NFL Player News

Sims brought in all four of his targets for six yards in Monday night's 24-21 loss to the Falcons.

Sims drew even with Cameron Brate for second on the team in receptions Monday, and it was the running back's second-highest catch tally of the campaign. The 27-year-old has posted at least two grabs in seven consecutive games, but he's logged only 11 rushing touches over that span. Factoring in that he was shut out of the running game entirely against Atlanta despite Doug Martin being declared inactive for the contest, it's clear Sims' modest fantasy value will remain strictly limited to deep PPR formats barring a sudden rash of multiple injuries in front of him.

The Steelers placed Conner (knee) on injured reserve Tuesday, Teresa Varley of the Steelers' official site reports.

Conner underwent surgery earlier in the day to repair the MCL in his right knee, spelling an end to the 22-year-old's rookie campaign. Though he didn't see many snaps behind bell cow Le'Veon Bell this season, Conner generally impressed in spot duty, logging 32 carries for 144 yards (4.5 average) across 14 games. The Steelers signed veteran Stevan Ridley to join Fitzgerald Toussaint in a depth role behind Bell. Conner is expected to be back to full strength for the start of the 2018 season.

Gillislee is expected to rejoin the Patriots' game-day roster Sunday against the Bills with Rex Burkhead (knee) unlikely to be available until the postseason, Mike Reiss of ESPN.com reports.

Since collecting four touchdowns in the Patriots' first two games of the season, Gillislee's inability to bust off big runs resulted in his usage declining in subsequent contests before he was effectively removed from the backfield rotation. With Dion Lewis emerging as the lead back and the more versatile Burkhead and James White representing the top complementary options, Gillislee has been inactive for the Patriots' past six games. Burkhead's absence creates a window of opportunity for Gillislee to reenter the game plan, but it's still expected that Gillislee will rank behind Lewis and White in terms of snap count. If the 5-foot-11, 219-pound Gillislee does get any carries Sunday, they would most likely come in short-yardage situations, given that he offers more size than Lewis (5-foot-8, 195 pounds) and White (5-foot-10, 205 pounds).

Conner will undergo knee surgery Tuesday and will be placed on injured reserve, Aditi Kinkhabwala of NFL Network reports.

Conner played a career-high nine snaps in Sunday's loss to the Patriots, but he also suffered a knee injury in the contest, a setback that will cut short his rookie season. Fellow running back Le'Veon Bell has taken 92 percent of the snaps in the Steelers' backfield this season, so the loss of Conner won't have a major effect on the offense. Fitzgerald Toussaint seems likely to take over as Pittsburgh's No. 2 back, and head coach Mike Tomlin indicated the team would add another running back to the roster in Conner's place.

The Cowboys released Green from their practice squad Monday.

Green's dismissal opens up a spot that could be used for fellow running back Trey Williams, who was dropped from the 53-man roster Monday in anticipation of Ezekiel Elliott's return from a six-game suspension in Week 16. Since completing his college eligibility at TCU in 2015, Green has appeared in two NFL games -- both in 2016 with the Rams -- in his three years as a professional.

Patterson caught one pass on two targets for seven yards during Sunday's 20-17 loss to the Cowboys. He also lost four yards on his lone rushing attempt of the contest.

Patterson logged his most offensive snaps (45) since Week 8 with Amari Cooper (ankle) sidelined in Week 15, but he failed to translate the opportunity into fantasy production. The lone bright spot for Patterson came on a 44-yard kickoff return, though he also fumbled out of bounds twice during the contest. Patterson could be in line for additional targets in Week 16 against the Eagles if Cooper is held out, but fellow receivers Michael Crabtree and Seth Roberts would limit his upside.

Buccaneers head coach Dirk Koetter said following Monday's 24-21 loss to the Falcons that Martin was inactive for the contest due to an unspecified violation of team rules, RIck Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times reports. "It's done. That's just one of those things that unfortunately has to happen from time to time," Koetter said, regarding Martin being made a healthy scratch. "It's behind us now, and that's all I'm going to say about it."

After missing one game while recovering from a concussion, Martin drew the start at running back in the Week 14 loss to the Lions, but played just 19 snaps before being benched after fumbling. It was suspected that Martin's inactive status Monday was related to his struggles in recent weeks, but it sounds like an off-field transgression had more to do with it. Though Koetter's comments suggest that Martin won't be subject to further discipline from the team, it seems rather unlikely that the 2012 first-round pick will regain his starting gig over the final two games, especially given how effective Peyton Barber has been in recent weeks. Barber has averaged more than four yards per carry in each of the last three games, while Martin has a putrid 2.8 YPC mark over his last eight appearances.

Barner rushed twice for 21 yards in Sunday's 34-29 win over the Giants.

Both totes came back-to-back at the end of the first quarter with the first going for 18 yards. He technically touched the ball on a third successive play when he recovered Nick Foles' fumble on the last play of the period. The Oregon product reverted to his primary role as a returner thereafter. He remains a distant fourth on the Eagles RB depth chart.

Clement carried the ball four times for 17 yards and caught his lone target for one yard in Sunday's 34-29 defeat of the Giants.

The 10 offensive snaps were the fewest he's played since Week 6 at Carolina, but he saw his usual allotment of between five to seven touches for the fifth straight week. He'll be a risky play Week 16 versus Oakland.

Ellington was active but did not play a single snap in Sunday's loss to the Jaguars.

Ellington logged 11 touches over the last two games but had no such opportunities in Sunday's blowout with Alfred Blue having season highs in touches and rushing yards. The 28-year-old was a low-value option prior to Week 15 and now has another tough matchup against the Steelers defense this week.