NFL Player News

Ford rushed for 92 yards and a touchdown on 11 carries in Sunday's 24-6 loss to the Bengals. He also caught all five of his targets for 39 yards and returned three kickoffs for 62 yards.

Ford replaced Nick Chubb (foot) as the lead back and broke off a 66-yard run on the game's opening play from scrimmage before scoring a touchdown in the third quarter. Other than the long run, Ford was held to 26 yards on 10 carries, but he was part of the offense's best rushing effort of the season on the heels of the backfield's 139-yard output last week, when Ford had a 62-yard touchdown scamper. While the roster is expected to undergo significant churn during the offseason, Ford will likely return as the lead back in 2025.

Patriots head coach Jerod Mayo suggested Monday that Stevenson could give way to Antonio Gibson as the team's starting running back in Week 17 against the Chargers, Doug Kyed of the Boston Herald reports.

In his first 13 appearances of the season, Stevenson had received more snaps than Gibson in all but two of those contests, but the playing time tilted in Gibson's favor during Sunday's 24-21 loss to the Bills. Stevenson took the field for 32 of New England's 73 plays on offense, finishing with 60 yards and a touchdown on 12 carries to go with a 13-yard reception. However, he lost his third fumble of the season, and he also dropped a backward pass from Drake Maye that was recovered in the end zone by the Bills, although that fumble was charged to the QB. Gibson, meanwhile, paced Patriots running backs with a 59 percent snap share, but he was less effective as a rusher (10 carries for 28 yards) and also fumbled, though he at least recovered it. Even if Mayo follows through and appoints Gibson as the team's starter, Stevenson could still end up being heavily involved in the game plan and seeing the more valuable touches if he keeps his goal-line role. Ball security issues earlier in the season prompted Mayo to hand Gibson a Week 5 start against Miami, but Stevenson still finished with 12 carries for 89 yards and a touchdown to go with four catches in that contest.

Abdullah rushed the ball seven times for 38 yards and a touchdown in Sunday's 19-14 win over the Jaguars. He added five receptions on six targets for 47 yards.

Abdullah benefitted from the absence of Sincere McCormick (ankle) but still saw four fewer touches than Alexander Mattison. As would be expected, the majority of Abdullah's production came as a receiver, and he finished second on the team in both receptions and yards. However, his biggest fantasy impact came on a seven-yard rushing score early in the fourth quarter. While his involvement in the offense is likely to lean heavily toward his work as a receiver, Abdullah should maintain a complementary role at minimum in Week 17 against the Saints.

Mattison rushed the ball 12 times for 27 yards and a touchdown in Sunday's 19-14 win over the Jaguars. He added four receptions on seven targets for 29 yards.

Mattison led the Las Vegas backfield in the absence of Sincere McCormick (ankle), totaling 16 touches as compared to 12 for Ameer Abdullah. While he has been involved as a pass catcher throughout the season, it was particularly positive to see his involvement as a receiver remain intact despite the recent emergence of Abdullah. On the other hand, Mattison was ineffective on the ground, with the exception being a one-yard touchdown run early in the second quarter. This backfield is very likely to remain split for the rest of the season, but Mattison should see plenty of touches in Week 17 against the Saints.

Stevenson rushed the ball 12 times for 60 yards and a touchdown in Sunday's 24-21 loss to the Bills. He added one reception on one target for 13 yards.

Stevenson continued to see his workload decrease thanks to more involvement in the offense for Antonio Gibson. However, he took advantage of his opportunities with the ball, highlighted by a pair of 14-yard rushes -- one of which concluded in a trip to the end zone after he bowled over a Buffalo defender. That marked his first touchdown since Week 9. However, those positives were overshadowed by a miscue early in the fourth quarter on a backward pass that was partially mishandled by Stevenson, which was recovered in the end zone for a Bills touchdown. He didn't record another carry in the game, with Gibson instead accounting for the team's two remaining rushing attempts.

Dowdle rushed the ball 13 times for 23 yards in Sunday's 26-24 win over Tampa Bay. He added three receptions on three targets for 28 yards.

Dowdle had emerged as an efficient rusher with elevated volume in recent weeks, but he never got going on the ground in Sunday's win. His longest gain as a rusher went for just six yards, while 10 of his attempts went for two yards or fewer. Dowdle managed to redeem himself a bit as a pass catcher by posting his most receiving yards since Week 9. Things won't get easier for him heading into a Week 17 matchup against the Eagles, but he should remain a centerpiece of the Cowboys' offense.

Etienne rushed the ball nine times for 22 yards in Sunday's 19-14 loss to the Raiders. He added two receptions on three targets for 15 yards.

Etienne saw his role diminish with the Jaguars in a tightly contested matchup. He ended up with two fewer touches than Tank Bigsby, though Etienne's inefficiency on the ground was the driving factor in his poor stat line. Etienne is likely to be stuck in a similar role in Week 17 with the Jaguars taking on the Titans in what projects to be a close but low-scoring game.

Bigsby rushed the ball 12 times for 50 yards and a touchdown in Sunday's 19-14 loss to the Raiders. He added one reception on on one target for one yard.

The Jaguars were in a tightly contested battle with the Raiders throughout the day, allowing them to stick with the ground game a bit more than is typically the case. That benefitted Bigsby, who ended the contest with two more touches than Etienne. He also had a fairly efficient showing that was highlighted by a long gain of 10 yards and a one-yard touchdown plunge late in the first quarter. A Week 17 matchup against the Titans should also be close, so Bigsby could see be in line for decent volume once again.

Reynolds rushed the ball four times for 18 yards and caught his only target for five yards in Sunday's 34-17 win over the Bears.

Reynolds was expected to take a step up and operate as Detroit's No. 2 running back behind Jahmyr Gibbs in Week 16, but it didn't lead to a heavy workload. Over 15 games in 2024, Reynolds has now turned 16 carries into 69 yards, while the reception Sunday was his first of the year. He'll look to be more involved in the Lions' next contest against the 49ers on Monday Night Football on Dec. 30.

White rushed three times for 10 yards and caught seven of eight targets for 51 yards in Sunday's 26-24 loss to the Cowboys. He also lost a fumble.

White played second fiddle to Bucky Irving, who turned 19 touches into 92 total yards and a touchdown. The third-year pro posted his lowest rushing yardage total of the season but finished with his third-highest receiving yardage total of the campaign. White was held without a touchdown for only the second time in his last nine games, and his fumble at the end of a six-yard catch with 1:40 remaining secured the loss for Tampa Bay. He'll try to get back on track as a rusher in Week 17 against the generous Panthers run defense.