NFL Player News

Abdullah rushed for 39 yards on eight carries and added another nine yards on four catches in Sunday's win over the 49ers.

Despite topping 4.5 yards per carry for the third time in four games, Abdullah was held below 40 yards rushing as the Lions found success with the passing game and spread the carries out equally among their three backs. The rookie back has shown plenty of play-making ability and more than a little novice in his debut season. Week 15's performance during which he tallyed 89 yards, scored and fumbled against New Orleans is a recent example. On the surface, a matchup against a Chicago defense ranked in the bottom 10 in run defense should be tempting, but it's difficult to predict which Abdullah will show up in a given game and how the Lions will incorporate him into the offense.

Michael had six carries for just six yards and caught both of his targets for 14 yards in Sunday's 23-17 loss to the Rams.

In a tougher matchup than last week against the Browns, Michael struggled to get much going, although the Seahawks could not commit to the run as they trailed throughout. Meanwhile, Bryce Brown was also ineffective Sunday, rushing for just nine yards on seven carries. Assuming Marshawn Lynch (abdomen) is not available next week in the regular season finale at Arizona, expect Michael to see meaningful work.

Hightower ran for 122 yards on 27 carries with two touchdowns and caught all three of his targets for 47 yards in Sunday's 37-28 win over the Jaguars.

Over the last three games, Hightower has touched the ball quite a bit, and has been extremely productive, especially for a player that was out of the league for three seasons. In fact, his 76 touches over the last three weeks is more than injured starter Mark Ingram (shoulder) ever got in any three-game span this year. The veteran RB has another favorable matchup in the season finale at Atlanta in Week 17.

McKinnon (hamstring) is active for Sunday's game against the Giants.

McKinnon logged a full practice Friday and was listed as probable on the final injury report. Adrian Peterson (ankle) is also active, but there's some chance his workload could be scaled back if the Seahawks overcome a fourth-quarter deficit to beat the Rams, thereby rendering Sunday night's game meaningless to the NFC playoff picture.

McFadden ran for 99 yards in 19 carries and lost a yard in catching his only target in Sunday's loss to the Bills.

The 28-year-old ran well despite another anemic performance by the Dallas offense, and he came within a yard of his sixth 100-yard performance of the season. McFadden also now sits just three yards shy of the 1,000-yard mark for the campaign, as he looks to stake his claim as the go-to back heading into 2016. McFadden will look to cap off his fine season versus the Redskins next week.

Harris rushed for 73 yards on 11 carries and added an 11-yard catch in Sunday's loss to the Lions.

The 73 rushing yards were a career high for Harris, who has spent time with six teams this season. Before any trash-to-treasure cliches are spoken, it is important to note that the 49ers' stable of backs has been a menagerie of mediocrity since Carlos Hyde got hurt, with limited stability in roles. Sunday's performance could propel Harris into a sizable role in Week 17, but it is more likely that the team will stick with the hot hand against the Rams as they look to see what talent they have heading into 2016.

Gaskins carried the ball twice during Sunday's loss to the Lions, tallying 12 yards.

It's hard to put a finger on Gaskins' role in the offense. After totaling seven carries in Week 9 against Atlanta, Gaskins didn't touch the ball again until Week 15, where he showed some receiving ability by hauling in six catches. Then Gaskins followed up that performance by not seeing a pass come his way on Sunday. Gaskins has yet to top 52 total yards in a game or score, so his value was already minimal. A lack of any sort of defined role solidifies him as an untouchable in the free agency pool.

West carried 13 times for 42 yards in Sunday's win over the Steelers.

The second-year back saw an increased workload as the Ravens led throughout and looked to milk the clock, but responded with an underwhelming 3.2 yards per carry. Rookie Buck Allen was given another shot after being benched last week due to fumble issues, and he was able to rack up 114 total yards and a score on 23 touches. As such, West should remain the backup for the season finale against the Bengals.

Mathews rushed four times for five yards and a touchdown during Saturday's loss to Washington. He also caught two of three targets for 13 receiving yards.

The Eagles split up their backfield touches fairly evenly, as DeMarco Murray rushed five times for 27 yards and a touchdown and Darren Sproles rushed five times for nine yards, though the latter also added seven catches for 56 receiving yards. With all three backs healthy, it's tough to see one of them breaking out in any meaningful way, which obviously limits their fantasy upsides.

Artis-Payne rushed five times for 49 yards, including 31 on one play, and caught his only target for seven receiving yards Sunday against the Falcons.

Fozzy Whittaker also received five carries, which he turned in to 32 yards, but the Panthers' running game was fairly limited Sunday, at least from the running backs (quarterback Cam Newton rushed seven times for 46 yards and a touchdown). With Jonathan Stewart (foot) likely out for Week 17 against the Buccaneers, and Fozzy Whittaker suffering an ankle injury Sunday, Artis-Payne could get many more touches in the regular-season finale.