NFL Player News

Martin (coach's decision) is inactive for Monday's game versus the Falcons, Greg Auman of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

About an hour before the release of inactives, Adam Schefter of ESPN leaked that Martin would be superseded as the starter in favor of Peyton Barber. In a surprising turn on events, though, Martin is a healthy scratch due to a violation of team rules, according to ESPN's Monday Night Countdown. With Martin sidelined, Barber will lead the way out of the Buccaneers backfield, while Charles Sims handles pass-catching reps and Jacquizz Rodgers serves in a change-of-pace role.

The Cowboys moved Elliott from the reserve/suspended list to the reserve/exempt list Monday, David Helman of the Cowboys' official site reports.

Elliott was slated to return to team headquarters Monday, but the Cowboys will delay adding him to the 53-man roster, despite waiving fellow running back Trey Williams. During his six-game suspension, Elliott reshaped his body via "intense training" in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico, per Ian Rapoport of NFL Network. Once he returns to the active roster, Elliott and his slimmer build will focus on preparation for a Seattle defense that conceded 180 yards from scrimmage and four touchdowns to another stud running back, the Rams' Todd Gurley, this past Sunday.

According to Adam Schefter of ESPN, the Buccaneers are expected to start Peyton Barber at running back, relegating Martin to a backup role.

During Martin's absence in Week 13 with a concussion, Barber impressed as both a runner and pass catcher, racking up 102 yards on the ground and 41 more through the air. Last weekend versus the Lions, Martin started but didn't see the field after a fumble late in the second quarter. Barber proceeded to outproduce Martin, 63 to 50, in scrimmage yards. With Barber leading the way again Monday, it remains to be seen what kind of workload, if any, Martin receives.

Conner needs knee surgery and likely will miss at least a few weeks, Mike Garafolo of NFL Network reports.

Conner doesn't get much playing time behind Le'Veon Bell, sitting on 32 carries for 144 yards (without any receptions) in 14 games this season. Fitzgerald Toussaint will take over as Bell's backup for the rest of the regular season and possibly into the playoffs.

Ekeler could potentially play the rest of the season with a cast on his broken hand, but he wouldn't be able to catch passes, Jack Wang of the Los Angeles Daily News reports.

This would make more sense if not for the fact that Ekeler gets most of his playing time on passing downs. The Chargers apparently are entertaining the idea, but it still seems more likely they shut Ekeler down for the rest of the season. Branden Oliver is expected to take over as the No. 2 running back, with Melvin Gordon potentially handling a larger share of the passing-down work.

Grant gained 69 yards and a touchdown on 10 carries in Sunday's 45-7 win over the Texans.

While Grant paced the Jaguars in rushing with the team minus Leonard Fournette (quadriceps), it's worth noting all 10 of his carries came in the fourth quarter, when Jacksonville already held a 30-point advantage. It's generally expected that Fournette will be ready to play Week 16 against the 49ers, so expect Grant to fade back into the fourth-string role at running back behind both Chris Ivory and T.J. Yeldon, with most of Grant's action likely to come on special teams.

Bohanon parlayed both of his goal-line carries into touchdowns in Sunday's 45-7 win over the Texans.

With Leonard Fournette (quadriceps) sidelined in Week 15, Chris Ivory seemed like the prime candidate to handle any short-yardage work that would come about. However, after Ivory was unable to break the plane on carries from the one-yard line during the Jaguars' second drive and later on in the third quarter, Bohanon's number was surprisingly called, with the fullback converting both times. While the development was undoubtedly frustrating for those that started Ivory in season-long and DFS formats, Bohanon's two-touchdown performance may have bolstered his case for his first Pro Bowl trip. With only five carries and six receptions in 14 games this season, however, Bohanon obviously shouldn't be counted on for a repeat performance.

Breida carried the ball five times for 16 yards and was not targeted in the passing game in Sunday's 25-23 victory over the Titans.

This was the second consecutive week that the 49ers' backup did not garner a target after receiving at least one in his previous 11 contests. The timeshare that was developing between Breida and Carlos Hyde earlier in the season has ground to a halt with the latter dominating the backfield touches during the club's three-game win streak. The speedy rookie did take over primary kick-return duties, racking up 65 yards on four attempts, so those in deeper leagues that award points for return yardage could take a look at Breida. For everyone else, he's nothing more than a handcuff for Hyde.

Ekeler (hand) will miss the rest of the season, Dan Woike of The Los Angeles Times reports.

It isn't all that rare for someone to play with a broken hand, but it wouldn't make much sense for a running back, especially one like Ekeler who largely makes his living on passing downs. Branden Oliver will take over as the Chargers' No. 2 running back, potentially allowing Melvin Gordon to handle the majority of third-down work for the final two weeks of the season. Ekeler was impressive as an undrafted rookie in 14 games, taking 47 carries for 260 yards (5.5 average) and two touchdowns while catching 27 of 35 targets for 279 yards (8.0 per target) and another three scores. The efficient production should ensure that he enters training camp next year with a locked-in role spelling Gordon on passing downs. Ekeler should have plenty of time to recover before the start of the offseason program in April.

Henry rushed seven times for 19 yards and caught both of his targets for nine more yards in Sunday's 25-23 loss to San Francisco.

Henry saw nine touches to DeMarco Murray's 19, likely because their team trailed for most of this one and wanted the better pass-catching back on the field. While both running backs have five rushing touchdowns this season, Henry's average of 4.8 yards per carry is far superior to Murray's 3.6. With a playoff berth slipping away after consecutive losses to sub-.500 NFC West opponents, one can only hope Tennessee will turn to its most effective rusher more often after decreasing Henry's carry total in three consecutive weeks.