NFL Player News

Patterson had three receptions for 17 yards on four targets in Sunday's loss at Washington.

Patterson played fewer snaps (44) on offense than Adam Theilen (57), but both receivers had four targets, as they've had about equal workloads as the second and third receivers the past four weeks.

Hillman had four carries for two yards and played 13 snaps on offense in Sunday's loss to Washington.

After leading the Vikings in rushing the week before against the Lions, Hillman was the clear third running back with Jerick McKinnon getting six carries and Matt Asiata getting nine carries. However, both Asiata and McKinnon were largely inefective, so Hillman could still get a chance for a larger role.

Johnson (groin) is eligible to return to practice this week, but a decision on whether to bring him back has not yet been made, Darren Urban of the Cardinals' official website reports.

Johnson landed on injured reserve after needing sports hernia surgery in early October. Although he's now sat out long enough to be eligible to rejoin his teammates in practice, the Cardinals have yet to determine which one player they'll attempt to welcome back from IR. With safety Tyvon Branch (groin) another candidate for that designation, it remains to be seen if Johnson will factor back into the equation this season, so his stock remains on ice until further notice.

Henry appears to be past his calf injury already, Terry McCormick of TitansOnline.com reports.

Henry missed Tennessee's Week 9 loss to the Chargers after injuring his calf during pre-game warmups, and although that raised some concern afterward, the rookie was practicing in full by the end of last week and played Sunday against the Packers. In rushing nine times for 31 yards, Henry got his third-most carries of the season, supporting the fact that his calf scare is a thing of the past and probably shouldn't impact his involvement going forward.

Seahawks coach Pete Carroll says Rawls (fibula) will practice this week with an eye toward playing Sunday against the Eagles, Liz Mathews of 710 ESPN Seattle reports.

Rawls, who has been out since Week 2, was a limited practice participant prior to putting together a full session last Friday. Although that increase in activity still didn't allow him to be active for Sunday night's win over the Patriots, another week of practice figures to result in Rawls' return this weekend. While that obviously bodes well for his fantasy stock, the Seahawks' backfield situation makes projecting Rawls' usage less straightforward. Pass-catching rookie C.J. Prosise impressed while enjoying the bulk of Seattle's tailback snaps Sunday, so Rawls should compete primarily with him, but also with Christine Michael, for reps going forward.

Michael (hamstring) rushed five times for 22 yards Sunday, taking a backseat to rookie C.J. Prosise in Seattle's 31-24 victory against the Patriots.

Michael was added to the injury report late last week, allowing Prosise to start. Prosise likely won't give the job back after totaling 153 yards from scrimmage. He runs more physically than Michael and is an excellent receiver. Michael will still be involved, but Prosise looks good for the majority of touches. Thomas Rawls (fibula) is expected back soon, though, which could relegate Prosise to a third-down role and Michael to the bench.

Hunt rushed for 52 yards on eight carries in Houston's 24-21 win over Jacksonville in Week 10.

Hunt was promoted from the practice squad leading up to the game, but we weren't sure how much he'd play against the Jaguars. Both Lamar Miller (shoulder) and Alfred Blue (ribs) have been banged up, suggesting an insurance role for Hunt, but he got significant work when Blue sustained a calf injury, including five carries and 39 yards on the final scoring drive. The Texans clearly are protecting Miller, who has fewer than 20 touches the last three games, so you can expect either Hunt or Blue (or both) to be part of the game plan in the coming weeks.

Kelley carried 22 times for 97 yards and caught his only target for a two-yard loss in Sunday's 26-20 win over the Vikings.

Kelley received over 20 carries for the second straight week and averaged a respectable 4.4 yards per carry against the formidable Minnesota defensive unit. His contributions in the passing game have been few and far between, but Kelley should carve out some fantasy value after seemingly winning the job from Matt Jones, who was a healthy scratch for this game. While Kelley may not offer eye-popping totals from week to week, the volume of work he has seen of late will make him a viable option next week against the Packers.

Mathews carried 19 times for 109 yards and a pair of touchdowns Sunday against the Falcons. He also caught both of his targets for an additional 30 yards in the 24-15 win.

Mathews' role appeared to be diminishing when Darren Sproles was named the starting tailback, but he received his second-highest number of touches and scored touchdowns number six and seven while compiling his best yardage output as well. Despite his success against Atlanta, Mathews will likely continue to split time with Sproles and Wendell Smallwood (13 carries, 70 yards), and next week's matchup against Seattle on the road will make it tough to trust any of the trio for fantasy purposes.

Williams gained two yards and scored a touchdown on two carries and secured his only target for an 18-yard score in Sunday's 31-24 win over the Chargers.

Williams' rushing touchdown, a two-yard run early in the third quarter, was his third trip to the end zone on the ground in the last four games. That helped make up for the fact that the two carries he received were his lowest figure in that category since Week 6, as did his 18-yard scoring reception that gave the Dolphins a 21-17 lead late in third period. Williams continues to have a definitive secondary role in the Miami backfield behind Jay Ajayi, but has notably received eight red-zone carries this season, giving him some upside in extremely deep formats.