NFL Player News

Murray ran for 31 yards on 11 carries and caught four of six targets for 25 yards in Sunday's 23-17 loss at Kansas City.

Outside of a nine-yard run at one point, Murray was completely shut down, and his receiving numbers look better because he caught a couple of passes late in the game with the Raiders in comeback mode. Despite not ripping off as many long runs as some experts predicted (just two runs of 40+ yards), Murray had a successful first year as Oakland's starting tailback. In fact, Murray finished in the top 10 in rushing, with 1,066 yards. The current roster doesn't have anyone that could seriously challenge Murray for work in 2016, so unless the Raiders decide to draft a RB, expect him to be the featured back once again next season.

Michael ran for a career-high 102 yards on 17 carries and failed to catch his lone target in Sunday's 36-6 win at Arizona.

After a nice 84-yard performance in Week 14 against Cleveland, Michael had struggled the last two weeks against better defensive units. That mini trend was surprisingly broken Sunday, however, as Michael put up a career-best outing against a strong Cardinals' defense. He ripped off an impressive 45-yard run in the first quarter, and had a shot at a short TD later during that drive, but was stuffed at the goal line. Bryce Brown ended up scoring on the possession, but he was completely shut down in general, finishing with 10 carries for just 20 yards. Marshawn Lynch (abdomen) is close to a return, so both Michael and Brown will likely head back to a reserve role for the playoffs, although it's really been the Russell Wilson show over the last two months anyway.

Hightower rushed for 66 yards and a touchdown on 16 carries and added 41 yards on five catches in Sunday's win over Atlanta.

Prior to November, Hightower hadn't played in a competitive football game since 2011. After the kind of production he put together to close the season, there may be plenty more games in his future. Hightower averaged 114 total yards and a touchdown during the season's final four games for a Saints backfield riddled by injuries. Hightower will be 30 by the start of the 2016 season, but his ability to pound the line of scrimmage and catch the ball out of the backfield should be good enough to earn him a supporting role next season.

Gillislee rushed 24 times for 28 yards and failed to catch his only target during Sunday's 22-17 win over the Jets.

Starting running back Karlos Williams, who got the start in place of the injured LeSean McCoy (knee), was knocked out of the game in the first half with his own knee injury, leaving Gillislee to lead the backfield. While he got plenty of touches, he was remarkably poor with them, especially considering nine of his 28 yards came on one carry. With McCoy and Williams both expected to be healthy well before the start of training camp next year, there likely won't be enough touches for Gillislee to make a fantasy impact.

Toussaint carried the ball 12 times for 24 yards in relief of DeAngelo Williams during Sunday's win over Cleveland. Williams was in a walking boot following the contest, Missi Matthews of Steelers.com reports.

Toussaint more than doubled his season total in rushing yards with his modest production on Sunday. The Steelers have leaned heavily on their lead back all season, first with Le'Veon Bell and then DeAngelo Williams. Should Williams miss next week's Wild Card game, Toussaint would have the advantage of knowing the offense over anyone the Steelers may bring in off the street.

McFadden rushed for 92 yards on 12 carries, and hauled in 5-of-8 targets for 53 yards Sunday against the Redskins.

McFadden closed the season with his fourth straight rushing performance over 90 yards, but his inability to score over that span was reflective of his season-long struggle to get into the end zone. The 28-year-old running back finishes 2015 with just three touchdowns despite topping 1000 rushing yards for just the second time in his eight-year career.

Anderson (back) is listed as active for Sunday's game against the Chargers.

The running back is out there if you need him Sunday, but his fantasy upside continues to be hindered by the time-share in effect in the Denver backfield that exists between Anderson and Ronnie Hillman.

Ellington (toe) is listed as active Sunday versus the Seahawks, Mark Dalton of the Cardinals' official site reports.

A Cardinals win in Week 17 must coincide with a Panthers loss to the Buccaneers in order to achieve home-field advantage throughout the playoffs. However, if the Panthers hold a noticeable lead early in the game, it may be enough to spur head coach Bruce Arians to sit David Johnson and Ellington in order to preserve them for future weeks. If the preceding comes to pass, the Cardinals would be down to Stepfan Taylor (shoulder) and Kerwynn Williams out of the backfield.

ESPN's Mike Reiss relays that Bolden, who didn't play on special teams the last two weeks, worked on the Patriots' punt unit during warm-ups in advance of Sunday's game against the Dolphins.

Bolden is out there Sunday as an option to see some touches in the Patriots' backfield, but with pass-catching back James White on hand, and special teams duty potentially on tap for Bolden, we could see more of newcomer Steven Jackson in Week 17.

Jones (hip) is listed as inactive Sunday in Dallas.

After a limited practice Wednesday, Jones was unable to log any practice reps thereafter, intimating that Washington intended to hold him out in Week 17 with the No. 4 seed in the NFC in hand. Instead, Alfred Morris, Chris Thompson (shoulder), and Pierre Thomas (knee) will compose the backfield.