NFL Player News

Abdullah caught two of three targets for 14 yards during Sunday's 16-6 loss to Chicago.

It wasn't much, but Sunday's performance was a step up from the one touch Abdulllah earned in the previous two weeks combined. Abdullah has the misfortune of playing behind a pair of backs in Dalvin Cook and Alexander Mattison who are each averaging over five yards per carry right now. As Sunday showed, Abdullah can help out a passing game that has struggled mightily this season, but, given Cook's abilities as the team's third-leading receiver, it's unlikely that Abdullah would get too much extra work even if the Vikings try to mix it up a little.

Conner (ankle) told Andrew Fillipponi of 93.7 The Fan Pittsburgh that he may be able to practice Wednesday.

Conner emerged from Monday's 27-3 win against the Bengals with an ankle injury, which he called "fine" while stating he doesn't have a tear. He'll continue to receive treatment this week, with his status at ensuing practices the thing to watch out for. Wednesday's injury report will provide the first indication of his Week 5 availability. Next up for work out of the Steelers' backfield is Jaylen Samuels, who racked up 18 touches for 83 yards and one TD while completing all three passes for 31 yards Monday.

Mattison gained five yards on two carries and caught his only target for eight yards in Sunday's 16-6 loss to the Bears.

The Vikings' running game was finally shut down in this outing, as Dalvin Cook rushed 14 times for 35 scoreless yards. They were forced to throw more than usual, and Mattison logged a season-low six of a possible 60 offensive snaps (10 percent). Mattison sees most of his usage when the team has comfortable leads like it did against the Falcons (nine carries) and the Raiders (12 carries). With that being said, Mattison is one of the league's top handcuffs since the Vikings run the ball 29.8 times per game, ranking fourth in the league.

Pollard played two offensive snaps and didn't have a touch in Sunday's 12-10 loss to the Saints.

After turning 16 touches into 128 yards in Week 3's win over the Dolphins, Pollard vanished in the primetime matchup. Ezekiel Elliott rushed 18 times for 35 yards and a touchdown and caught six of seven targets for 30 yards in this contest while playing 56 of 58 possible snaps, shaping up as the bell cow the Cowboys need him to be. Pollard's usage over the first three weeks looks like it was a mirage due to Elliott missing the entire preseason and the blowout win over hapless Miami, so his fantasy value may just be as a handcuff going forward.

Coach Mike Tomlin said Tuesday that Conner may be limited in practice this week due to an ankle injury, Brooke Pryor of ESPN.com reports.

Conner tweaked the ankle during Monday's win over the Bengals, but it didn't keep him out of the game entirely, as the tailback was able to break out with 125 total yards and a touchdown. The Steelers will now be cautious during this shorter week of preparation, so look for updates on Conner to come once the team releases its first injury report.

Hill had two carries for eight yards and caught both of his targets for nine yards in Week 4 against the Browns.

The rookie's snap count bounced back to 16 after bottoming out at 11 in Week 3. He still wasn't very involved in the offense, though, as he got just four total touches. Hill's season high for carries remains at seven, and those came in a blowout win over the Dolphins in the opener. Mark Ingram, Gus Edwards and Lamar Jackson all running the ball effectively leaves very little work in the backfield for Hill.

Edwards had six carries for 28 yards and caught his only target for an eight-yard gain against the Browns.

Edwards had just one fewer carry than he did against Kansas City, but the Browns had more success in stopping him as he was held to 4.7 yards per carry as opposed to the 7.6 he was tearing off against the Chiefs. Mark Ingram remains the clear lead back, but Edwards is still ahead of Justice Hill in the pecking order and should continue to see a handful of carries each week.

Snell ran twice for one yard and failed to grab his lone target in Monday night's 27-3 win over Cincinnati.

On a night when James Conner and Jaylen Samuels accounted for most of the offense, Snell did not take advantage of his limited opportunities. The rookie had played just five offensive snaps before this game but was brought in on a third-and-one only to come up short. The Steelers turned the ball over on downs the next play. After earning their first win of the season it is safe to assume Pittsburgh will deploy a similar game plan in Week 5 against Baltimore.

Conner rushed 10 times for 42 yards and caught all eight of his targets for 83 yards and a touchdown in Monday night's 27-3 win over Cincinnati.

Conner entered the game averaging only 2.9 yards per run and got off to another slow start with just 18 rushing yards in the first half. That included a failed fourth and one conversion on Pittsburgh's second possession of the game. As much as he has struggled running the ball Conner has shined as a pass catcher, making amends two possessions later by taking a Mason Rudolph pass 21 yards for a score. The Steelers will need Conner to have another solid game in Week 5 against Baltimore, whose defense had allowed the second fewest rushing yards per game (60.3) before being pounded by Cleveland for 193 yards in Week 3. In two games against Baltimore last season Conner totaled 126 yards on 33 carries and had 10 receptions for 81 yards.

Mixon rushed 15 times for 62 yards and caught four of five targets for one yard in Monday night's 27-3 loss to the Steelers.

Mixon has now topped 60 yards on the ground in back-to-back games after starting the season with consecutive outings of under 20 rushing yards. While Monday marked his season high in the category, he was still hurt by the game flow, which saw the Bengals trailing big for most of the second half. Behind an at-times brutal offensive line, Mixon has done his best to find lanes the past couple weeks, but his overall outlook is hurt by his poor quality of surrounding talent. Still, his weekly volume props up his fantasy stock, and his upcoming matchup against a Cardinals defense that's surrendered the second-most yards league-wide bodes well for him to return to his more explosive ways.