The Titans signed Kelley off the practice squad to the active roster Saturday, Jim Wyatt of the team's official site reports.
Kelley was released by the Giants at the end of training camp, but he managed to catch on with the Titans' practice squad Oct. 15. With Tyjae Spears (hamstring) ruled out for Sunday's game against the Patriots and lead back Tony Pollard (foot) listed as questionable, Kelley could see some snaps out of the backfield in a rotational role.
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Joshua Kelley: Reverts to practice squad
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Kelley reverted to the Titans' practice squad Monday.
Kelley was active for Sunday's loss to the Lions with Tyjae Spears (hamstring) out but didn't see any playing time. Kelley could be elevated again Week 9 versus the Patriots if Spears remains sidelined.
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Titans' Joshua Kelley: Elevated from practice squad
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The Titans elevated Kelley from the practice squad to the active roster Saturday, John Glennon of NashvillePost.com reports.
Kelly will get a chance to make his debut in a Tennessee uniform during Sunday's game against the Lions. With Tyjae Spears (hamstring) ruled out for Week 8, Kelly is set to work in the No. 3 role behind Tony Pollard and Julius Chestnut.
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Joshua Kelley: Finds new home in Tennessee
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The Titans signed Kelley to the practice squad Tuesday, Jim Wyatt of the team's official site reports.
Kelley spent the first four years of his NFL career with the Chargers, and he finished the 2023 regular season with 107 carries for 405 yards and two touchdowns while adding eight catches (on 12 targets) for 32 yards. He spent most of the offseason as a free agent before signing with the Giants during training camp, but the 2020 fourth-round pick was unable to make the 53-man roster. Kelley could be elevated to the Titans' active roster as early as Week 7 against the Bills due to Tyjae Spears being listed as week-to-week with a hamstring injury he suffered against the Colts on Sunday. If Kelley is indeed elevated from the practice squad to the active roster, he would serve as the Titans' No. 3 running back behind Tony Pollard and Julius Chestnut.
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Joshua Kelley: Cut by Giants
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The Giants released Kelley on Sunday, Art Stapleton of The Bergen Record reports.
Kelley was a free agent for most of the offseason after playing in all 17 regular-season games for the Chargers in 2023, finishing with 405 rushing yards and two touchdowns on 107 carries. He caught on with the Giants on Aug. 15, and in his last preseason outing Saturday against the Jets, he rushed for 40 yards on eight carries. Kelley will look to sign with another team in need of backfield depth.
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Chargers' Joshua Kelley: Roster spot uncertain for '24
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Kelley tallied two carries for one yard in Sunday's 13-12 loss to the Chiefs. He finished the season with 107 carries for 405 yards and two touchdowns to go along with an additional eight receptions for 32 yards.
Kelley played 18 offensive snaps Sunday, his most playing time since Week 13. It's unclear why he suddenly jumped over Isaiah Spiller, who was a healthy inactive despite three straight weeks of relief play, but neither backup running back really did much when Austin Ekeler was healthy. Kelley finished the 2023 season with a career-high 405 rushing yards in large part due to a four-week stretch to begin the season where he operated as the starter with the aforementioned Ekeler sidelined, but he averaged just 3.6 yards per carry across 57 rush attempts. The 26-year-old enters the offseason an unrestricted free agent and might not be a candidate to return to Los Angeles given the expected coaching and front-office upheaval.
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Chargers' Joshua Kelley: Low snap share again
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Kelley tallied two carries for two yards in the 16-9 loss to the Broncos on Sunday.
Both of Kelley's carries came in the third quarter in relief of Austin Ekeler, but overall the 2020 fourth-round pick played just six snaps. It's now back-to-back weeks Kelley has ceded a significant snap share to Isaiah Spiller (12 snaps) and it's to the point where the fourth-year back does not appear to be a lock to be on the Chargers' roster next season.
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Chargers' Joshua Kelley: Negative yards on lone carry
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Kelley lost two yards on his lone carry in Saturday's 24-22 loss to the Bills.
Kelley played just eight snaps and registered his lone carry in the first half. With just two games to go and zero possibility of a playoff berth, expect second-year back Isaiah Spiller to receive more playing time over Kelley moving forward.
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Chargers' Joshua Kelley: No impact in loss
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Kelley rushed three times for six yards in Sunday's 24-7 loss to the Broncos.
It appears as if Kelley wasn't the primary beneficiary of head coach Brandon Staley's comments regarding a competition for carries, as the fourth-year back saw just three carries in the loss. Nominal third-string running back Isaiah Spiller saw five more offensive snaps and parlayed that into six carries for 19 yards. The 26-year-old has not posted a game with 20 or more rushing yards since Week 8, and with Staley's unpredictable scheme at this point in the season, Kelley's fantasy value borders on reserve status so long as starting running back Austin Ekeler stays healthy.
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Chargers' Joshua Kelley: Could see uptick in playing time
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Head coach Brandon Staley suggested Wednesday that Kelley could see increased opportunities out of the Chargers backfield in the weeks to come, Daniel Popper of The Athletic reports. "Competition for carries is going to be something that you can see happening," Staley said. "We're going to keep exploring, making adjustments so that we can find that rhythm I've been talking about. That's certainly one way to do it."
Austin Ekeler has struggled badly since his Week 6 return from a high-ankle sprain, and he's averaging a career-low 3.5 yards per carry on the season, a full yard below his 2022 average. Kelley has seen just 5.1 carries per game since Ekeler returned to the lineup, but the Chargers badly need an offensive spark, and upping Kelley's usage could be a way to improve the overall efficiency in the run game.
