NFL Player News

Williams picked up 51 yards and a touchdown on 11 carries and caught one pass for eight yards during Week 17 against the Raiders.

Williams has emerged as a key piece for the Chiefs out of the backfield with Spencer Ware (hamstring) sidelined, and he'll likely factor into the Chiefs' playoff plans after averaging 6.0 yards per carry and notching three rushing touchdowns and four total scores in the final three games of the season. He's also proven to be a capable receiver, snaring 18 passes for 135 yards and two scores over the final four contests. Consequently, Williams could be a sneaky option in playoff pools.

Ekeler was limited at Wednesday's practice by a groin injury.

Ekeler sat out Weeks 15 and 16 due to a pair of health of concerns -- a stinger and concussion -- but returned for the regular-season finale in Denver, tallying eight carries for 58 yards and one touchdown while failing to haul in his only target. His ability as a receiver helps him gain reps in a Melvin Gordon-led backfield, so with no receptions since Dec. 9, Ekeler is an iffy prospect heading into Sunday's wild-card game at Baltimore. Further hurting Ekeler's case is the availability of Gordon, who managed to practice fully Wednesday just three days removed from injuring his ankle against the Broncos.

Gordon (ankle) practiced in full Wednesday.

Considering the lack of limitations with his workload, Gordon isn't worse for wear as a result of the ankle injury that forced an early exit from the Chargers' regular-season finale in Denver. Assuming he avoids any setbacks in the coming days, he'll prepare in earnest for a rematch Sunday with the Ravens, who contained him to 54 yards from scrimmage and one score on 15 touches Week 16. Gordon may experience a healthy bump in reps if his backup, Austin Ekeler, is at all hindered by a groin issue this weekend.

Freeman rushed 130 times for 521 yards and five touchdowns and added 72 yards on 14 receptions over 14 games this season.

Freeman entered 2018 as the Broncos' presumptive starting running back but quickly lost those duties to fellow rookie Phillip Lindsay. While Lindsay proved to be the more effective runner of the two, Freeman still showed flashes of promise during an otherwise ugly season for Denver. He punctuated his campaign on a good note in Week 17 against the Chargers while Lindsay was out following wrist surgery, amassing 103 total yards on 25 touches. Though he'll likely slot in as the No. 2 option on the depth chart to begin 2019, Freeman should be a high-upside replacement option in the event Lindsay misses time.

Thomas signed a reserve/future contract Wednesday with the Vikings, Chris Tomasson of the St. Paul Pioneer Press reports.

Thomas finished the 2018 season on the Vikings' practice squad after appearing in five games for Minnesota earlier on in the year. He'll now get the offseason to compete with Mike Boone, Ameer Abdullah and anyone else the team might bring in to compete for a depth role behind Dalvin Cook in advance of the 2019 campaign.

Jones played only one offensive snap Sunday in the Buccaneers' 34-32 loss to the Falcons.

For the final quarter of his rookie season, Jones earned only one touch on offense while being mostly relegated to a special-teams role. It amounts to a disappointing conclusion for Jones, who was expected to vie for the starting role when he was selected with a second-round pick back in April. Instead, Peyton Barber served as the top ballcarrier throughout the season while Jacquizz Rodgers handled much of the passing-down work, even though neither player was particularly efficient with his opportunities. The Buccaneers' overhaul of their coaching staff this offseason should give Jones a clean slate, but the 21-year-old will still need to impress in spring workouts, training camp and the preseason to secure a meaningful role heading into 2019.

Wilkins (knee/ankle) was a full practice participant Wednesday, Andrew Walker of the Colts' official site reports.

Dealing with a pair of minor issues, Wilkins should be fine to fill his usual role as the No. 3 running back for Saturday's wild-card game in Houston. He's unlikely to see more than a handful of snaps unless Marlon Mack or Nyheim Hines suffers an injury during the contest.

Edmonds recorded 60 carries for 208 yards and two touchdowns while hauling in 20 of his 23 targets for 103 yards across 16 games during the 2018 campaign.

The Cardinals already had an established lead back (David Johnson) prior to the 2018 draft, but it didn't stop general manager Steve Keim from selecting Edmonds in the fourth round with the 134th overall pick. Outside of a two-score performance in a Week 13 upset win over Green Bay, Edmonds was unable to make much of a dent in Johnson's workload. A stagnant offensive scheme partly was to blame, but Edmonds earned double-digit touches just once as a rookie (Week 15 in Atlanta). With Johnson locked into a lucrative extension through the 2021 season, Edmonds likely will need an injury from the former to make much of an impact during his first NFL contract. On the other hand, Arizona's lack of other backfield talent makes Edmonds the top candidate to fill in for Johnson in that scenario.

Barkley finished his rookie season as the NFL's top running back in terms of PPR scoring, narrowly edging out the Panthers' Christian McCaffrey. He also became the third rookie to eclipse 2,000 yards from scrimmage (Eric Dickerson, Edgerrin James).

Barkley's strong showing was thanks in large part to his NFL rookie-record 91 catches to go along with 15 total score. He'll be among the top few players off the board in 2019 fantasy drafts, if not first overall. If the Giants can complement Barkley with improved quarterback play, the sky is the limit for the 21-year-old.

Martin signed a reserve/future contract with the Giants on Monday, GiantsWire reports.

Martin initially was able to crack the Giants' 53-man roster in September but was waived prior to Week 1. The undrafted free agent out of Rutgers faced long odds to earn a roster spot last season and will likely have a similar situation in 2019.