NFL Player News

McKinnon has been struggling with ball security, fumbling three times (losing two) over the past three games, ESPN.com's Courtney Cronin reports. "I've had two contact fumbles and it's been eating me alive," McKinnon said. "I just have to deal with it. It's not a problem. I just have to fix it, and that's it. I've never had an issue with it. I just have to do better in those situations."

This would be more of a concern if not for the fact that McKinnon had previously never fumbled in his four-year career. He's vastly outproduced Latavius Murray in two games since Dalvin Cook (knee) went down for the season, piling up 164 rushing yards (5.1 per carry), 81 receiving yards (7.4 per catch) and three total touchdowns. Murray did get 16 touches on 33 snaps in Sunday's 23-10 win over the Packers, but his role likely will be reduced if McKinnon keeps piling up yards without losing any more fumbles. The Vikings face a slumping Baltimore run defense in Week 7, setting McKinnon up for another solid performance.

Rodgers rushed just three times for one yard and brought in his only target for six yards in Sunday's 38-33 loss to the Cardinals.

The seven-year veteran was rendered irrelevant for the second time in as many contests since Doug Martin's return from suspension. Rodgers has logged just six carries and a pair of receptions over that span, although Sunday's reduced involvement was undeniably at least partly due to the fact the Bucs were playing catch-up for the entirety of the game. However, it appears clear that head coach Dirk Koetter sees Martin as his top back under normal circumstances, as the Week 5 division of labor in a competitive game versus the Patriots attests. Rodgers' value has therefore taken a significant hit until further notice.

Foreman rushed 12 times for a team-high 59 yards in Sunday's 33-17 win over the Browns.

Foreman nearly had his first NFL touchdown but was shoved out of bounds at the one-yard line after a 39-yard burst. Other than that big run, the rookie running back was held in check (1.8 YPC). In all three of Houston's wins this season, Foreman has notably logged double-digit carries. He's not yet ready to steal the top job from Lamar Miller, but the two could become a two-man backfield tandem over the final 10 games of the season. After a bye week, Foreman and the Texans are on the road to play the Seahawks, who currently rank 26th against the rush.

Vereen had one carry for four yards but did not receive a single target all game in Denver during Sunday night's 23-10 win.

With the Broncos favored by 13 points before kickoff, this figured to be a game flow favorable to Vereen, but the Giants not only had the lead all game, they ran effectively behind Orleans Darkwa. Vereen is still the team's third-down back, and the Giants still lack playmakers out wide, so he's likely to produce in games where the team finds itself at a deficit, and Sunday's performance notwithstanding, those games are coming.

Conner ran twice for 14 yards in Pittsburgh's 19-13 win over Kansas City.

Different day but the same story for Conner, who watched Le'Veon Bell total 191 yards from scrimmage. It's becoming harder to justify using a roster spot for Conner in anything other than dynasty formats, although patient fantasy owners could be rewarded if Bell, who is on pace for 357 carries, were to get hurt. It should be noted that Bell has never rushed more than 290 times in a season and has played all 16 games just once in his first four years.

Sims brought in four of five targets for 45 yards in Sunday's 38-33 loss to the Cardinals. He did not log any carries.

After a quiet first three games, Sims now has nine receptions for 76 yards over the last two weeks. He continues to be a forgotten man in the running game, though, limiting his fantasy ceiling. However, the recent ramp-up in production is encouraging, and it remains to be seen if Sims will be incorporated further into the ground attack in coming weeks. He'll look to build on recent production versus the Bills in Week 7.

Martin rushed 14 times for 53 yards and a touchdown and brought in one of two targets for 11 yards in Sunday's 38-33 loss to the Cardinals. He also logged a two-point-conversion rush.

Although Martin proclaimed himself ready for more work after logging 13 carries in his Week 5 debut against the Patriots, the opportunity escaped him Sunday due to the sizable deficit the Bucs find themselves in. Martin was solid with the touches he did garner and recorded his second touchdown in as many games when he went into the end zone from one yard out with 3:02 remaining in the game. The sixth-year pro could see a more sizable role in Week 7 versus a tough Bills defense, especially if Jameis Winston (shoulder) is unable to suit up for the contest.

Murray gained 28 yards on 15 rushes and brought in his only target for nine yards in Sunday's 23-10 win over the Packers.

For the second consecutive week since Dalvin Cook went down with a season-ending knee injury, Murray looked wholly ineffective, especially when compared alongside backfield mate Jerick McKinnon. Murray, who by his own admission does not feel fully recovered from offseason ankle surgery, has visibly had difficulty kicking it into second gear and making defenders miss, as his 2.2 yards per carry over 27 totes in the last pair of contests attests. McKinnon has also garnered more carries in each of the last two games, although the split between the two has been nearly even. Now that head coach Mike Zimmer has some sample size to evaluate, the division of labor could well be adjusted in McKinnon's favor beginning with a Week 7 home battle against the Ravens.

Gordon rushed 25 times for 83 yards and one touchdown while catching nine of 12 targets for 67 yards and another touchdown during Sunday's 17-16 victory over the Raiders.

The Chargers' coaching staff was clearly paying attention when Gordon complained about his minimal usage at the beginning of October, as Gordon has now received 45 carries and 20 targets in his two games since. Perhaps it isn't a coincidence that Los Angeles -- a team that was winless through the season's first four games -- emerged victorious from each of these contests. After all, last season, this same team was 4-2 in games where Gordon saw 20-plus carries, but just 1-6 otherwise. There's certainly merit to the notion that Gordon will naturally see more carries in games the Chargers are leading and thus are more likely to win. However, Los Angeles management would be wise to continue leaning on the Wisconsin product as the centerpiece of its offensive attack moving forward.

McKinnon rushed 16 times for 69 yards and a touchdown while also hauling in five of six targets for 30 yards and another score in Sunday's 23-10 win over the Packers. He also lost a fumble.

The speedy tailback once again outpaced backfield mate Latavius Murray while logging a rushing touchdown for the second consecutive week. McKinnon crossed the goal line from three yards out to cap an eight-play, 84-yard drive midway through the second quarter, a score that was preceded by a 27-yard touchdown reception on the first play of the period. Despite Murray initially being considered as the workhorse back in the wake of Dalvin Cook's season-ending knee injury, McKinnon has notched 32 rushing touches to Murray's 27 in the subsequent pair of contests. Furthermore, the 25-year-old is averaging an impressive 5.1 yards per tote over that span, far outdistancing Murray's 2.2. McKinnon will look to continue churning out superior production in a Week 7 home tilt against the Ravens.