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Chargers' Joshua Kelley: Continues limited role
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Kelley rushed six times for 16 yards and brought in two receptions for nine yards in Sunday's 6-0 win over the Patriots.
Neither Kelley nor starter Austin Ekeler could do much on the ground in a game mired by sloppy conditions. The 26-year-old has not recorded 30 or more snaps since Ekeler was hurt in Week 4, and he has only seen two red-zone carries in these last eight games. The rainy conditions in New England may have impacted Ekeler's sub-par performance, but Kelley's lack of production has been a common theme when he's sharing the field with the lead back.
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Chargers' Joshua Kelley: Diminished role in offense
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Kelley recorded three carries for eight yards and two receptions for six yards in Sunday's 20-10 loss to the Ravens.
Kelley tied his season low in snap count with 13 compared to starter Austin Ekeler's 53. The 26-year-old has struggled even more in the recent weeks in the backup position, averaging a mediocre 2.7 yards per carry in the last three weeks compared to Ekeler's 4.4, and he hasn't had a game with more than 10 carries since the lead back was hurt in Weeks 2 through 4. With this small amount of production as the auxiliary back, the veteran remains a reserve option for fantasy managers unless Ekeler is injured again this season.
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Chargers' Joshua Kelley: Just four touches in win
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Kelley carried the ball three times for 18 yards. He also caught his lone target for four yards in the 27-6 win over the Jets on Monday.
Austin Ekeler unsurprisingly handled the majority of the load, with the duo sporting a 16-4 disparity in touches in a game that felt over by the first quarter. As has been the case whenever the Pro Bowl running back has been healthy, Kelley is simply a fantasy insurance policy for the talented multi-dimensional threat.
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Chargers' Joshua Kelley: Hardly involved in win
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Kelley carried the ball six times for 21 yards in the 30-13 win over the Bears on Sunday.
Kelley played just 15 total offensive snaps as Austin Ekeler and the Chargers cruised to a relatively easy win. The team ran for only 54 total yards on 25 combined carries, so while the Chargers led by double digits almost from the get go, it's a bit surprising to see the running game struggle to the extent it did Sunday. Don't expect an easier path of resistance against the Jets in Week 9.
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Chargers' Joshua Kelley: Week 8 Waiver Priority List
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Austin Ekeler seemed to re-injure his ankle in Week 7 at Kansas City, although he finished the game. However, he was clearly not himself and only had 14 carries for 45 yards and one catch for 1 yard on two targets. Kelley was bad in place of Ekeler for the three games he missed, but that was also against Tennessee, Minnesota and Las Vegas, with his best game coming against the Raiders with 17 carries for 65 yards. Keep an eye on Ekeler's status, and Kelley could be a flex option if Ekeler is out, starting in Week 8 against the Bears. Kelley, who had seven carries for 75 yards and a touchdown against the Chiefs, is worth adding for up to 5 percent of your FAB.
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Chargers' Joshua Kelley: Struggles again as lead back
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Kelley rushed the ball 11 times for 12 yards in Sunday's 28-24 win over the Vikings. He added one reception for five yards.
Kelley had the opportunity to serve as the Chargers' lead back for the second consecutive week with Austin Ekeler (ankle) sidelined. His poor performance in Week 2 was excused due to a tough matchup against the Titans, though Sunday's effort was disastrous with the Vikings being an exploitable unit. After ripping off 91 yards in Week 1 as the complementary back, Kelley has combined to gain only 51 yards on 24 carries as the starter in two games since. Even if Ekeler remains sidelined in Week 4 against the Raiders, there's a possibility that Kelley won't have the backfield to himself.
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Chargers' Joshua Kelley: Start Him (Lineup Decisions)
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Kelley is worth another shot because he seems like the clear lead guy for the Bolts as long as Austin Ekeler is out. The game figures to be high-scoring, so getting a back who will play over 70% of the snaps makes a lot of sense. He's a low-end starter I would use over Dameon Pierce, Zack Moss and any Jets RB.
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Chargers' Joshua Kelley: Sleepers (Start/Sit)
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We're waiting to find out if Austin Ekeler (ankle) will play in Week 3 at Minnesota, but if he's out then consider Kelley a starter in all Fantasy leagues. He had a bad game in place of Ekeler in Week 2 at Tennessee with 13 carries for 39 yards and no catches on one target, but that was a brutal matchup against the Titans. The good news is Kelley played 79 percent of the snaps, and he would once again see a hefty workload if Ekeler can't play. The Vikings did a good job in holding Rachaad White to 49 total yards in Week 1, but D'Andre Swift had 181 total yards in Week 2. If Ekeler is out, Kelley should be considered a No. 2 running back in all leagues.
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Chargers' Joshua Kelley: Week 1 Waiver Priority List
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Kelley should be the No. 2 running back for the Chargers this season behind Austin Ekeler, and that makes him a potential lottery ticket. The Chargers should have one of the best offenses in the NFL, and Ekeler is entering his age-28 season. We'll see if Isaiah Spiller also has a role for the Chargers this year, but Kelley is the preferred handcuff for Ekeler. He's worth adding in all leagues for 1 percent of your remaining FAB.
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Chargers' Joshua Kelley: Scores 75-yard TD
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Kelley took two carries for 78 yards and a touchdown in Friday's 23-12 preseason win over the 49ers.
Kelley started and played the first two drives, taking his second carry 75 yards for a touchdown. Isaiah Spiller and the team's trio of undrafted rookie RBs were all less impressive, making Kelley a comfortable favorite for the No. 2 role behind Austin Ekeler when the Chargers host the Dolphins in Week 1.
