NFL Player News

Vikings coach Mike Zimmer told reporters that running back Matt Asiata is still going through the league's concussion protocol, per the Star Tribune. Asiata suffered the injury in Week 10 and was unable to play on Sunday vs. Green Bay.

Asiata has rushed for 279 yards and six touchdowns this season. He will need to be medically cleared by a independent neurologist in order to play Week 13 against the Panthers.

Back when Cardinals quarterback Carson Palmer was sidelined by a shoulder injury -- a three-game period that spanned Weeks 2-5 -- running back Andre Ellington did well enough, twice going for more than 100 total yards and turning in his lone two-touchdown effort. But he was healthier then. Fresher. Forced to miss Wednesday practices all year because of a foot injury (and more recently, a hip injury), Ellington's conditioning and understanding of the game plan have suffered, coach Bruce Arians recently pointed out. And it couldn't be more evident in his numbers.

Week 12 at Seattle was his third straight game with less than three yards per carry. He ran 10 times for 24 yards. It was also his third straight with less than 70 total yards. He added 39 on five catches. 

Granted, the last two have come against especially tough defenses and with no help from the passing game, but Ellington had every reason to succeed Week 10 against St. Louis. His struggles combined with Arians' comments are reason to wonder if you can rely on him to close out the season.

He deserves one last chance Week 13 at Atlanta, but if he struggles then, we'll know it's not just a matchups thing.

Raiders running back Latavius Murray was unable to practice Monday after suffering a concussion Thursday against the Chiefs. Murray had only four carries Thursday, but he made the most of his touches, totaling 112 rushing yards and two touchdowns.

The Raiders are back in action Week 13 at St. Louis.

Even though Chargers running back Ryan Mathews was more effective than Branden Oliver in his return from a shoulder injury, he split carries almost evenly with his replacement Week 11 against Oakland. That wasn't so much the case Week 12 against St. Louis, though, when Mathews took his first carry 11 yards and never looked back en route to 105. He also scored a touchdown on a 32-yard run in the third quarter.

He injured his shoulder on that play, which was a big reason why Oliver got the six carries he did, but Mathews returned and still finished with twice as many. Imagine how many yards he would have had if he had gotten 15-to-18 carries.

If Mathews had struggled to keep up with Oliver after the long layoff, the Chargers might continue to ease him in, but since he's been far and away the more effective of the two in two games back, he looks like he'll take the job and run with it, reducing Oliver to just a handcuff option in Fantasy.

Mathews falls a little short of must-start status with an especially tough matchup Week 13 at Baltimore, but for most owners, he's probably still worth running out there.

The Colts may have lost Ahmad Bradshaw for the season Week 11 against New England, but they didn't miss a beat with his replacement Week 12 against Jacksonville. Dan Herron not only started the game, but he was also the team's leading rusher, picking up 65 yards on 12 carries to Trent Richardson's 42 on 13. And like Bradshaw, he was a factor in the passing game as well, making five catches for 31 yards. Bradshaw himself only once had more than five catches.

Granted, it was against the Jaguars, so let's not go pinning all our hopes on Herron just yet. But if you yourself owned Bradshaw or were envious of the person who did, Herron is clearly a player to target off the waiver wire.

With all the attention opposing defenses pay Andrew Luck and the passing game, Bradshaw's production may have been more a product of the role than anything else, which means it wouldn't take an exceptional talent to put up similar numbers.

This take on both LeGarrette Blount and Jonas Gray comes with an important caveat: Both running backs play for the Patriots, who are coached by Bill Belichick, who has proven time and time again that he'll do whatever he wants, regardless of conventional wisdom or media pressure. So if he decides Gray has learned his lesson for showing up late to practice Friday and turns back to him as the team's primary ball carrier Week 13 at Green Bay, it would come as a surprise to no one.

But I'm certainly not counting on it.

Facing the league's No. 1 run defense, Blount was really good Week 12 against Detroit, rushing 12 times for 78 yards and two touchdowns only three days after signing with the Patriots. Granted, he was with them last year and knows the offense, but still, bonus points for the quick turnaround.

Belichick loved giving him the ball at the goal line last year and clearly doesn't owe Gray anything. Gray was clearly a right-place-at-the-right-time guy, getting a starter's workload in an offense where he could do no wrong only because Stevan Ridley suffered a season-ending injury. And he blew it.

Let's hold on to him one more week just to be sure, but you wouldn't want to start Gray in Week 13. And if Blount is available in your league, pick him up.

Broncos running back C.J. Anderson ran through a tough Dolphins defense in Week 12, and put any concerns about his potential away.

Anderson, who had just 29 rushing yards against the Rams in Week 11, bounced back with the best rushing performance of his career Sunday. Against a Dolphins defense that entered the game allowing just 3.8 yards per carry to running backs, Anderson rushed for 167 yards on 27 carries. He added a touchdown, as well as four receptions for 28 yards in the come-from-behind win.

Anderson had done much of his damage in the previous two games through the air, with 159 yards on 12 receptions to just 119 rushing yards. However, the way he sliced through Miami's defense has to bode well for his chances to remain productive moving forward. Fantasy owners should consider him a must-star Fantasy option in all formats as long as he remains the Broncos' starter. 

Cardinals running back Andre Ellington rushed for just 24 yards on 10 carries while catching five of his eight targets for 39 yards in his team's 19-3 loss to the Seahawks in Week 12.

The Seahawks defense came to play Sunday, holding the Cardinals offense to just 204 yards on offense. Ellington didn't get much run with the team down most of the game, touching the blal just five times after halftime and not at all in the final quarter. He's averaged less than 2.5 yards per carry in each of his last three games and hasn't scored in either of his last two games. Ellington will try for a big bounceback performance in a much easier Week 13 matchup against the Falcons.

With running backs Montee Ball and Ronnie Hillman inactive, Broncos running back C.J. Anderson took advantage of his opportunities, rushing for 167 yards on 27 attempts in a 39-36 win against the Dolphins Sunday.

Anderson received the bulk of the rushing carries and also added four receptions for four yards. Anderson’s 10-yard touchdown run late in the fourth quarter put the Broncos ahead for good.

While Anderson only had seven carries the previous week, it appears he will receive a heavy workload going forward. The Broncos next play Sunday at Kansas City.

The Chargers got a slew of offensive contributions in their 27-24 win over the Rams on Sunday. Among them, running back Branden Oliver carried six times for 17 yards and caught all four of his targets for 23 yards. Running back Donald Brown caught two passes for 20 yards and had a 7-yard rush.

Tight end Antonio Gates caught both his targets for 14 yards, while tight end Ladarius Green hauled in two of three targets for 34 yards. Wideout Malcom Floyd secured four of five targets for 30 yards.

Wideout Seyi Ajirotutu made an 8-yard grab. They'll all visit the Ravens in Week 13.