NFL Player News
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Ameer Abdullah RB | IND
Colts' Ameer Abdullah: Leads team in receiving Sunday
Abdullah rushed four times for 15 yards and caught all five of his targets for 32 yards in Sunday's 18-16 loss to the Seahawks.
Abdullah benefited from having Philip Rivers take over under center for the injured Daniel Jones (Achilles) after the backup running back finished as the Colts' leading receiver Sunday. The 32-year-old Abdullah hadn't recorded more than two receptions in any of his previous nine appearances this season, but the higher target share could become a trend with Rivers needing to make plenty of check-down passes to preserve his own health down the stretch. Abdullah represents a sneaky play in Week 16 for those in deep PPR formats, but the veteran backup can safely be ignored elsewhere.
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Emanuel Wilson RB | SEA
Packers' Emanuel Wilson: Two carries in Week 15 loss
Wilson (illness) rushed twice for three yards and wasn't targeted in Sunday's 34-26 loss to the Broncos. He also returned four kickoffs for 95 yards.
Wilson played through a questionable tag but so did starter Josh Jacobs (knee), who had 92 scrimmage yards and two touchdowns on 14 touches to lead Green Bay's backfield as usual. Chris Brooks had two carries for 10 yards and caught one of two targets for six yards as both backups played sparingly. Wilson's role is unlikely to grow as long as Jacobs is available Saturday against the Bears.
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Blake Corum RB | LAR
Rams' Blake Corum: Punches in fifth TD this season
Corum took 11 carries for 71 yards and a touchdown without garnering a target in Sunday's 41-34 win over Detroit.
Corum kept up his recent string of hot play in fantasy by scoring his fifth touchdown of the season in the second half of Sunday's shootout win. Four of the five scores have come over the talented backup's last three appearances, a span in which he is also averaging 9.3 yards per carry. Kyren Williams (15-78-2) is still the lead back for the Rams, and Corum's value is being boosted by some favorable situations combined with unsustainable efficiency. Fantasy managers should continue to ride Corum's wave of production while also being aware that his touches are capped while sitting behind Williams on the depth chart.
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Javonte Williams RB | DAL
Cowboys' Javonte Williams: Strong showing after injury scare
Williams rushed the ball 15 times for 91 yards and a touchdown in Sunday's 34-26 loss to the Vikings.
Williams picked up 13 yards and a touchdown on the Cowboys' first offensive possession, but he then sat out the rest of the first half with a shoulder injury. While he rotated with Malik Davis more than usual in the second half, Williams managed to run and put together a good showing with chunk gains of 21, 15 and 11 yards in the final two quarters. After averaging only 3.4 yards per carry combined across the last two games, this was a solid bounceback effort for Williams, particularly considering he almost certainly wasn't playing at 100 percent.
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Aaron Jones RB | MIN
Vikings' Aaron Jones: Gains 65 yards on 15 touches
Jones took 12 carries for 34 yards while catching all three of his targets for 31 yards in Sunday's 34-26 win over the Cowboys.
Jones has been limited in recent practice weeks with a nagging shoulder injury picked up back in Week 9, but it has yet to affect the veteran's workload or status once game days roll around. Backup Jordan Mason (10-29-0) continues to split backfield duties with Jones, giving both runners modest fantasy value as flex options on a weekly basis. It wouldn't be surprising to see Jones limited in practice again in Week 16, but managers should prepare to deploy Minnesota's veteran starter in a plus matchup against the Giants next Sunday.
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David Montgomery RB | HOU
Lions' David Montgomery: Reaches end zone in defeat
Montgomery carried the ball seven times for 32 yards and a touchdown and failed to reel in his only target in Sunday's 41-34 loss to the Rams.
Montgomery was able to reach the end zone for the third straight week, plunging in for a one-yard score in the fourth quarter. The running back has now gone five straight games without double-digit carries after having reached at least 11 totes in seven of the team's first nine contests of the year. Montgomery has turned 136 carries into 635 yards and eight touchdowns while catching 21 of 26 targets for 164 yards over 14 games this season.
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Kenneth Walker III RB | KC
Seahawks' Kenneth Walker: Stymied again in Week 15
Walker was held to 17 yards on nine carries while catching his only target for two yards in Sunday's 18-16 win over the Colts.
Walker managed to sink even deeper than last week's sub-30 yard showing against the Falcons by setting a new low in rushing yards in Sunday's win over the Colts. Zach Charbonnet (8-31-0) didn't fare much better in a game that featured no touchdowns for Seattle. That said, Walker's recent struggles could lead to fewer opportunities in the closing weeks if he can't turn things around against the Rams on Thursday Night Football.
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Kyren Williams RB | LAR
Rams' Kyren Williams: Hits pay dirt twice in Week 15
Williams rushed 15 times for 78 yards and two touchdowns while catching his only target for 10 yards in Sunday's 41-34 win over the Lions.
Williams got the Rams' offense cooking with a couple of trips to the end zone in the first half of Sunday's victory. The 24-year-old is now up to 10 rushing touchdowns on the season, giving him double-digits in the category for three consecutive years. Williams also hit the 1,000-yard mark as a rusher Sunday, a feat he has also accomplished in each of his last three campaigns. Blake Corum (11-71-1) remained a factor in his backup role, but Williams is the Rams' clear RB1 for Thursday's pivotal NFC West matchup against the Seahawks.
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Rico Dowdle RB | PIT
Panthers' Rico Dowdle: Touchdown saves inefficient showing
Dowdle rushed the ball 16 times for 49 yards and a touchdown in Sunday's 20-17 loss to the Saints. He added one reception on one target for five yards.
Dowdle reclaimed the lead-back role in Carolina, out-touching Chuba Hubbard 17-9. However, he found very limited room to run, with his longest gain going for only eight yards while averaging under 4.0 yards per carry for the fourth time in his last five games. Dowdle did manage to save his day with a four-yard touchdown midway through the first quarter, his first time reaching the end zone since Week 10. Overall, Dowdle has failed to reach 100 yards from scrimmage in four of his last five games despite seeing at least 17 touches in all but one matchup in that span.
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Isiah Pacheco RB | DET
Chiefs' Isiah Pacheco: Limited to 21 rushing yards Sunday
Pacheco rushed 11 times for 21 yards in the Chiefs' 16-13 loss to the Chargers on Sunday.
Pacheco logged five more carries than backfield mate Kareem Hunt, but neither back made any inroads against a Chargers defense that had often struggled to stop the run this season. Pacheco's carry total was his highest since Week 8, yet he's yet to eclipse 58 rushing yards during the campaign. Pacheco will finish out the regular season without the benefit of the threat Patrick Mahomes (knee) typically poses to opposing defenses, as the talented signal-caller tore his ACL in the fourth quarter of Sunday's game, per Adam Schefter of ESPN.