NFL Player News

Cook rushed five times for 16 yards while catching his lone target for two yards in Sunday's 23-20 loss to Kansas City.

Cook continues to split backfield duties with Breece Hall (6-56-0) despite the latter's superior play through nearly a quarter of the season. That likely has more to do with the team limiting Hall's reps after he tore his ACL last year. Cook is averaging an abysmal 2.5 yards per attempt with the Jets after never recording a mark below 4.4 YPC in any of his previous six seasons with Minnesota. The 28-year-old will have to get things going in short order or run the risk of losing playing time, or even his roster spot, as the Jets continue to look for answers on the offensive side of the ball ahead of next Sunday's tilt against Denver.

Hall rushed six times for 56 yards and caught three of four targets for 13 yards in Sunday's 23-20 loss to Kansas City.

Hall was limited during the week at practice as the Jets continues to ease him back in action after he suffered a torn ACL last season. The Iowa State product was explosive when called upon, finishing as the team's leading rusher despite his limited workload. Hall has alternated games with single-digit and double-digit carries through four weeks with mixed results, but he possesses the talent to break off a long gain at any time. His volatile touch count makes him a risky play against the Broncos next Sunday.

Pacheco had 20 carries for 115 yards and a touchdown while adding 43 receiving yards on three receptions in Sunday's 23-20 win over the Jets.

Pacheco did most of his damage on a perfectly executed counter-play call in which he followed pulling guard Trey Smith through a sizeable hole that the speedy back took from midfield to the house. It was the 24-year-old's second rushing touchdown in as many weeks, and it came on a season-high 23 touches. Backfield mates Jerick McKinnon and Clyde Edwards-Helaire received three carries apiece, but neither made much of an impact in the box score. Pacheco has become the clear top option out of Kansas City's backfield, which is a fruitful place to sit from a fantasy perspective so long as Patrick Mahomes is under center. Pacheco will lead the Chiefs' ground attack in a plus matchup against the Vikings next Sunday.

Dowdle (hip) is scheduled to get an MRI on the hip injury he suffered in Sunday's 38-3 win over the Patriots, Michael Gehlken of The Dallas Morning News reports.

Dowdle missed the entire 2021 season due to a fracture in the same hip. if Dowdle is unable to play in Week 5 against the 49ers, Deuce Vaughn would be in line to work as the top backup to Tony Pollard in Dallas' backfield. Before exiting Sunday's win, Dowdle played six snaps on offense and carried three times for nine yards. while corralling his lone target for an eight-yard reception.

Stevenson rushed the ball 14 times for 30 yards in Sunday's 38-3 loss to the Cowboys. He added two receptions for 10 yards.

The positive news for Stevenson is that he dominated work out of the New England backfield, accounting for 14 of 20 rushing attempts by the team's running backs. His production didn't measure up to that opportunity, however, as he was limited to a long gain of eight yards while averaging only 2.1 yards per carry. Overall, he's failed to top 65 total yards in three of four games this season to go along with only one touchdown.

Williams (hip) suffered a hip flexor injury in Sunday's 31-28 win over the Bears, and the running back isn't expected to miss much time, if any, Adam Schefter of ESPN reports.

Williams exited the game in Chicago after only two drives, but he avoided a major injury. Williams' practice participation leading up to the Week 5 home game against the Jets will likely provide insight regarding his availability for the game. Rookie Jaleel McLaughlin had 104 scrimmage yards and a touchdown with Williams hurt Sunday, so the latter could cede touches to both McLaughlin and Samaje Perine upon the starting running back's return.

Johnson rushed five times for 13 yards and caught one pass for two yards in the Bears' 31-28 loss to the Broncos on Sunday.

Johnson is often used as the passing-game running back when the Bears trail, but since the team led until that latter stages of the game, he saw significantly less work than Khalil Herbert. Despite his light usage in this contest, Johnson should have a good chance of seeing closer to 10 touches in a significant number of games as Chicago is likely to be trailing frequently this season.

Conner rushed 11 times for 52 yards while adding a four-yard reception off of two targets in Sunday's 35-16 loss to San Francisco.

The 49ers took a quick 21-3 lead in this contest, forcing the Cardinals to abandon the running element from its gameplan in the second half. Conner performed well on an individual basis by averaging 4.7 yards on his 11 attempts, which actually dropped his season average to a healthy 5.1 yards per carry through four games. No other Cardinal running back received more than one carry in Sunday's loss, confirming Conner's firm grasp of the starting job as the team prepares to face Cincinnati next Sunday.

Pollard rushed the ball 11 times for 47 yards in Sunday's 38-3 win over the Patriots. He added three receptions for 13 yards.

Most of the Cowboys' top skill-position players had quiet days as the defense scored two of the team's four touchdowns while another came in garbage time with backups on the field. As a result, even given a fairly efficient effort, Pollard's volume and production were limited. Entering Sunday's game, Pollard had either scored multiple touchdowns or topped 100 total yards in all three games this season, so there's little reason for concern moving forward.

McCaffrey took 20 carries for 106 yards and three touchdowns while catching seven of eight targets for 71 yards and another score in Sunday's 35-16 win over Arizona.

McCaffrey wound up scoring a career-high four touchdowns en route to his third 100-yard rushing performance through four weeks. The star running back broke off a healthy chunk of yardage on nearly every one of his 27 touches Sunday, finishing with 177 combined yards from scrimmage without recording a gain of 20-plus yards. McCaffrey has taken on a workhorse role in his first full season with the 49ers, clearing 20 touches in every game this year after reaching 20 touches in just four of his 10 starts following last year's blockbuster trade. That hefty workload figures to lighten at some point as the undefeated 49ers begin to look towards the playoffs. As for next week, expect another heavy dose of McCaffrey when the 49ers take on the Cowboys in a Sunday night battle between long-time rivals.