NFL Player News

Colts running back Donald Brown left in the first quarter Week 15 against the Texans with a stinger and missed the rest of the game. He was off to a good start before the injury, bouncing back from an 11-yard effort last week with five carries for 38 yards.

Trent Richardson played well in his absence, picking up 60 yards on his final nine carries. He also had four catches for 38 yards and a touchdown.

Brown's status for Week 16 at Kansas City is unknown as of now. If he's forced to miss the game, Richardson would get the bulk of the work out of the backfield.

Cardinals rookie running back Andre Ellington caught four passes for a season-high 87 yards and ran 10 times for 71 yards in the Week 15 win at Tennessee. But Ellington gave way to Rashard Mendenhall in goal-line situations, watching Mendenhall score twice from 1 yard out.

Ellington had gains of 13, 26, 15, 22, 14, 11, and 38 yards, the last when he lined up in the slot and caught a dart between two defenders. On his 22-yard run, Ellington looked trapped behind the line before busting free. 

Ellington, who was targeted five times, could not finish the game. He left with a bruised thigh and was not on the field for the winning drive in overtime. Ellington's status heading into Week 16 at Seattle will be updated throughout the week.

Titans running back Chris Johnson averaged under 4.0 yards per carry for the fourth straight game, but he again delivered in the passing game, catching his fourth touchdown this season.

Late in the first quarter, quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick bought time and Johnson shot past linebacker Karlos Dansby down the sideline. Fitzpatrick found him for an easy 25-yard score. It was Johnson's seventh touchdown in his past seven games.

Johnson gained 40 yards on 13 carries. He was stopped for no gain or a loss four times in the first quarter alone. But he caught all three of his targets for 51 yards and the touchdown.

Johnson visits Jacksonville in Week 16. He'll be trying to atone for his Week 10 performance against the Jags, when he lost a fumble and totaled 73 scoreless yards on 17 touches.

49ers running back Kendall Hunter, running back LaMichael James, tight end Garrett Celek and wide receiver Mario Manningham all made it onto the stat sheet Week 15 at Tampa Bay.

Hunter totaled 40 rushing yards on eight carries, while James had 22 yards on two carries.

Celek had just one catch for 8 yards, while Manningham had one catch for 2 yards on two targets.

The 49ers are back in action Week 16 vs. Atlanta.

Vikings wide receiver Cordarrelle Patterson scored a touchdown Week 15 against the Eagles.

Patterson has been more involved in the team's offense lately, scoring in the last three games. Over the past four games, he's been targeted 29 times. Patterson didn't have a strong game through the air, catching five passes for just 35 yards. He scored late on a five yard reception from Matt Cassel. Patterson also had two rushes for 15 yards.

Patterson will take on the Bengals Week 16.

Vikings running back Matt Asiata scored three touchdowns in his first start Week 15.

Asiata was more a victim of good circumstance than strong running. He only averaged 1.7 yards per carry, but managed to do all his dirty work at the goal line. Asiata scored on two 1 yards runs and a 5 yard run. He received a huge workload, carrying the ball 30 times for 51 yards. Asiata also had three receptions for 15 yards. If Adrian Peterson and Toby Gerhart are out again next week, Asiata will look to continue his success in the red zone against the Bengals.

Buccaneers running back Bobby Rainey couldn't find any running room against one of the best defenses in the NFL during a 33-14 loss Week 15 vs. San Francisco. Rainey was held to 27 rushing yards on 11 carries, while adding one catch for 3 yards.

Rainey's longest carry went 8 yards. In fact, his other 10 carries went for 3 yards or less and he received no carries in 49ers' territory.

The Bucs are back in action Week 16 at St. Louis.

Dolphins running back Daniel Thomas took a backseat in Week 15 against the Patriots, but still came up with a big play in a 24-20 win Sunday.

Thomas finished with just 18 yards of total offense in the game, 16 of which came on five carries in the running game. He made one play in the passing game, however, scoring on a 2-yard reception in the first seconds of the fourth quarter.

Thomas has scored in three of his last four games, though he did miss one game in that stretch due to an ankle injury. The Dolphins play in Buffalo in Week 16. 

Patriots running back Shane Vereen saw his role in the offense practically disappear in Week 15 against the Dolphins Sunday, one week after one of the best games of his career.

Vereen touched the ball just five times in the game, as he hauled in a season-low three passes for just 8 yards. He was targeted seven times, the third-highest total on the team. He also had just 13 yards on two carries.  

The Patriots have shown little inclination for consistently relying on just one running back, and Vereen took a backseat as a result Sunday. He will try to get back on track in Week 16, with a matchup against the Ravens on the way. 

Wideout Tavon Austin (ankle) and guard Harvey Dahl (knee) highlight the injury report produced Sunday by the Rams. Also among the injured on the list is running back Daryl Richardson (thigh).

The healthy scratches are defensive tackle Jermelle Cudjo, tackle Mike Person, defensive back Quinton Pointer and guard Brandon Washington.