NFL Player News

If his 23 carries Week 14 against San Francisco didn't convince you, Latavius Murray's 23 carries Week 16 against Buffalo should make the message loud and clear: He is the Raiders' top running back, and they're putting more faith in him than they ever did Darren McFadden.

Granted, it hasn't translated to much production yet, but the 49ers and Bills are two of the toughest defenses against the run. Unfortunately, Denver, the Raiders' Week 17 opponent, is ranked even higher at both.

Can you trust Murray to get his carries? He's gotten them two of the last three weeks, so most likely, yes. And with 20-plus chances, there's always the chance he breaks a long one. But the matchup will make it difficult.

You'd like to start him given his ever-increasing role, but you shouldn't force him into your lineup if you have two (or maybe three) respectable running backs already.

LeGarrette Blount was out for Week 16 at the Jets with a shoulder injury, which meant surely the Patriots would make Jonas Gray their go-to running back. After all, he had a 200-yard, four-touchdown game earlier this season and finally got out of coach Bill Belichick's doghouse with 11 carries for 62 yards last week.

Wrong again.

Gray was the Patriots' only running back to score a touchdown in Week 16, plunging in from 1 yard out in the fourth quarter, but to say he was the go-to back would be disingenuous. He and Shane Vereen tied for the team lead in carries with six, but Brandon Bolden also had five. And Vereen and Bolden were both more productive with their carries, averaging 6.3 yards and 6.4 yards, respectively, than Gray was with his, averaging 0.8 yards.

And then there's the fact that Vereen is far and away the best pass-catcher of the three, but he was hardly involved in the passing game on a quiet day for quarterback Tom Brady.

So basically, you wouldn't have gone right with any of Blount's three replacements, and considering they were all equally involved, you have to wonder how they'll impact Blount's role if he returns Week 17 against Buffalo. Given that it's a tough matchup anyway, you might just want to avoid every Patriots running back.

Several Rams contributed in their Week 16 loss to the Giants. Among them, wideout Chris Givens caught his only target for a 47-yard touchdown and receiver Stedman Bailey secured two of five targets for 22 yards.

Wideout Tavon Austin ran three times for 25 yards and had a 15-yard reception. Backup running back Benny Cunningham ran once for minus-1 yard and caught two passes for 19 yards. Tight end Cory Harkey made a 1-yard catch.

They'll all finish the season at Seattle.

Though Steven Jackson's status for Week 17 against Carolina isn't known just yet, the fact his quadriceps injury almost immediately ruled him out for the second half of Week 16 at New Orleans is hardly reason for optimism. So then, Fantasy owners should be preparing for the possibility he misses the season's final week.

That is, if any who are still playing now are actually relying on him, which is unlikely. He's scored a touchdown in only one of his last four games and has run for more than 60 yards only twice all season. At this point, it's not even all that clear that the Falcons would miss him. His replacements, Jacquizz Rodgers and Devonta Freeman, were both more productive than him against the Saints, especially Freeman, who broke off a 31-yard touchdown run in the the third quarter and also had 48 receiving yards.

Of course, you'd like Freeman to be the first choice to replace Jackson, but considering Rodgers got more touches, that's far from certain. When Rodgers has gotten an increased workload in the past, he's done little with it, and he's averaging just 3.5 yards per carry again this year.

So if Jackson plays in Week 17, you probably wouldn't want to use him in Fantasy, and if he doesn't, an anticipated timeshare likely ruins whomever the Falcons choose to replace him. If you play in such a deep league that the replacement would matter regardless, Freeman is probably the best choice since he's more explosive, but it's not an exciting prospect.

With the Cowboys up big and DeMarco Murray somewhat limited following a hand injury, the Cowboys turned to their backups for an increased role in Week 16 against the Colts, and it was Joseph Randle who had the most to gain.

Lance Dunbar mostly remained in his usual role, finishing the game with two receptions and two rushes for 14 all-purpose yards, while Randle saw his role increase in a big way. Randle rushed the ball a season-high 13 times, and though he managed just 37 yards, you had to come away from the game pleased to know exactly where he falls in the hierarchy.

It wouldn't be a surprise to see Murray limited even more in Week 17, with a playoff spot locked up. Randle was expected to see the larger share than Dunbar, but it was still good to see confirmation of that. Keep an eye on how the Cowboys plan to use Murray this week, because Randle could be a solid starting Fantasy option in Week 17 against Washington.

Raiders running back Darren McFadden rushed for 54 yards on just nine carries in his team's 26-24 win over the Bills in Week 16.

McFadden's 25-yard carry in the fourth quarter was a flashback to his days as one of the elite running backs in the league, as he was able to cut through the defense before being forced out of bounds at the one-yard line. The 25-yard pickup was his longest rush of the season. He did take a backseat to Latavius Murray in the win, touching the ball 10 times to 26 for the starter. McFadden will likely serve as a complementary back again when the Raiders face the Broncos in Week 17.

Raiders running back Latavius Murray rushed for 86 yards on 23 carries and added three receptions for 22 yards in his team's 26-24 win over the Bills in Week 16.

Murray and the Raiders running game started to take off once Bills defensive tackle Marcell Dareus exited the game with a knee injury and did not return. The yardage was his best since breaking out for 112 yards on four carries against the Chiefs in a Thursday night win. Murray has managed 470 yards on 85 touches going into a Week 17 matchup with the Broncos in Denver.

Colts running backs Dan Herron and Trent Richardson were non-factors in the Week 16 loss at Dallas. Herron ran seven times for 3 yards, while Richardson rushed twice for 1 yard. Running back Zurlon Tipton  had one carry for minus-3 yards, leaving the team with an average of 0.1 yards per carry.

Herron did catch three of four targets for 37 yards, and Tipton caught all four of his targets for 23 yards, including a 1-yard touchdown. Richardson secured both his targets for 8 yards.

Look for Herron to lead the backfield Week 17 at Tennessee, and in the playoffs.

Cowboys backup running backs Joseph Randle and Lance Dunbar combined for 18 touches behind DeMarco Murray in Week 16, with Randle getting the bulk of the work. Randle ran 13 times for 37 yards and caught a 7-yard pass, while Dunbar rushed twice for 4 yards and caught two passes for 10 yards.

Randle lost his second fumble this year. Randle and Dunbar could get a substantial workload Week 17 at Washington if the Cowboys don't believe they can improve their playoff position.

Jets running backs Chris Johnson, Chris Ivory and Bilal Powell were able to combine for 100-plus rushing yards in a 17-16 defeat to the Patriots in Week 16.

Johnson and Ivory each had 10-plus carries, while Powell took five handoffs for 21 yards. Ivory led the way with 11 carries for 53 yards. Johnson carried the ball 10 times for 30 yards. He caught his lone target for a gain of 3 yards.

New York will face Miami in Week 17.