NFL Player News
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James Conner RB | ARI
Cardinals' James Conner: Solid numbers in Week 11 loss
Conner rushed 14 times for 62 yards and brought in two of three targets for one yard in the Cardinals' 21-16 loss to the Texans on Sunday. He also recovered a fumble.
Conner did well with the opportunities he had on the ground, posting his second solid performance since returning from a stint on injured reserve due to a knee injury. Conner also got reintegrated into the passing game, albeit modestly, after being shut out altogether in that department in his Week 10 return. Conner has now cleared the 60-yard mark on the ground in each of his first two games back, sending him into a Week 12 home matchup against the Rams with some momentum.
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Jerome Ford RB | WAS
Browns' Jerome Ford: Saves day with touchdown
Ford rushed the ball 12 times for 31 yards and a touchdown in Sunday's 13-10 win over the Steelers. He added two receptions on five targets for eight yards.
In a change from prior weeks, Ford split work out of the Cleveland backfield exactly evenly with Kareem Hunt. Neither put up an impressive line, but Ford did cash in a one-yard score to record the Browns' only touchdown of the day. While that saved his performance in Week 11, he may have difficulty finding success with Dorian Thompson-Robinson under center, as opposing defenses may be willing to crowd the line of scrimmage. Big numbers may be particularly hard to come by if Ford continues to evenly split work with Hunt.
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Matt Breida RB | SF
Giants' Matt Breida: Negative yardage in Week 11
Breida rushed three times for minus-one yard and did not catch his only target in Sunday's 31-19 win over Washington.
Saquon Barkley once again dominated the New York backfield, and Breida's three carries were actually second-most on the team, with wide receiver Wan'Dale Robinson and quarterback Tommy DeVito notching one tote apiece. Breida's lone positive play was a three-yard rush in the fourth quarter, but he immediately followed that with a four-yard loss on the following snap. As has been the case for the entire campaign, the veteran RB has no fantasy value except as a stash in case Barkley were to miss time, and even then he'd have limited appeal given the poor play of the Giants' offense for the majority of the season.
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De'Von Achane RB | MIA
Dolphins' De'Von Achane: McDaniel explains RB's exit
Coach Mike McDaniel said after Sunday's win against the Raiders that Achane's abbreviated outing was spurred by the running back's knee getting landed on, and the Dolphins exercised caution because it was the same knee that forced his recent IR stint, Cameron Wolfe of NFL Network reports.
Achane's Week 11 came to a close during the second quarter of Sunday's game, and while McDaniel received positive feedback from Miami's training staff regarding the rookie's knee, he didn't return despite his pleas to do so. As a result, Achane was contained to a disappointing one carry for one yard and one catch for four yards. There's a chance his activity level is impacted this week as the Dolphins prepare for Friday's road matchup with the Jets, but it doesn't appear as if he's in danger of missing that contest.
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Travis Etienne RB | NO
Jaguars' Travis Etienne: Held to 57 total yards
Etienne rushed the ball 14 times for 52 yards in Sunday's 34-14 win over the Titans. He added three receptions on three targets for seven yards.
Both matchup and game script combined to work against Etienne in the easy win, as the Titans' defense tilts opposing offenses to the air. As a result, Trevor Lawrence attempted 19 passes in the first half while the Jaguars jumped out to a two-score lead. While playing from ahead and running out the clock, Jacksonville then elected to get Tank Bigsby significantly involved in the final two quarters. That left Etienne with another unproductive game, as he has picked up only 103 total yards combined across the last two weeks, though he should see more involvement in a Week 12 divisional showdown with the Texans.
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David Montgomery RB | HOU
Lions' David Montgomery: Scores go-ahead TD late in win
Montgomery rushed 12 times for 76 yards and a touchdown while catching both of his targets for 22 yards in Sunday's 31-26 win over the Bears.
After watching fellow running back Jahmyr Gibbs run in a two-yard touchdown in the second quarter, Montgomery scored the game-winning touchdown from one yard out with 29 seconds left in the fourth. This was the second consecutive game since Montgomery's return from a rib injury in which both of Detroit's top two running backs found the end zone. Montgomery and Gibbs will likely continue to split carries as Montgomery looks to add to his season total of eight rushing touchdowns on Thanksgiving against the Packers .
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Brian Robinson Jr. RB | ATL
Commanders' Brian Robinson: Another big day as pass catcher
Robinson rushed the ball 17 times for 73 yards in Sunday's 31-19 loss to the Giants. He added seven receptions on nine targets for 58 yards.
Robinson saw a season-high 24 touches in the absence of Antonio Gibson (toe) and topped 100 total yards for the second consecutive game as a result. He ripped off gains of 18 and 11 yards on the ground to reach 70 rushing yards for the third time this season. However, for the second consecutive week, his most impressive work came as a pass catcher, as he led the team in targets and receptions while tying for the team lead in receiving yards. Robinson hasn't been all that impressive as a rusher throughout the campaign, but he'll have an extra path to production so long as Sam Howell chooses to rely on him as a primary checkdown option.
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Aaron Jones RB | MIN
Packers' Aaron Jones: MRI to determine extent of knee injury
Jones said after Sunday's win against the Chargers that a preliminary test showed that the ACL in his injured knee is intact, and he'll undergo an MRI on Monday to find out the extent of the issue, Tom Silverstein of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports.
This follows coach Matt LaFleur telling Rob Demovsky of ESPN.com that he doesn't believe Jones has a "long term" injury. As such, Jones appears to have avoided a worst-case scenario, with Monday's testing to determine how much, if any, time he may miss moving forward. Reserve running back Emanuel Wilson (shoulder) also was ruled out of Sunday's game, so AJ Dillon is the only healthy running back on the Packers' active roster, while undrafted rookie Ellis Merriweather resides on the practice squad.
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Josh Jacobs RB | GB
Raiders' Josh Jacobs: Heavy workload in Week 11 loss
Jacobs rushed 14 times for 39 yards and secured his only target for 12 yards in the Raiders' 20-13 loss to the Dolphins on Sunday.
Jacobs was the only Raiders back to log a carry, but unlike the first two contests of head coach Antonio Pierce's interim tenure when the team enjoyed a game script favorable to the run game, the situation predictably shifted some toward the air attack against Miami. Jacobs also found running room at a premium, and the running game could again play second fiddle in a Week 12 home matchup versus the Chiefs.
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Kenneth Walker III RB | KC
Seahawks' Kenneth Walker: Exits Sunday's game
Walker was forced out of Sunday's game against the Rams with an oblique injury.
Prior to his exit from the contest, Walker recorded four carries for 18 yards and one catch for minus-2 yards. In his absence, Zach Charbonnet is in line to log added backfield touches versus Los Angeles.