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Royce Freeman RB | CHI
Texans' Royce Freeman: Expected to be activated Week 12
Freeman is likely to serve as Houston's third running back Sunday against the Jets, Brooks Kubena of the Houston Chronicle reports.
Freeman was claimed off waivers Nov. 9 and inactive for Week 11 against the Titans. However, after the Texans released Phillip Lindsay on Wednesday, there's an opening for a third back behind Rex Burkhead and David Johnson. That spot might normally go to Scottie Phillips (ankle), but he's on injured reserve and ineligible to return until Dec. 12 at the earliest. As a newcomer to the offense, Freeman is not expected to have a significant role Week 12.
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Matt Breida RB | SF
Bills' Matt Breida: Largest role of season
Breida carried nine times for 26 yards and caught both targets for 29 yards and a TD reception in Thursday's 31-6 win over New Orleans.
Breida had only seen 12 carries all season prior to Thursday, but the Bills wanted to shake up a listless running attack and benched Zack Moss for the contest, giving Breida the opportunity he'd been waiting for. It looked like he was going to be the main ballcarrier for the night, but teammate Devin Singletary got hot, and the two ended up splitting work in an easy win. Singletary finished with 16 touches and 62 percent of the snaps, while Breida had 11 touches and 38 percent. We'll see if the Bills keep Moss on the bench for the team's Week 12 tilt against the rival Patriots, but our guess is this will be a fluid situation the rest of the way.
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Tony Pollard RB | TEN
Cowboys' Tony Pollard: Makes impact on special teams
Pollard carried the ball 10 times for 36 yards, caught all four of his targets for 32 yards, and returned three kickoffs for 129 yards including a 100-yard touchdown in a 36-33 overtime loss to the Raiders on Thanksgiving.
With Ezekiel Elliott's knee clearly bothering him, Pollard wound up leading the Cowboys in carries and rushing yards in a nearly even workload split with Zeke. Pollard also just missed scoring a TD in the second quarter on a swing pass from Dak Prescott, but he was ruled down just short of the goal line and had to watch from the sidelines as Elliott punched the ball into the end zone on the next play. Not to be deterred, Pollard returned a kickoff to the house in the third quarter to spur a Dallas comeback from a 24-13 deficit. Elliott will have some extra time to heal up before a Week 13 clash with the Saints, but Pollard's explosiveness should keep him in a prominent role in the offense even if the Cowboys' No. 1 RB is able to handle his usual volume.
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Ezekiel Elliott RB | LAC
Cowboys' Ezekiel Elliott: Finds end zone Thursday
Elliott carried the ball nine times for 25 yards and a touchdown and caught six of eight targets for 24 yards in a 36-33 overtime loss to the Raiders on Thanksgiving.
The running back's knee clearly wasn't 100 percent, and Tony Pollard wound up seeing more carries and leading the Cowboys in rushing yards, but Elliott vultured a one-yard TD from his backup just before halftime after Pollard did most of the work on the drive that got the offense to the goal line. With extra time to rest up before a Week 13 clash with the Saints, Elliott could be able to handle something closer to his usual workload, but Pollard's performance -- which included a 100-yard kickoff return for a touchdown -- should keep him involved in the game plan.
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Josh Jacobs RB | GB
Raiders' Josh Jacobs: Breaks out against Cowboys
Jacobs carried the ball 22 times for 87 yards and a touchdown and caught two of four targets for 25 yards in a 36-33 overtime win over the Cowboys on Thanksgiving.
Interim coach Rich Bisaccia said coming into the game he wanted to re-emphasize the Raiders' running game, and he followed through by giving Jacobs his biggest touch volume of the season. The second-year back took advantage, topping 100 scrimmage yards for the first time all year and finding the end zone for the first time since Week 7. Jacobs will look to build on this performance in Week 13 against Washington.
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Devin Singletary RB | NYG
Bills' Devin Singletary: Clear lead back Thursday
Singletary rushed 15 times for 44 yards and brought in his only target for four yards in the Bills' 31-6 win over the Saints on Thursday night.
With Zack Moss a healthy scratch, Singletary's only competition for carries among his fellow running backs came from Matt Breida. Singletary ultimately outpaced his teammate by six rushing touches during a contest in which game script turned favorably toward the run. The 15 carries were a season high for Singletary, who opened the season with double-digit rush attempts in his first four games before not hitting that mark again until Thursday. Whether the same backfield hierarchy applies in a Week 13 divisional battle against the Patriots on Monday night, Dec. 6 remains to seen.
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Tony Jones RB | ARI
Saints' Tony Jones: Leads backfield amid injuries
Jones rushed 16 times for 27 yards during Thursday's 31-6 loss to the Bills.
With Alvin Kamara (knee) and Mark Ingram (knee) sidelined, Jones clearly served as the top option on early downs. However, the return of lineman Terron Armstead wasn't enough to help him overcome the struggles of this Trevor Siemian-led offense, and Ty Montgomery stole a bunch of work on passing downs en route to seven targets. Even if Kamara and Ingram remain sidelined in Week 13 against Dallas, Jones seems hard to trust as a touchdown-dependent fantasy asset.
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Khalil Herbert RB | SF
Bears' Khalil Herbert: Four touches in win
Herbert rushed four times for nine yards in the Bears' 16-14 win over the Lions on Thursday.
After barely seeing the field in each of the last two games since David Montgomery returned from a knee injury, Herbert was sprinkled in a bit more liberally this week. However, he was still out-touched by Montgomery 20 to four, and unless Herbert's role significantly increases, his fantasy value will remain minimal.
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Tony Jones RB | ARI
Saints' Tony Jones: Primed for bigger workload Thursday
Jones is poised to be the Saints' lead running back Thursday against the Bills with both Alvin Kamara and Mark Ingram sidelined due to knee injuries, Mike Triplett of ESPN.com reports.
While Kamara is missing a third consecutive contest, Ingram is logging his first absence since returning to New Orleans via trade from Houston back on Oct. 27. Jones thus is in line for more work, but his small sample isn't particularly encouraging. In five appearances this season, he's averaged 3.6 yards on 22 carries and hauled in four of six targets for 10 yards. Aside from Jones, the Saints likely will give wide receiver Ty Montgomery and special teamer Dwayne Washington some run out of the backfield as well.
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Devin Singletary RB | NYG
Bills' Devin Singletary: Set to share backfield with Breida
With Zack Moss a healthy scratch for Thursday night's game against the Saints, Singletary and Matt Breida are in line to head the Bills' Week 12 backfield.
Singletary still has Breida to contend with for touches Thursday, but minus Moss, he could see some added Week 12 opportunities against a New Orleans defense that has allowed an average of 89.8 rushing yards per game to date. While neither back profiles as a high-percentage lineup option, Singletary is worthy of consideration by those in need of RB help this week due to injuries or byes.