NFL Player News

Williams rushed for 67 yards on 20 carries and added a seven-yard catch during Sunday's 23-16 win over the Bears.

Injuries to Ty Montgomery (ribs) and Aaron Jones (knee) pushed Williams into his most extensive duty of the season, his previous high being five touches entering Sunday's game. An MCL injury is feared for Jones, and Montgomery has battled rib issues before, so Williams might see extra work in the coming weeks. Though Jones has looked like a find for Green Bay, the team actually selected Williams 48 picks earlier in this year's draft. The rookie showed ability as a runner and receiver last season at BYU, totaling 1,455 yards and 12 touchdowns.

Gillislee is inactive for Sunday's game in Denver, Ben Volin of The Boston Globe reports.

Gillislee has taken at least eight carries in every game this season, but his playing time and production have been both suffered in recent weeks, while Dion Lewis has seen a major uptick in workload. The Patriots could still activate Gillislee for more run-friendly matchups later in the season, though it appears he'll play second fiddle to Lewis even if he re-enters the game plan. Gillislee's complete lack of contribution in the passing game has made the New England offense somewhat predictable when he's on the field. Patriots coach Bill Belichick hinted in the offseason that the team moved on from LeGarrette Blount for that very reason.

Ekeler carried the ball 10 times for 42 yards and caught all five of his targets for 77 yards and two touchdowns in the 20-17 loss to the Jaguars on Sunday. Ekeler also fumbled once.

Ekeler was far more explosive than starter Melvin Gordon, who managed to rack up 42 combined yards across 21 touches. The performance was even more surprising given Gordon didn't appear hampered by any sort of ailment. However, a critical fumble in the fourth quarter nearly cost the Chargers, as it set the Jaguars up with prime field position to tie the game, only for Blake Bortles and company to throw an interception just three plays later. That fumble will likely end any momentum Ekeler had toward earning the starting running back job next week, but the undrafted rookie free agent is officially not just a suitable handcuff for Gordon owners, but he's potentially a fantasy asset in his own right.

Perine carried the ball nine times for 35 yards and added a 25-yard catch in Sunday's 38-30 loss to Minnesota.

Perine entered Sunday with just two touches in his previous three games. He found his way back into the action on Sunday after Rob Kelley went down with an ankle injury. Perine should be expected to see about 10-12 touches per game if Kelley misses any time. He carried the ball 28 times in the two games Kelley missed earlier in the season for just 72 yards. While that totals a putrid 2.6 yards per carry, Washington's other option -- Chris Thompson -- is more of a change-of-speed player, necessitating a bigger back like Perine to do some of the heavy lifting. He's improved in limited opportunities over the past few weeks, averaging 4.0 yards per carry on 11 carries.

Gordon carried the ball 16 times for 27 yards and also caught five passes for 15 yards in the 20-17 loss to the Jaguars on Sunday.

Weird doesn't begin to describe Sunday's game for Gordon. While the former first-round pick saw the most carries of any Chargers running back, undrafted rookie free agent Austin Ekeler still managed to scamper for 42 yards on 10 carries, with a handful of them coming late in the game as the Chargers were attempting to ice away the win. While Gordon did lead the team in targets, Ekeler also caught five passes, converting them into 77 receiving yards and two touchdowns. A critical fourth-quarter fumble by Ekeler will likely halt any hope of the rookie running back taking over as the de facto starter, but Sunday's performance certainly should be an eye-opener for Gordon fantasy owners hoping to ride his usually large workload to the promised land.

Mostert left Sunday's game against the Giants with a shoulder injury and is questionable to return, Matt Maiocco of NBC Sports Bay Area reports.

The severity is still somewhat unknown. Mostert makes most of his worth via special teams, so this should not have a tremendous impact on fantasy owners.

Mixon rushed nine times for 37 yards and a touchdown while adding a three-yard catch on three targets in Sunday's 24-20 loss to the Titans.

Mixon found paydirt for the second consecutive week, scoring from three yards out in the second quarter to capitalize on a Marcus Mariota interception. All three of Mixon's touchdowns have come in the past five games, but the rookie second-rounder is averaging just 3.0 yards per carry and has rushed for more than 51 yards only once in his young career.

McKinnon rushed 10 times for 32 yard and and added two catches for 15 yards in Sunday's 38-30 win over Washington.

The 12 touches and 47 yards were both lows for McKinnon since rookie Dalvin Cook was lost for the season with a torn ACL. McKinnon touched the ball 42 times and scored thrice in Cook's first two games out of the lineup, but he has scored just once in three games since. Latavius Murray, meanwhile, has two touchdowns in the past three games, and he's outpaced McKinnon in touches by a 55-49 margin. McKinnon still offers a receiving element that Murray does not and should continue to see 15 to 20 touches per game, but it doesn't appear as though he'll serve in the lead-back role he appeared destined for in the immediate aftermath of Cook's injury.

Murray rushed for 68 yards on 17 carries and scored a touchdown in Sunday's 38-30 win over Washington.

Murray got Minnesota on the board early with a one-yard plunge in the first quarter, his second touchdown in the past three games. Murray seems to have evened the score for, or maybe even taken, the role of Minnesota's top back in recent weeks. In the first two games after Dalvin Cook's ACL injury, Murray trailed Jerick McKinnon in touches 42 to 30. In the three games since, however, Murray has either matched or beaten out McKinnon in touches each contest, garnering a 55-49 edge overall. More importantly, he's found the end zone twice in that time as compared to McKinnon's one score.

Jones may have sprained the MCL in his left knee during Sunday's 23-16 victory at Chicago, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reports.

The Packers will be more certain about the diagnosis after Monday's MRI, but Jones is expected to be absent for some length of time. The backfield is rife with injuries at the moment, as Ty Montgomery was also forced out of Sunday's game due to another rib injury. If it's indeed an aggravation of the broken ribs from earlier this season, both Montgomery and Jones could be sidelined simultaneously. In such a reality, the Packers would likely ride Jamaal Williams, with fellow rookie Devante Mays active as a depth option.