NFL Player News

In what ended up being a close game Week 15 against the Redskins, Falcons running back Jacquizz Rodgers got just a handful of touches in relief of starter Steven Jackson. He had four carries for 17 yards and caught four passes for 24. The four receptions were his most since Week 10 against the Seahawks.

The Falcons visit the 49ers in Week 16.

Chiefs running back Knile Davis found the end zone in back-to-back games during Sunday's blowout win over the Raiders in Week 15.

With the game well in hand, Davis saw some extended playing time in the fourth quarter. He broke for a 17-yard run with 8:24 minutes remaining in the game. He finished the game with nine carries for 34 yards (3.8 yards per carry) and a touchdown in a 65-31 victory.

Davis has 64 yards and two touchdowns on 20 carries over his last two games. He'll look to extend his scoring streak to three games in Week 16 against the Colts.

The Chiefs received several contributions from role players during Sunday's 56-31 victory over the Raiders in Week 15.

Donnie Avery finished the game as the team's second leading receiver with only two catches for 33 yards on three targets. Cyrus Gray, Anthony Sherman and Chad Hall each finished the game with one reception. Gray had 18, Sherman had 15 and Hall had 11 yards.

Even with Donald Brown, his primary competition for carries, suffering a stinger in the first quarter, Colts running back Trent Richardson was as ineffective as usual in the first half Week 15 against the Texans, carrying the ball eight times for 5 yards. And after 10 carries, he had just 4 yards.

But from that point forward, he was a different player. Looking to run out the clock with a big lead, the Colts kept handing him the ball in the second half, and he found some room to maneuver, delivering runs of 8, 14, 22 and 9 yards. He finished the game with 64 yards on 19 carries.

Of course, his biggest play came in the passing game. Midway through the second quarter, he caught a short pass from quarterback Andrew Luck and weaved through the defense for a 9-yard touchdown. In all, Richardson had four catches for 38 yards. He was targeted six times.

Brown's status for Week 16 at Kansas City is unknown as of now, but if he's forced to miss the game, Richardson figures to carry the load for the Colts.

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.