NFL Player News

McKinnon (knee) caught passes from Jimmy Garoppolo (knee) recently, SiriusXM NFL Radio reports.

Both players are working back from ACL tears, with McKinnon suffering his injury Sept. 1 and Garoppolo suffering his Sept. 23. The 26-year-old running back seems to be on schedule in his recovery, but he still figures to be absent or limited throughout the offseason program and into OTAs/minicamp. Once he returns to full participation in practice, McKinnnon will face stiff competition for playing time from Matt Breida, who averaged 5.3 yards on 153 carries despite battling through an ankle injury for most of the 2018 campaign. For what it's worth, there hasn't been any report of Breida requiring offseason surgery.

Williams carried 10 times for 30 yards and a touchdown during Sunday's 37-31 AFC Championship Game overtime loss to the Patriots. He also caught five of eight targets for 66 yards and two more touchdowns.

Williams managed just 3.0 yards per carry against a respectable New England front, but he was utilized often as a receiver and nearly reached 100 scrimmage yards. He enjoyed a tremendous fourth quarter, scoring on a one-yard reception, a 23-yard grab and a two-yard run to help his team climb all the way back into the game. Williams was outstanding during the postseason, piling up 154 scrimmage yards and four touchdowns in two games. He signed an extension with Kansas City in December and will head into the offseason as the team's top tailback, although it remains to be seen if competition will be brought in via the draft and/or free agency.

Kamara rushed just eight times for 15 yards but brought in 11 of 13 targets for 96 yards during the Saints' 26-23 overtime loss to the Rams in Sunday's NFC Championship Game. He also recovered a fumble.

Kamara accomplished next to nothing on the ground, but he ended up pacing the Saints in both receptions and receiving yards. The dynamic second-year back was much more potent in the first half, however, as Rams defensive coordinator Wade Phillips did a good job limiting his ability to get open looks out of the backfield over the final two quarters and overtime. The 2017 third-round pick finished the 2018 regular season with 18 total touchdowns (14 rushing, four receiving) and 1,592 total yards from scrimmage, while also adding 208 yards on returns. He'll undoubtedly play a pivotal role in the Saints attack once again in 2019.

Anderson rushed 16 times for 44 yards and brought in his only target for five yards during the Rams' 26-23 overtime win over the Saints in Sunday's NFC Championship Game.

Anderson saw 12 more carries than Todd Gurley, a shocking development given the latter's alleged clean bill of health and the importance of the game. The 27-year-old back was unable to replicate the level of efficiency from his first three games in a Rams uniform, but that was to be expected against a stingy Saints front. Anderson was able to get some key yards on multiple carries, however, doing just enough to keep New Orleans honest. In-game reports emphasized there was nothing wrong with Gurley physically, so it will be intriguing to see what the extent of Anderson's role will be in the Super Bowl.

Scott returned four kicks for 96 yards in two games with the Eagles in 2018.

Scott spent the first three-plus months of the season on the Saints' practice squad before signing with the Eagles in early December. The 23-year-old was also active for both playoff games, playing three offensive snaps. Scott is under contract for next season and is likely to be fighting for a depth role come training camp.

Boone carried 11 times for 47 yards and caught two passes for one yard over eight games this season.

Boone had a minor offensive role during the first half of the season when Dalvin Cook was sidelined with a hamstring injury, but saw action in only one of the final seven games. The undrafted running back had a quiet but solid rookie campaign, considering he managed to maintain a spot on the 53-man roster for the entire season. The 23-year-old will hope to push for the No. 2 job behind Cook as Latavius Murray is headed for free agency in 2019.

Wilkins recorded 336 yards and a touchdown on 60 rushing attempts and added 85 receiving yards on 16 catches while playing in 16 games in 2018.

Wilkins joined the Colts as a fifth-round pick in 2018 and showed some promise to start the year. His workload declined in the second half, leading to his modest stats. He ended the season as the No. 3 running back behind Marlon Mack and Nyheim Hines, and he'll need to work his way up the depth chart in 2019 in order to have much fantasy value.

Pumphrey signed a reserve/future contract with the Eagles on Monday.

Pumphrey, a 2017 fourth-round pick of the Eagles, signed with Philadelphia's practice squad in October after spending his entire rookie season on injured reserve with a hamstring injury. He will have another opportunity to make final roster cuts in the leadup to the 2019 campaign.

Artis-Payne finished the 2018 regular season with 19 rushes for 69 yards and a touchdown in nine games played.

Artis-Payne also caught three of his four targets for 15 receiving yards. Through four years with the Panthers, the tailback has never topped more than 45 carries in a season and has been active for just 32 games. Even after C.J. Anderson left Carolina this season, Artis-Payne was hardly used as Christian McCaffrey's backup. In fact, 16 of Artis-Payne's 19 carries came in a meaningless Week 17 win over the Saints. Given that spare role, it wouldn't really be surprising if he heads elsewhere in free agency this offseason.

Ekeler recorded no carries and hauled in three of five targets for 19 yards Sunday in the Chargers' 41-28 divisional-round loss to the Patriots.

New England scored touchdowns on its first four possessions of the game, which effectively forced the Chargers to abandon the run. That left limited work available for top back Melvin Gordon (nine carries), while Ekeler's usage was restricted exclusively to passing downs. Though Ekeler made little impact in his final game of the 2018 season, it still was a relatively successful campaign for the second-year player. Over his 16 appearances (including two postseason contests), Ekeler was supremely efficient with 5.0 yards per carry and 9.5 yards per reception on 163 total touches.