quarter and also found the end zone on a one-yard dive late in the third quarter -- his 10th total score of the campaign. Etienne was also encouragingly involved as a pass catcher and has exactly four receptions in each of his last three games. While his workload isn't in question, he will face another tough defense in a Week 15 matchup against the Ravens.

Johnson had one carry for six yards in the Bears' 28-13 win over the Lions on Sunday.

Before the Bears' Week 13 bye, Johnson led the Bears backfield with 74 percent of the snaps and 15 touches against Minnesota. It appears that his usage was game-plan specific against a Vikings defense that blitzed at a league-high rate. With D'Onta Foreman back from injury, Johnson saw his only touch in the latter stages of the game, when the outcome was determined. Based on his usage against Detroit, Johnson is looking like a risky fantasy option.

Williams rushed 17 times for 66 yards and a touchdown while catching three of four targets for 25 yards in Sunday's 24-7 win over the Chargers.

Williams opened the scoring from three yards out with his first rushing touchdown since Week 16 of the 2021 season. He finished with at least 20 touches for the fourth time in the last six games, while Jaleel McLaughlin and Samaje Perine combined for seven carries. The robust workload can be attributed to both Williams being up to speed after tearing his ACL last year and the Broncos playing from ahead more often. Denver has won six of its last seven games heading into Saturday's tough test in Detroit.

McCaffrey took 16 carries for 145 yards and caught his lone target for eight yards in Sunday's 28-16 win over the Seahawks.

McCaffrey set the tone for Sunday's victory when he took a pitch off tackle for 72 yards on the first offensive play of the game. The MVP candidate was stopped three yards short of the goal line, giving way to Jordan Mason, who finished off San Francisco's opening drive with a short touchdown. CMC finished the contest without a score and his lowest target total (one) of the season, but the fantasy stud made up for those shortcomings by recording his most rushing yards since Week 1 on the tailback's best per-carry average (9.1) of the season. The red-hot McCaffrey will face the Cardinals, who rank in the bottom third of the league in terms of rushing yards allowed per game (123.9), next Sunday.

Coach Kevin O'Connell said after Sunday's 3-0 win over the Raiders that Mattison is dealing with a sprained ankle, Ben Goessling of the Star Tribune reports.

Mattison exited in the second half after racking up 66 rushing yards on 10 carries. His return timetable will hinge on the severity and location of the sprain, as low-ankle sprains often take no more than two weeks to come back from, while high-ankle sprains usually result in multi-week absences. Ty Chandler would be in line to handle the majority of snaps in Minnesota's backfield if Mattison misses additional time.

Montgomery rushed the ball 10 times for 66 yards in Sunday's 28-13 loss to the Bears. He added three receptions on three targets for 19 yards.

The Lions were forced out of their typical run-heavy offensive attack, as they played from behind for nearly the entire game. As a result, Montgomery lost out on volume and split both touches and production almost exactly evenly with Jahmyr Gibbs. Since topping 100 rushing yards in his return from injury Week 10, Montgomery has since failed to top 76 yards on the ground in his last four contests, though he had found the end zone in every game in that span before Sunday's loss.

Ekeler carried the ball 10 times for 51 yards and a touchdown in Sunday's 24-7 loss to the Broncos. He also caught five of his seven targets for 49 yards.

Despite coded comments from head coach Brandon Staley earlier in the week that left some speculating Ekeler would cede touches to Joshua Kelley and Isaiah Spiller, the multi-faceted back saw his usual workload while the aforementioned backups combined for nine carries and 25 yards. It's unclear if that's because the Chargers trailed from the jump and were put in an even more difficult situation after Justin Herbert left the game late in the second quarter with an injury to a finger on his throwing hand or if it was by design, but the end result is hardly surprising given the career credentials of Kelley and Spiller. Herbert's status could certainly affect Ekeler's upside come Thursday's Week 15 contest against the Raiders, but backup quarterback Easton Stick could also rely heavily on the pass-catching running back should Herbert sit out, making the Pro Bowl back a likely solid fantasy play regardless.

Gibbs rushed the ball 11 times for 66 yards and a touchdown in Sunday's 28-13 loss to the Bears. He added three receptions on four targets for 16 yards.

Gibbs split work out of the backfield nearly evenly with David Montgomery, and the duo had nearly identical stat lines. Gibbs ultimately had the more productive day thanks to a 12-yard touchdown run midway through the second quarter, his sixth trip to the end zone in his last seven games. He's also topped 80 total yards from scrimmage in three of five contests since Montgomery returned from a rib injury. Gibbs should be in a favorable position to close the season, particularly in a Week 15 matchup against a Broncos defense that has a particularly leaky run defense.

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

Vaughn will sit out for the fourth straight game. His last appearance was in Week 10 against the Giants when he rushed for minus-two yards on his only carry while adding an 11-yard reception. Rico Dowdle will provide backfield depth behind Tony Pollard for Sunday's NFC East clash.

Penny (coach's decision) is inactive Sunday against the Cowboys.

Penny last suited up in Week 9 against Dallas when he rushed for eight yards on two carries. D'Andre Swift will lead the Eagles' backfield, with Kenneth Gainwell and Boston Scott serving as running back depth.