NFL Player News

Jones rushed 13 times for 53 yards and brought in two of four targets for 20 yards in the Buccaneers' 28-10 win over the Broncos.

A week after Leonard Fournette took center stage and went over the 100-yard mark on the ground, Jones served as the clear lead back, outpacing his teammate by six carries and six touches overall. There was nothing spectacular about Jones' day -- he had a long run of 13 yards on his way to 4.1 yards per rush -- but the USC product encouragingly enjoyed a solid presence in the passing game as well. Through three games, Jones is now averaging 12.1 carries and three targets per contest, numbers that his fantasy managers hope will be exceeded in a Week 4 home matchup against the Chargers.

Ekeler carried the ball 12 times for 59 yards and also caught all 11 of his targets for 80 yards in Sunday's 21-16 loss to the Panthers. He also accounted for a touchdown.

It should have been an even better day for Ekeler, but the running back botched a hook-and-ladder attempt which would have resulted in a walk-in, game-winning touchdown. After a Week 1 which saw the star back record just one target, the Chargers have made a concerted effort to include Ekeler in the passing game with 15 targets over the past two weeks. Most of that workload came Sunday with the team trailing from the jump, though the 11 targets weren't simply off of checkdowns or dump-offs but rather clearly designed screen plays and flare routes. It's fairly clear Ekeler will get the majority of the workload in the event the team is trailing, something that wasn't necessarily confirmed throughout the first two games with Joshua Kelley acting in tandem with Ekeler to begin the season. It might be a bit tougher to pile up the yards next week when the Chargers travel to face a Buccaneers defense that just held Melvin Gordon to under 3.2 yards per touch.

Henry carried the ball 26 times for 119 yards and two touchdowns in the team's Week 3 win over the Vikings. He added two receptions for 11 yards.

Henry topped 100 yards for the second time in his first three games. However, he managed to find the end zone for the first time, punching in a pair of one-yard scores to play a major role in the Titans' narrow victory. While it's no surprise Henry has dominated rushing work out of the team's backfield, he also has five receptions early on this season and has recorded multiple receptions on two occasions. Though that doesn't place him among the elite pass-catching running backs in the league, he recorded multiple receptions in only four games during the entire 2019 campaign.

Patterson carried four times for 13 yards in Chicago's 30-26 win over the Falcons on Sunday.

Even though the Bears were trailing this game by 16 points early in the second half, Patterson wasn't targeted, though he was used to occasionally spell David Montgomery out of the backfield. With Tarik Cohen potentially missing time with a possible knee injury, Patterson could see a slight increase in his workload. He's currently averaging 27 combined yards per game, so it's possible that he emerges as a potential flex option.

Sanders registered 95 rushing yards on 18 carries while catching four of his eight targets for 12 receiving yards during Sunday's 23-23 tie against Cincinnati.

Sanders has notched exactly 95 yards on the ground in each of his first two outings of the year, and he has 100-plus scrimmage yards in five of his past seven appearances dating back to Week 13 of last year. Given injuries to wide receivers DeSean Jackson (hamstring), Alshon Jeffery (foot) and Jalen Reagor (thumb), Sanders may also continue to build upon a strong workload of 15 targets across two appearances. Facing a 49ers front in Week 4 that is dealing with injuries to Nick Bosa (knee-ACL), Dee Ford (back) and Solomon Thomas (knee-ACL), Sanders remains a top-shelf option as a feature component in the Eagles offense.

McFarland ran for 42 yards on six carries and caught one of two targets for seven yards in the Steelers' 28-21 Week 3 win over the Texans on Sunday.

The rookie and Benny Snell split carries to keep James Conner fresh, but Snell managed just 11 yards on his seven carries. There is no question Conner (109 yards and a touchdown on 18 carries) is the workhorse in the backfield, but McFarland's performance may cost Snell some snaps moving forward.

Snell totaled 11 yards on seven carries in the Steelers' 28-21 Week 3 win over the Texans Sunday.

Snell and rookie Anthony McFarland split carries in a backup role to James Conner, but Snell was unable to get anything going on the ground. His longest run was four yards and he was stuffed on a 1st-and-goal from the one-yard line. Despite an attractive Week 4 matchup against the Titans -- which have allowed 598 rushing yards and three touchdown runs in three games this season -- Snell's fantasy value continues to drop.

Montgomery rushed 14 times for 45 yards and caught two passes for nine yards in the Bears' 30-26 victory over the Falcons on Sunday.

Montgomery was routinely stuffed over his first nine carries of the game, as he was averaging fewer than 1.5 yards on those attempts. He fortunately had a few productive runs while the Bears were in the process of making up a huge deficit, as he found more room to operate. He's carried the ball between 13 and 16 times in each game this season, giving him a solid weekly floor as a top-25 running back.

Mixon registered 49 rushing yards on 17 carries, adding two catches for 16 yards during Sunday's 23-23 tie against Philadelphia.

The former Oklahoma Sooner has been bestowed a typically heavy workload through the first three weeks of 2020, racking up 19.7 offensive touches per game. That usage hasn't translated into rampant production in the early going. Most of Mixon's work has come via the ground, of course, where he is averaging fewer than 3.2 yards per carry behind an offensive line that is without starting right tackle Xavier Su'a-Filo (ankle). Mixon also remains without a touchdown on the year, further reducing his fantasy value. In 2019, Mixon started slowly before heating up late in the season, as he had collected just 87 rushing yards (on 32 attempts) through three outings, only to chalk up three rushing outings of 135-plus yards Weeks 14 through 17. Mixon's upcoming matchup doesn't indicate a likely breakout, however, as the Jaguars have allowed three total touchdowns and a mere 3.2 yards per rush to opposing RBs in 2020.

Chubb carried the ball 19 times for 108 yards and two touchdowns in the team's Week 3 win over Washington. He also added one reception for two yards.

Chubb saw just over half of the team's 37 rushing attempts and made the most of his opportunities. He punched in his first score midway through the second quarter from 16 yards out and followed that up with a 20-yard trip to the end zone to help clinch the win in the final quarter. While Kareem Hunt continues to earn plenty of work out of Cleveland's backfield, Chubb has shown the skill to produce even with the split workload by averaging 5.8 yards per rush through three games.