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Alvin Kamara RB | NO
Saints' Alvin Kamara: Leading pass catcher in loss
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.
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C.J. Anderson RB | LAR
Rams' C.J. Anderson: Surprisingly keeps lead-back role
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.
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Boston Scott RB | PIT
Eagles' Boston Scott: Plays in two games
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.
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Mike Boone RB | MIA
Vikings' Mike Boone: Plays in eight games
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.
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Jordan Wilkins RB | CLE
Colts' Jordan Wilkins: Rushes for 336 yards in 2018
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.
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Donnel Pumphrey RB | DET
Eagles' Donnel Pumphrey: Signs with Eagles
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.
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Cameron Artis-Payne RB | CAR
Panthers' Cameron Artis-Payne: Plays nine games
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.
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Austin Ekeler RB | WAS
Chargers' Austin Ekeler: No ground work in playoff loss
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.
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Alvin Kamara RB | NO
Saints' Alvin Kamara: Ices game on final run
Kamara rushed 16 times for 71 yards and brought in all four of his targets for 35 yards in the Saints' 20-14 divisional-round playoff win over the Eagles on Sunday. He also returned two kickoffs for 45 yards.
Kamara finished with a solid final line after a slow start, and his afternoon would have been even bigger had his third-quarter 46-yard touchdown reception on a pass from Taysom Hill not been nullified by penalty. The versatile back was able to find more running room as the game went on, with no carry more important than his 12-yard scamper off right guard on third down with 1:03 remaining in the game and the Eagles out of timeouts. With what is likely to be a shootout against the Rams on tap for next Sunday's NFC Championship Game, Kamara will undoubtedly be poised for a pivotal role in New Orleans' plan of attack.
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Melvin Gordon RB | BAL
Chargers' Melvin Gordon: Quiet in playoff exit
Gordon rushed nine times for 15 yards and a touchdown while catching one of two targets for 11 yards in Sunday's 41-28 divisional-round loss to New England.
While Gordon didn't have an injury designation heading into this contest, it's fair to wonder whether the perpetually banged-up running back was truly healthy, considering he's battled recent injuries to both knees. The Chargers were forced to largely abandon the run after facing a 35-7 halftime deficit, but Gordon managed to find the end zone from one yard out late in the third quarter. Los Angeles picked up the fifth-year option on Gordon's rookie contract prior to this season, so he'll be back with the team for the 2019 campaign before potentially hitting free agency.