NFL Player News
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Kyren Williams RB | LAR
Rams' Kyren Williams: Gains 130 yards on 16 touches
Williams took 13 carries for 92 yards while corralling all three of his targets for 38 yards in Monday's 27-24 loss to Atlanta.
RB Blake Corum (6-18-0) exited Monday Night Football in the second quarter with an ankle injury and did not return. Williams took full advantage of the extra work in the second half and finished the narrow loss just a yard shy of his single-game high in yards from scrimmage this season (131). The extent of Corum's injury isn't clear at the moment, but the team may opt to play it safe with the talented backup Week 18. Rams' beat writer Stu Jackson reported that coach Sean McVay will deploy his healthy starters against the Cardinals on Sunday, though it's unclear whether Williams will have the backfield all to himself for the regular-season finale, given he was examined for a high-ankle sprain in the fourth quarter before being cleared to return to Monday's game, per Adam Grosbard of The Orange County Register.
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Emari Demercado RB | ARI
Cardinals' Emari Demercado: Compiles seven touches in Week 17
Demercado turned five carries into 11 yards and gathered in two of three targets for nine yards during Sunday's 37-14 loss at Cincinnati.
Demercado actually paced Arizona's backfield with a 53 percent snap share ahead of Michael Carter's 44 percent and Corey Kiner's four percent, but game script resulted in the Cardinals attempting 37 passes versus just 13 combined runs. Carter tallied seven rushes for 29 yards to lead the team on the ground and also added two catches (on four targets) for 14 yards. Since Bam Knight (ankle) joined James Conner (foot) and Trey Benson (knee) on injured reserve after Week 15, Demercado has notched just 12 touches for 50 total yards over the last two games, leaving him on the outside looking in to fantasy relevance Week 18 against the Rams.
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Kyle Pitts TE | ATL
Falcons' Kyle Pitts: Underwhelms in Week 17 win
Pitts secured two of three targets for 16 yards in the Falcons' 27-24 win over the Rams on Monday night.
Pitts came into the night in the midst of a productive stretch where he'd recorded at least six receptions and 57 yards in four straight contests, but he endured a notable downturn on what was a quiet night for the air attack overall. Taken in the context of Kirk Cousins throwing for only 126 yards on 13 completions, Pitts' modest numbers are a bit more understandable, and he'll look to improve on what is already a career-best 82-870-5 line in the Week 18 home matchup against the Saints on Sunday.
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Kirk Cousins QB | ATL
Falcons' Kirk Cousins: Game-manager role in win
Cousins completed 13 of 20 passes for 126 yards with one touchdown and no interceptions while adding one rush for one yard in the Falcons' 27-24 win over the Rams on Monday night.
Cousins opened the scoring with a four-yard touchdown pass to Bijan Robinson in the first quarter, but the veteran signal-caller mostly sat back and saw Robinson and his defense do the majority of the heavy lifting from there. No Falcons pass catcher compiled more than David Sills' 37 receiving yards, although Cousins did record a critical 11-yard completion to Kyle Pitts to move the chains early in what turned out to be Atlanta's game-winning drive. Cousins has thrown for under 200 yards in three of the last four games, and he's likely to continue leaning heavily on Robinson during a Week 18 home regular-season finale against the Saints on Sunday.
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Puka Nacua WR | LAR
Rams' Puka Nacua: Salvages night with late TD
Nacua finished with five receptions (on 10 targets) for 47 yards and a touchdown in Monday's 27-24 loss to the Falcons.
Nacua was unable to feast on Atlanta the way he did last week against Seattle (12-225-2) in teammate Davante Adams' (hamstring) first missed game of the season. The Falcons' talented secondary did an excellent job of limiting the Rams' remaining superstar for the majority of Monday Night Football. Nacua couldn't be held down for the entire contest and hit pay dirt on an 11-yard screen pass to knot the game up at 24 with 4:42 remaining. After the loss, head coach Sean McVay told Stu Jackson of the team's official site that he plans on playing all of his healthy starters against the Cardinals in Week 18, which makes sense given the Rams still can claim the No. 5 seed in the NFC with a win in the regular-season finale and a loss by the 49ers on Saturday night. This affords Nacua one last opportunity on the campaign to build on his career-best 119-1,639-9 receiving line.
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Bijan Robinson RB | ATL
Falcons' Bijan Robinson: Record-filled effort in upset win
Robinson rushed 22 times for 195 yards and a touchdown and brought in five of eight targets for 34 yards and another score in the Falcons' 27-24 win over the Rams on Monday night.
It was truly a night for the ages for Robinson, who provided some luster to a non-playoff season for the Falcons with a career-best effort in the penultimate game of the campaign. Not only was Robinson's rushing yardage total a new single-game career high, the 93-yard touchdown scamper late in the first half that was integral in getting him there was also the longest run in franchise history. Robinson also extended his streak of recording at least five catches to three games while tallying a receiving TD for the second consecutive contest. Additionally, his production on the ground leaves him just 12 yards short of eclipsing the 1,456 rushing yards he posted last season as the Week 18 regular-season finale against the Saints approaches Sunday.
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Malik Mustapha SAF | SF
49ers' Malik Mustapha: Tallies three tackles vs. Chicago
Mustapha registered three tackles (two solo) and one pass defense during San Francisco's 42-38 win over Chicago on Sunday.
Mustapha played every single defensive snap during Sunday's win, but his three tackles were his lowest since Week 6 against the Buccaneers (two). The second-year safety is up to 71 combined tackles across 11 regular-season games, which is one stop shy from matching his total from his rookie campaign across 16 regular-season games. Mustapha should surpass that mark during the 49ers' Week 18 tilt against the Seahawks on Saturday, a game that will determine who captures the NFC West and enters the postseason as the No. 1 seed in the conference.
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Ji'Ayir Brown SAF | SF
49ers' Ji'Ayir Brown: Tallies four stops in Week 17 win
Brown registered four tackles (one solo) and one pass defense during the 49ers' 42-38 win over the Bears on Sunday.
Brown played all 66 defensive snaps during Sunday's win but had just four stops to show for it. It was just the third time he's logged four tackles or less since taking over as the starting safety in Week 6 against the Buccaneers. The third-year pro is up to 68 tackles (39 solo), six pass defenses (two interceptions) and one forced fumble through 16 regular-season games.
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Nick Scott SAF | CAR
Panthers' Nick Scott: Seven takedowns in defeat
Scott recorded seven total tackles (five solo) in Sunday's 27-10 loss to Seattle.
Scott was able to finish with at least seven takedowns for the sixth straight game and eighth time overall this season. The safety has now crossed the century mark in tackles for the first time in his seven-year NFL career, compiling 102 total tackles (58 solo) over 16 contests so far.
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Tatum Bethune LB | SF
49ers' Tatum Bethune: Game-high 11 stops vs. Chicago
Bethune logged 11 tackles (seven solo), including one stop for a loss, and one pass defense during the 49ers' 42-38 win over the Bears on Sunday.
Bethune was one of five San Francisco defenders to play every single defensive snap and led both teams in tackles. It was the sixth time this season that he reached double-digit tackles in a game, and the 2024 seventh-rounder is up to 87 tackles (37 solo) and three pass defenses through 13 regular-season games. Bethune has a shot at reaching 100-plus tackles on the year in Saturday's regular-season finale against the Seahawks.