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Jonas Gray RB | JAC
Jonas Gray: Released Tuesday morning
Gray was released by the Dolphins on Tuesday, the Miami Herald reports.
Rookie running back Jay Ajayi gained 41 yards on five carries in Sunday's 33-17 loss to the Bills, likely establishing himself as Lamar Miller's top backup in the process. Gray thus became expendable, but he could latch on with another team by the end of the week. His former squad, the Patriots, just lost Dion Lewis (knee) for the rest of the season.
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Melvin Gordon RB | BAL
Chargers' Melvin Gordon: Quiet against Bears
Gordon rushed 11 times for 31 yards and caught three passes (on three targets) for 25 yards in Monday night's loss to the Bears.
Gordon once again struggled to find room to run behind the Chargers' banged-up offensive line, giving him under 50 rushing yards in five of his last six games. Additionally, Gordon is yet to score his first NFL touchdown, a frustrating development nine games into his rookie campaign. While he at least caught a trio of passes Monday, Gordon's receiving skills are still far behind teammate Danny Woodhead's, making it important for Gordon to muster more from his double-digit carries moving forward.
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Latavius Murray RB | BUF
Raiders' Latavius Murray: Going through concussion protocol
Murray is going through the concussion protocol, Scott Bair of CSN California reports.
Murray was removed from the second half of Sunday's eventual loss at Pittsburgh in order to undergo evaluation for a potential head injury. With the concussion protocol set to dominate his week, his progress, or lack thereof, will be of particular interest to his owners. If he's unable to go Sunday against the Vikings, Taiwan Jones and Roy Helu are next in line for touches out of the Raiders' backfield.
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Brandon Bolden RB | LV
Patriots' Brandon Bolden: Could see added work with Lewis out
Bolden is a candidate to see added work in the Patriots' offense as a result of Dion Lewis' season-ending injury, ESPN's Mike Reiss reports.
That said, James White, who worked as the Patriots' top "passing back" the last time Lewis was sidelined, is also in the team's backfield mix and has a solid chance to absorb a good chunk of Lewis' previous duties. Still, Bolden's versatility could earn him added looks in the Patriots' offense going forward and in the event of an injury to power back LeGarrette Blount, Bolden would presumably be the top option to step into that role.
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Ryan Mathews RB | PHI
Eagles' Ryan Mathews: Keeps rolling in win over Dallas
Mathews carried the ball 11 times for 67 yards and a touchdown in Sunday's 33-27 win over the Cowboys.
Despite being limited in the week of practice leading up to Sunday's divisional showdown, Mathews looked strong, as he has all season long. He continues to embrace the role of spell back, with fellow running back DeMarco Murray getting the brunt of the workload on the ground. Mathews is on pace for over 1,000 yards of offense this season despite his limited use in head coach Chip Kelly's offense, and continues to be a good flex option in deep leagues.
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Darren McFadden RB | DAL
Cowboys' Darren McFadden: Another 100-yard game Sunday
McFadden ran the ball 27 times for 117 yards, while catching one of two targets for five yards, in Sunday's loss to the Eagles.
Since taking over the starting role for the Cowboys three weeks ago, McFadden has gotten 26 or more touches in every game, averaging 111.0 rushing yards and three catches for 21.3 yards. He's only scored once, somewhat limiting his value, but it's clear that Dallas is going to ride McFadden hard as long as he stays healthy and effective. Next up in Week 10 is a Bucs defense that actually ranks fourth in the league in yards per carry against at 3.7, so he could have a hard time making it three 100-yard games in four starts.
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Kendall Gaskins RB | SF
49ers' Kendall Gaskins: Rushes for 20 yards against Atlanta
Gaskins rushed for 20 yards on seven carries in Sunday's win over Atlanta.
With 49ers backs dropping like flies, there was some thought that Gaskins would come into Sunday's game as the team's defacto workhorse. Instead, Gaskins touched the ball just once before the fourth quarter as San Francisco's coaching staff kept with the hot hand in Shaun Draughn. With so many new faces, it's difficult to predict how the 49ers' rushing attack will look in a few weeks, but it seems likely that San Francisco will stick with Draughn, with Gaskins and Pierre Thomas filling in as backups.
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Shaun Draughn RB | NYG
49ers' Shaun Draughn: Totals 96 yards against Atlanta
Draughn rushed for 58 yards on 16 carries in Sunday's win over Atlanta. He added four catches off of five targets for 38 yards.
More than half of Draughn's rushing yards came on a 30-yard draw in which he slipped off of a tackler and rumbled up field. Sunday represented a career high in both yardage and touches for Draughn and there may be plenty more where that came from with Mike Davis placed on injured reserve with a designation to return and Carlos Hyde hobbled with a fractured foot.
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Bobby Rainey RB | BAL
Buccaneers' Bobby Rainey: Amasses 91 all-purpose yards in Week 9 loss
Rainey gained three yards on his sole carry, garnered 87 yards on four kickoff returns, and gained one yard on his sole punt return in Sunday's 32-18 loss to the Giants. He also fumbled once but recovered.
Rainey continues to put together solid performances in the return game for the Bucs, and he posted a nice 26-yard runback on a kickoff as part of his 88 total return yards Sunday. The third-string tailback also logged his first carry from scrimmage since the opener, but was only able to gain three yards. Rainey does not figure to see any appreciable playing time outside of special teams unless top running backs Doug Martin and Charles Sims succumb to injury.
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C.J. Anderson RB | LAR
Broncos' C.J. Anderson: Leads team in rushing
Anderson (ankle) rushed seven times for a team-high 34 yards and caught one pass on two targets for four receiving yards Sunday against the Colts.
Anderson finished with the same number of carries as starter Ronnie Hillman, though the latter churned out only a single yard. The Broncos fell behind 17-0 midway through the second quarter, which is why they didn't run the ball much, though neither back was overly impressive in moving the ball. With Anderson unable to separate himself from Hillman, the two are likely to continue to split carries as the season moves on.