NFL Player News

Martin was named to the Associated Press All-Pro team, Greg Auman of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

The fourth-year pro capped off an outstanding 1,402-yard campaign by joining James Wilder as the only Bucs running backs to ever receive All-Pro honors. Following a remarkable 1,454-yard rookie season, Martin suffered through two lackluster and injury-plagued campaigns before enjoying a resurgent 2015. The soon-to-be 27-year-old will enter offseason contract negotiations with the Bucs sporting a considerable degree of leverage.

Johnson (fractured tibia) returned to practice Tuesday, ESPN's Field Yates reports.

Placed on short-term injured reserve, Johnson won't be eligible to return until the Super Bowl, if the Cardinals make it that far. Even in such a scenario, he'd likely play second fiddle to rookie David Johnson, who emerged as one of the NFL's better running backs over the final five weeks of the regular season. The Cardinals may have found their running back of the future, but not before the 30-year-old Johnson proved that he still has something left. Be it in Arizona or elsewhere, (Chris) Johnson shouldn't have trouble finding work next season, potentially even garnering serious consideration for starting jobs. First, he'll try to get healthy in time for a potential Super Bowl appearance.

Carey finished the 2015 season with 43 carries for 159 yards and two touchdowns on the ground to go with three catches for 19 yards and a touchdown as a receiver.

After being inactive in four of the Bears' first eight games, Carey saw his offensive snaps rise in the second half of the season, particularly when Matt Forte was banged up. Though the coaching staff placed a decent amount of trust in Carey, the second-year back was unable to do much with the opportunity, averaging just 3.7 yards per carry. While Forte will become a free agent this offseason, rookie Jeremy Langford looks primed to assume the top spot on the depth chart if Forte doesn't return, leaving Carey without a clear path to a heavy workload in 2016.

Mathews recently had groin surgery, ESPN's Adam Caplan reports.

Mathews originally hurt his groin in late October, but a bye week allowed him to avoid any absences. He later missed three games because of a concussion, and he was also listed on the injury report with the groin issue until Week 14. Despite his absence from the report, this may help to explain why Mathews only had 11 touches over the final two weeks, with DeMarco Murray notably re-emerging in a key role for the regular-season finale. Mathews should be healthy before the start of training camp, but he'll likely have to compete with Murray for carries again.

McKinnon carried the ball twice for seven yards and caught three passes off of five targets for 22 yards in Sunday's loss to Seattle.

McKinnon may not have made any big plays during Sunday's loss, but it is important to note when he played. Following Adrian Peterson's fumble, McKinnon stepped in for Minnesota's second-to-last drive while they were trying to regain the lead. For years, being the No. 2 back to Peterson has been like backing up Peyton Manning or Tom Brady - opportunities are few and far between. However, with Peterson slowed late in the year, McKinnon had his best three games of the season in Weeks 15 through 17, averaging nine touches per game for 77 total yards per game and three touchdowns. As Peterson enters his age-31 season in 2016, don't be surprised if McKinnon is given a larger share of the load, particularly on passing downs.

Michael rushed for 70 yards on 21 carries and added a 14-yard catch in Sunday's victory over the Vikings.

During the first three-quarters of the game, when not much was working for Seattle, Michael and Russell Wilson found some success by attacking the edge's of Minnesota's defense with zone-read looks. In his four games, including the playoffs, with Seattle this season, Michael has tallied at least 84 total yards three times. The biggest factor dictating his value against Carolina's fourth-ranked run defense next week will be Marshawn Lynch's availability. Lynch was set to start if he was healthy this week, but will Seattle ride the hot hand with Michael even if Beast Mode is ready to go?

Jones (hip) is inactive for Sunday's playoff game against the Packers.

With Jones out, Washington's Sunday backfield will be led by Alfred Morris, with Chris Thompson and Pierre Thomas on hand to serve in complementary/change-of-pace roles.

Grimes carried four times for 15 yards and caught two passes for 12 yards in Saturday's 30-0 loss to the Chiefs in the wild-card round of the playoffs.

Grimes emerged late in the season as head coach Bill O'Brien's preferred top backup, moving ahead of Chris Polk over the final stretch of the season. He finished the season with career highs in carries (56), yards (282) and receptions (26). Grimes became a versatile part of the offense, even operating out of the Wildcat formation several times. He has three seasons in the organization, which may be a factor in whether the Texans keep him around for the 2016 season.

Toussaint ran for 58 yards on 17 carries Saturday in the Steelers' win over the Bengals.

Forced in to action after DeAngelo Williams suffered a high ankle sprain in the final game of the regular season, Toussaint also caught four passes for 60 yards after going without a reception all season. If Williams, who was inactive for this game, is still limited, Toussaint would be in line for another large workload against the Broncos in Week 19.

Abdullah rushed for 597 yards and two touchdowns on 143 carries and added 183 yards and a touchdown on 25 receptions in 2015.

Like many of his teammates, Abdullah struggled to start the season and began to find form following the Week 9 bye. In the season's first eight games, Abdullah averaged just over 42 yards toal yards per game and had fumbled three times - an issue that, combined with other lapses, placed him in head coach Jim Caldwell's doghouse midseason. After the bye, Abdullah improved to over 55 total yards per game and fumbled just once. Abdullah still has plenty improvement to make before he becomes starter-material, but he showed flashes in the season's final weeks. His size and fumbling tendency may prevent him from ever being a fantasy star as he is ripe pickings for goal-line vultures.