NFL Player News

Gillislee gained nine yards on three carries and lost a fumble in Sunday's loss to the Buccaneers.

Gillislee signed with New Orleans earlier this month following his release from New England. There was some thought that Gillislee could fill the power-back role while Mark Ingram serves a four-game suspension, but the sixth-year pro fell flat in his Saints debut. A negative game script in which the Saints spent much of the afternoon playing from behind certainly didn't help the one-dimensional runner, but Gillislee did little to help his own cause, as his second-quarter fumble was returned for a touchdown. A better game by the Saints in Week 2 against the Browns could lead to more touches for Gillislee, but the running back will nevertheless be hard to trust following his poor opener.

Chubb rushed three times for 21 yards during Sunday's 21-21 draw against the Steelers.

Of Cleveland's trio of running backs, Chubb saw the fewest number of carries in his first professional game. Carlos Hyde dominated the touches with 22 rush attempts, while Duke Johnson added five. That workload share seems likely to continue as the season goes on while Chubb gets acclimated to the NFL, but the rookie still showed his big-play ability when he broke off a 17-yard gain in the third quarter.

Freeman ran 15 times for 71 yards and did not catch a pass in Sunday's 27-24 win over Seattle.

Freeman was held in check for most of the game, but ripped off a couple of nice runs in the fourth quarter when the Broncos were trying to wind down the clock. Meanwhile, fellow rookie Phillip Lindsay posted the same rushing line as Freeman, but added two receptions for 31 yards and a touchdown. Devontae Booker was the odd man out in the backfield, receiving just four touches for 15 yards, so for now it looks like Freeman will start with Lindsay seeing plenty of work too. The Raiders will be next up for Freeman in Week 2.

McCaffrey carried 10 times for 50 yards and caught six of nine targets for 45 yards during Sunday's 16-8 win over the Cowboys.

McCaffrey averaged a healthy 5.0 yards per carry while leading the team in targets, catches and receiving yards. He fumbled near the goal line in the first quarter and watched as Cam Newton and Alex Armah each scored on short runs later in the contest. McCaffrey fumbled just two times during his rookie season, so it seems likely he'll move on from Sunday's blunder sooner rather than later. He remains a key cog in the offense and should see plenty of opportunities to build on a respectable season debut next week against the Falcons.

Henry rushed 10 times for 26 yards and caught his only target for five more in Sunday's 27-20, Week 1 loss to Miami.

Henry failed to find any rhythm in a game that was delayed on multiple occasions by lightning storms. Conversely, fellow Titans running back Dion Lewis was the team's most impressive offensive player, with 110 scrimmage yards and a touchdown. Henry will need to step things up moving forward or risk losing an even greater share of snaps to Lewis. Quarterback Marcus Mariota left this game with an elbow injury, and any extended Mariota absence would mean bad news for Tennessee's entire offense.

Drake rushed 14 times for 48 yards and caught three of four targets for 18 yards in Sunday's 27-20, Week 1 win over the Titans.

Drake ultimately finished with 17 touches to Frank Gore's nine, but Gore made the most of his looks with 61 yards on the ground. Gore stealing more than a third of rushing work will definitely annoy Drake's owners, but the third-year running back out of Alabama still seems destined for enough touches to make use of his big-play ability.

Gordon carried the ball 15 times for 64 yards and caught nine of 13 targets for a career-high 102 yards in Sunday's 38-28 loss to the Chiefs.

Gordon wasn't able to get much going on the ground, and with the Chargers trailing in the second half, quarterback Philip Rivers used him on a plethora of checkdowns. His receiving numbers have improved in each of his first three years in the league, so it's quite possible we'll see even better production from Gordon in the passing game in 2018.

Ekeler had five carries for 39 yards and caught all five of his targets for 87 yards with a touchdown in Sunday's 38-28 loss to the Chiefs.

Ekeler scored the first touchdown of the season for the Chargers on a 13-yard pass from Philip Rivers in the second quarter. He continued to stay involved throughout, although starter Melvin Gordon finished with 166 yards on 24 touches. The second-year Ekeler is one of the better change-of-pace backs in the league, but isn't likely to put up big numbers, unless something happens to Gordon.

Elliott carried 15 times for 69 yards and a touchdown Sunday against the Panthers. He also caught three of four targets for 17 additional yards in the 16-8 loss.

Elliott struggled to get anything going early on, but he improved as the game went along and wound up with a respectable fantasy showing thanks to a four-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter. He received an uncharacteristically low number of carries, tying for the third-fewest of his NFL career, and managed a long gain of 17 yards. Considering the difficulty of the matchup and that it was the first game of the season, Elliott's performance isn't much cause for concern, though fantasy owners were surely left wanting more. He'll look to improve upon this effort next week against the Giants.

Penny rushed seven times for eight yards and caught four passes for 35 yards in Sunday's 27-24 loss to the Broncos.

Penny rushed for five yards in his first career carry, but he gained just three yards on his next six tries. He was effective hauling in four of five passes, but he was clearly outplayed by Chris Carson, who rushed seven times for 51 yards. Penny won't be handed any favors Week 2 against a tough Bears defense.