NFL Player News

Nwangwu returned three kickoffs for 157 yards, including a 99-yard touchdown, in Sunday's 26-21 loss to the Seahawks.

Nwangwu made an instant impact in his Jets debut after being elevated from the practice squad. His 99-yard kickoff-return touchdown gave the Jets a 21-7 lead in the second quarter, but Seattle scored 19 unanswered points from there to drop the Jets to 3-9. Given Nwangwu's success in this game, he'll likely be elevated from the practice squad to return kickoffs again in Week 14 against the Dolphins.

Irving said Monday that he feels much better after he suffered a hip injury on a kickoff return during Sunday's 26-23 overtime win over the Panthers, Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

It's unclear if Irving sustained the injury on his 20-yard return at the end of the first half, or when he was back deep on two other occasions Sunday. The Buccaneers never formally ruled Irving out for the contest, but he curiously logged just one touch over the team's final three possessions, despite having run roughshod over the Carolina defense for most of the day. He still finished with a career-best performance, carrying 25 times for 152 yards and a touchdown to go with three catches for 33 yards on three targets. While Rachaad White remains involved out of the backfield, he's faded into more of a change-of-pace/passing-down role while Irving has emerged as the clear lead option on the ground. Irving has averaged at least 5.5 yards per carry in each of Tampa Bay's last three games, and so long as the hip issue isn't still nagging him by the time Sunday's game against the Raiders arrives, he'll profile as a must-start fantasy option in nearly every league.

Wilson took two carries for 20 yards during Thursday's 30-17 win versus the Dolphins.

Wilson only played four offensive snaps in Week 13, as he appears to have been overtaken by Chris Brooks for the role of second fiddle to Josh Jacobs in recent weeks. Things won't get any easier for Wilson when the Packers travel to take on Detroit's tough defense in Week 14.

Davis rushed once for four yards while catching all three of his targets for 28 yards and a touchdown in Sunday's 26-21 loss to the Seahawks.

Davis got more opportunities in practice coming out of New York's Week 12 bye since Breece Hall missed practice reps due to a knee injury. The rookie out of South Dakota State capitalized on the field Sunday, scoring his first NFL touchdown on a four-yard shovel pass in the second quarter. Davis also set a career high with four touches on offense, though that was third-most among Jets running backs behind Hall (12) and Braelon Allen (seven). While Davis showed some promise as a pass catcher in this game, he'll be tough to trust from a fantasy standpoint as long as both Hall and Allen are available.

Brooks took three carries for 28 yards and caught both of his two targets for one yard during Thursday's 30-17 win versus the Dolphins.

Brooks continued to be more involved in the offense than teammate Emanuel Wilson in Week 13, and he collected five touches for the second straight contest. Even still, Josh Jacobs continues to see the lion's share of the Packers' backfield work both on running and passing downs, so Brooks' path to fantasy relevance in 2024 probably requires Jacobs missing time.

Allen rushed five times for 11 yards and caught both of his targets for 16 yards in Sunday's 26-21 loss to the Seahawks.

Breece Hall got only 12 touches while playing through a knee injury, but third-stringer Isaiah Davis saw a bigger uptick in usage than Allen, as Davis scored his first NFL touchdown on one of his career-high four touches. With Hall still firmly entrenched atop the depth chart and Davis pushing for a larger role, Allen continues to have minimal short-term fantasy value ahead of a Week 14 trip to Miami.

Laube recorded two kickoff returns for 36 yards and a special-teams solo tackle during Friday's 19-17 loss at Kansas City.

Despite both Alexander Mattison (ankle) and Zamir White (quadriceps) being out in Week 13, Laube did not record any offensive snaps, leaving the work in the backfield for veteran Ameer Abdullah and rookie undrafted free agent Sincere McCormick. At this point, it doesn't seem like Laube has a feasible path to fantasy value in 2024.

Pierce caught his lone target for one yard in Sunday's 23-20 win over the Jaguars in Week 13. He did not get a carry or return a kickoff.

Joe Mixon (47 snaps, 20 carries, six targets Sunday) owns the Texans' backfield, leaving nothing but crumbs for Pierce (seven snaps) and Dare Ogunbowale (nine). Pierce has just four carries and one target in his last five appearances.

Pollard rushed the ball eight times for 35 yards in Sunday's 42-19 loss to the Commanders. He added four receptions on six targets for 33 yards.

Pollard's most notable contribution to the game was a lost fumble late in the first quarter, which led to a Commanders touchdown three plays later. He was quickly scripted out of the contest from a rushing perspective, but he did account for eight of the team's 11 rushing attempts. If there was a positive to take away for Pollard, it was his involvement as a pass catcher, as he recorded his highest yardage total as a receiver since Week 2.

Warren rushed the ball three times for nine yards in Sunday's 44-38 win over the Bengals. He added four receptions on four targets for 55 yards.

Warren seemed to be gaining momentum in the Pittsburgh backfield entering Sunday's matchup, but he was oddly uninvolved as a rusher. He managed to save his day as a pass catcher, tallying long gains of 29 and 14 yards. Despite that positive work, it will be difficult to trust Warren in fantasy lineups given his inconsistent usage.