NFL Player News

Johnson averaged 31 yards on three kickoff returns in Sunday's 27-25 win over Jacksonville.

Johnson, who played three snaps as a running back, has fallen off the offensive radar since Nick Chubb returned from a knee injury, but he's resurfaced as the Browns' primary kick returner. He had 43-yard and 32-yard returns that put the Browns in position to respond to Jacksonville scores with their own points. As long as Chubb and Kareem Hunt stay healthy, Johnson will have to make contributions on special teams.

Jones rushed 17 times for 90 yards and caught one pass for no gain in Sunday's 41-25 win over the Bears.

Jones was able to find consistent holes through a tough Chicago front (5.3 yard per carry), but he was unable to hit pay dirt. The lack of touchdowns has been a concern for the 25-year-old, as he has just six trips to the end zone in nine contests after racking up 16 rushing touchdowns in 2019. Jones is still a strong fantasy asset despite the regression in scores, sitting atop the depth chart on a potent offensive unit. Backup Jamaal Williams received an equal amount of carries (17) only due to the blowout nature of Sunday's game. Jones will look to feast on the Eagles next week, as they own one of the worst run defenses through 12 weeks (133.4 rushing yards allowed per game).

Patterson rushed twice for eight yards in Chicago's 41-25 loss to the Packers on Sunday.

After posting at least 40 yards in each of the last two games, Patterson posted his third game of the season with fewer than 10 rushing and receiving yards. Aside from leagues that award points for return yardage, he'll continue to be a low-upside fantasy option.

Wilson carried 12 times for 43 yards and lost a fumble during Sunday's 23-20 win over the Rams.

Making his first appearance in over a month after recovering from an ankle injury, Wilson finished four behind Raheem Mostert for the team lead in carries. He averaged just 3.6 yards per carry after averaging 6.6 over his previous two outings, and his fumble toward the end of the first quarter squandered excellent field position for his team. Wilson's usage with both Mostert and Jerick McKinnon available was a positive sign, but his playing time could diminish if Tevin Coleman (knee) returns next week as well.

Montgomery rushed 11 times for 103 yards and caught five passes for 40 yards and a touchdown in the Bears' 41-25 loss to the Packers on Sunday.

Montgomery burst up the middle of the Packers defense on Chicago's first drive of the game for a 57-yard run, but with the Bears falling hopelessly behind in the first half, the team was forced to mostly abandon their rushing attack. Fortunately, he was able to pile up significant yardage and a touchdown long after the game was out of hand to give him an excellent fantasy performance. Montgomery has now posted at least 100 combined yards in two of his last three games, and he should continue to function as a solid volume-based fantasy option going forward.

Akers carried nine times for 84 yards and a touchdown during Sunday's 23-20 loss to the 49ers.

The majority of Akers' production came on an electrifying second-half drive in which he got the ball on all three plays and came away with 67 yards and a touchdown. Meanwhile, Darrell Henderson Jr and Malcolm Brown combined for just 23 yards on 13 carries, though Brown added a pair of receptions on three targets. Akers' first two career touchdowns have come over the last two games and this career-best performance indicates that he's finding his stride after missing time earlier this season. He should be similarly involved in next Sunday's matchup with the Cardinals.

Mostert carried 16 times for 43 yards and a touchdown while catching both his targets for one additional yard during Sunday's 23-20 loss to the Rams. He also lost a fumble.

Making his first appearance since mid-October, Mostert got his team on the board with an eight-yard rushing touchdown in the first quarter. He averaged just 2.7 yards per carry and hardly made an impact as a receiver, but it was still a respectable performance all things considered. Meanwhile, Jeff Wilson Jr. and Jerick McKinnon combined for 75 yards on 17 touches, though neither player was particularly effective. Assuming he didn't suffer any nagging effects of his ankle injury, Mostert could be in line to make a bigger impact next Monday night against the Bills.

Freeman registered 50 rushing yards on eight carries during Sunday's 31-3 loss to New Orleans.

With quarterbacks Drew Lock, Brett Rypien and Jeff Driskel all unavailable because of COVID-19 concerns, Freeman entered Sunday's contest as the Broncos' No. 2 QB behind Kendall Hinton. Freeman was not asked to throw a pass during the game, though he did line up in the wildcat formation on a handful of occasions. His eight rush attempts versus New Orleans tied a season high, and he could remain the team's No. 2 running back Week 13 against Kansas City after Phillip Lindsay suffered a knee injury during Sunday's loss.

Wilkins carried the ball six times for 22 yards in Week 12 against the Titans. He added three receptions for 35 yards.

Wilkins worked as a complement to Nyheim Hines but was out-touched 18-9 in the absence of Jonathan Taylor (illness). Game script likely had a lot do with that, as the Colts battled from three scores down for the entirety of the second half. A rib injury briefly forced Wilkins out of the game, but he was able to re-enter the contest, Andrew Walker of the Colts' official site reported. Even so, Wilkins performed admirably as a receiver, logging a 21-yard reception early in the first quarter. He could see more work in a Week 13 matchup against the Texans if Taylor remains sidelined.

Edwards-Helaire rushed 11 times for 37 yards and brought in his only target for two yards in the Chiefs' 27-24 win over the Buccaneers on Sunday.

The rookie had the unenviable task of facing a Buccaneers defense that was allowing a minuscule 2.9 yards per carry to running backs coming in, and all things considered, he did a serviceable job with the opportunities he was given. Edwards-Helaire's elusiveness and vision came in handy on a couple of runs in particular, but running plays just seemed like an occasional formality for Kansas City on a day when Patrick Mahomes rather easily racked up 462 passing yards. Edwards-Helaire will look for more overall opportunities in a Week 13 Sunday night divisional battle against a Broncos defense that gave up a total of 229 rushing yards and four rushing touchdowns to the Saints in Week 12.