NFL Player News

Vikings quarterback Teddy Bridgewater did his best to get wide receiver Cordarrelle Patterson involved during a 29-26 win Week 9 vs. Washington. Unfortunately, the duo had trouble getting on the same page.

Patterson was targeted seven times, including a few deep passes, but the second-year receiver finished with just one catch for 9 yards. It came after Patterson had one of his best games of the season in Week 8, totaling six catches for 86 yards.

Sunday was the third time this season Patterson had less than 10 receiving yards. The Vikings are back in action Week 11 at Chicago following their Week 10 bye.

It appeared that Buccaneers running back Bobby Rainey would run wild Sunday in Cleveland as a replacement for featured back Doug Martin. But he only ran wild for a while.

Rainey rushed for 22 yards on four attempts in the team's first possession, raced 34 yards with a screen pass minutes later, and continued to shred a poor Browns run defense. He ran 23 yards up the middle early in the second quarter and finished the first half with 80 yards on 15 carries.

The Browns, however, held him to just seven yards on four carries and no catches thereafter. Rainey will seek a more complete effort against visiting Atlanta next Sunday, though the possible return of Martin could severely limit his reps.

The Cardinals got a slew of offensive contributions in their Week 9 win at Dallas. Wideout Ted Ginn caught both his targets for 42 yards, and receiver Jaron Brown had two receptions for 15 yards, including an 11-yard touchdown.

No. 3 receiver John Brown secured two of five targets for 10 yards. Running back Robert Hughes added an 18-yard grab. They'll all play the Rams in Week 10.

Reports that Browns rookie running back Terrance West would receive more carries than established starter Ben Tate against visiting Tampa Bay on Sunday proved accurate. The former also outperformed the latter - which isn't saying much.

With a revamped offensive line failing to produce holes, West managed to rush for 48 yards on 15 carries and add a touchdown catch for two yards in which he got wide open for the flip from quarterback Brian Hoyer. Tate was held to a mere three yards in 10 attempts, but did contribute four receptions for 29 yards.

Jets running back Chris Johnson had one of his better games of the season, and New York running backs totaled more than 100 rushing yards during a 24-10 loss Week 9 at Kansas City.

Johnson led the way with a team-high 69 rushing yards on 11 carries. His longest rush went 21 yards. Chris Ivory added 22 rushing yards on eight carries, while Bilal Powell had 20 rushing yards on five carries. Although, no Jets running back had a touchdown Sunday.

Johnson was the only running back to catch a pass, totaling two receptions for 32 yards. He was targeted three times.

The Jets are back in action Week 10 vs. Pittsburgh.

Dolphins running backs Damien Williams and Daniel Thomas combined for 20 carries in a comfortable win over the Chargers in Week 9.

With the game well in hand and Lamar Miller (shoulder) injured in the second half, the Dolphins focused more on the ground game. Williams led the way with 28 yards on 11 carries and two catches for 23 yards. Thomas took eight handoffs for 9 yards and caught all two of his targets for 14 yards in a 37-0 victory.

If Miller is unable to play next week, the team will likely use Williams and Thomas for the majority of the carries against Detroit.

Vikings running back Jerick McKinnon rushed for a team-high 54 yards on 14 carries Sunday against the Redskins. However, he watched backup running back Matt Asiata total three rushing touchdowns and a two-point conversion in a 29-26 win.

McKinnon's best chance for a touchdown came early in the third quarter. However, he was pulled down at the 1-yard line following a 9-yard gain. One play later, Asiata had a 1-yard touchdown run.

McKinnon added three catches for 14 yards in the win. The rookie still doesn't have a touchdown in nine games (four starts). The Vikings are on a bye Week 10 before returning to action Week 11 at Chicago.

Cardinals running back Andre Ellington rushed 21 times for 95 yards (4.5 ypc) and caught all four of his targets for 39 yards and a touchdown in the Week 9 win at Dallas. It was Ellington's third straight game with 100-plus yards from scrimmage, and fourth in the past five.

Ellington's 1-yard scoring grab in the fourth quarter was his fourth total touchdown this season. He has at least 25 touches in four straight games.

Ellington plays the Rams in Week 10.

Several Cowboys made minor contributions Week 9 against Arizona. Among them, running back Joseph Randle had a 2-yard carry. Wideouts Dwayne Harris and Cole Beasley each had a 12-yard reception.

They'll all face the Jaguars in London in Week 10.

Chargers running back Branden Oliver looked like a star earlier in the season, but after another subpar outing in Week 9 against the Dolphins, his role moving forward has to be in question.

Oliver rushed for just 19 yards on 13 carries Sunday, and added just one reception for 7 yards in a 37-0 loss. He now has just 55 yards on 26 carries over the last two games, and has seen his workload reduced in each game, from a season-high 30 touches in Week 5 to just 14 Sunday.

Oliver is going to see a reduced role down the stretch, with Ryan Mathews likely to return to action after the team's Week 10 bye. Oliver might be best left as a flex option beginning with Week 11 against the Raiders.