-
Derrick Henry RB | BAL
Titans' Derrick Henry: Just nine touches in loss
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.
-
Aaron Jones RB | MIN
Packers' Aaron Jones: Productive in limited opportunity
Jones rushed three times for 47 yards and brought in one of two targets for six yards in Sunday's 31-24 loss to the Panthers.
Jones' three rushing touches lagged considerably behind Jamaal Williams' 10 totes, but given Jones' success on a per-carry basis in two of the last three games, the division of labor between the two backs could start to slightly shift. Jones has proven to be the much more explosive of the two over the course of the season, with five rushes of over 20 yards -- including one over 40 -- and a pair of 100-yard efforts. The rookie will look to stake a greater claim to rushing opportunities against the Vikings in Week 16.
-
Jamaal Williams RB | NO
Packers' Jamaal Williams: Contributes 30 yards in loss
Williams rushed 10 times for 30 yards in Sunday's 31-24 loss to the Panthers.
Williams saw his role diminish with Aaron Rodgers' return from a collarbone injury, recording his lowest carry total since he became a starter in Week 9. The rookie has seen his rushing touches drop after each of the two games, and he's now averaged 3.4 yards or fewer in five of the last six contests overall. Williams' work in the passing game and his nose for the end zone have both helped make up for mediocre yardage totals in many of his starts, but neither factor came into play Sunday. Meanwhile, fellow first-year back Aaron Jones averaged an impressive 15.7 yards on his three totes, potentially earning himself a bigger workload in Week 16 against the Vikings.
-
Latavius Murray RB | BUF
Vikings' Latavius Murray: Scores sixth rushing touchdown
Murray rushed 20 times for 76 yards and a touchdown while adding a 28-yard catch on his lone target in Sunday's 34-7 drubbing of the Bengals.
Murray got the scoring started with a one-yard plunge in the first quarter and was clearly the go-to rushing option over Jerick McKinnon (nine carries for 24 yards). While McKinnon made his mark with over 100 yards as a receiver, Murray remains the better bet for short-yardage scores. The former Oakland running back now has six rushing touchdowns in his past eight games.
-
Kenyan Drake RB | GB
Dolphins' Kenyan Drake: Tallies 113 yards
Drake ran for 78 yards and a touchdown on 16 carries and added 35 yards on six catches during Sunday's 24-16 loss to Buffalo.
Drake provided Miami with its lone touchdown of the game midway through the fourth quarter when he burrowed through the Buffalo defense for a one-yard scoring run. Somewhere, opposing defensive coordinators are sitting in Jerry's living room with George, Elaine, and Kramer lamenting about how much they "Hate the Drake." The dynamic second-year back has now topped 100 total yards in three straight games after just one such outing during the first 12 weeks of the season. Look for him to continue to find room to run as the season winds to a close. Drake takes on a Kansas City defense that has averaged the seventh-most opponents yards per carry this season before a rematch against Buffalo in Week 17.
-
Jerick McKinnon RB | KC
Vikings' Jerick McKinnon: Tops 100 receiving yards in win
McKinnon rushed nine times for 24 yards and added seven catches for 114 yards on eight targets in Sunday's 34-7 win over the Bengals.
While McKinnon was outplayed by Latavius Murray on the ground, he led his team in catches and receiving yards. Both members of this running back duo have provided strong fantasy value since Dalvin Cook tore his ACL in Week 4, but it's a bit worrying that McKinnon hasn't topped 50 rushing yards in his past eight games.
-
James Conner RB | ARI
Steelers' James Conner: Exits with knee injury
Conner left Sunday's game against the Patriots in the fourth quarter with a knee injury, Ed Bouchette of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports.
Conner handled a minuscule role behind Le'Veon Bell prior to his early exit, taking three carries for 13 yards. Fitzgerald Toussaint will finish out the contest as Bell's backup.
-
Samaje Perine RB | CIN
Redskins' Samaje Perine: Totals 66 scrimmage yards in win
Perine rushed 14 times for 37 yards and caught both his targets for 29 more in Sunday's 20-15 win over Arizona.
Perine averaged just 2.6 yards per carry for the second consecutive game, lowering his season average to 3.5. The rookie fourth-rounder out of Oklahoma is the top rushing option in Washington's injury-depleted offense, but he's scored only one rushing touchdown. After an explosive receiving performance in this one, practice squad callup Kapri Bibbs could be the man to own in this backfield given Perine's plodding style and underwhelming results.
-
Kerwynn Williams RB | KC
Cardinals' Kerwynn Williams: Injures quad
Williams suffered a quad injury during Sunday's 20-15 loss to the Redskins, Darren Urban of the Cardinals' official site reports.
Williams led the team in carries (17) and rushing yards (61), but he failed to haul in his only target and didn't get any touches in the fourth quarter. Eliijhaa Penny took over as Arizona's lead runner for the final stanza and finished with 10 carries for 45 yards, while passing-down back D.J. Foster caught four of nine targets for 22 yards. Penny would be the obvious beneficiary if Williams were to miss a Week 16 game against the Giants.