NFL Player News

Montgomery rushed 17 times for 55 yards and a touchdown and caught both his targets for 14 yards in Sunday's 30-24 win over Minnesota.

Montgomery logged eight carries on Detroit's first offensive drive, ending the 14-play march with a one-yard touchdown run. Jahmyr Gibbs largely took over in the Lions' backfield from there and finished with the better overall rushing line (15-80-2), though the potent duo ended with an equal number of total touches (19). Gibbs has proven to be an explosive force for Detroit in his rookie campaign, and he's gained at least 60 yards on the ground in four straight contests while scoring five times over that span, but Montgomery hasn't exactly faded away -- he's averaging 65.5 rushing yards with two TDs over the same four-game span. While a split backfield isn't typically an ideal situation for fantasy purposes, both Montgomery and Gibbs are performing well enough to be viable options in all formats. The pair will look to remain productive next Saturday in a road contest versus Dallas.

White is expected to serve as the leader of Las Vegas' backfield committee Monday in Kansas City with Josh Jacobs (quadricep/illness) in line to miss a second consecutive game, Tom Pelissero of NFL Network reports.

Though Jacobs took a small step forward in his recovery from the quad injury that kept him out of last Thursday's 63-21 win over the Chargers, turning in one limited practice this week, he's also working his way back from an illness and ultimately didn't make enough progress. Las Vegas got by just fine without its No. 1 back last week, as White stepped up with 17 carries for 69 yards and a touchdown to go with three receptions for 16 yards on four targets. Ameer Abdullah (six carries, two catches) also got more involved, while Brandon Bolden (two carries) saw his first snaps of the season on offense. Look for White to continue to lead the way on the ground versus Kansas City while Abdullah operates primarily as a pass-catching complement.

Wilson rushed five times for 21 yards and secured his only target for four yards during Sunday's 22-20 win over Dallas.

Wilson was moderately productive in limited action, as he once again handled a reserve role behind Raheem Mostert and De'Von Achane. The versatile veteran doesn't have a path to fantasy relevance or double-digit touches unless Miami's depth chart ahead of him changes. He projects for similar usage Week 17 at Baltimore.

Jacobs (quadricep/illness) is listed as questionable for Monday's game against Kansas City, but he's been described as a "long shot" to play, a source tells Ian Rapoport of NFL Network.

Even though the Raiders had a longer turnaround than usual after playing Thursday last week, Rapoport suggests that Jacobs hasn't made enough progress since sitting out Las Vegas' 63-21 trouncing of the Chargers. The running back at least appeared to take a step forward by getting in one limited practice Friday, but he still looks like he'll require more time to recover from his quad issue, in part due to an illness he also picked up a few days ago. Confirmation on Jacobs' status will arrive when Las Vegas releases its inactive list 90 minutes prior to Monday's 1 p.m. EST kickoff, but assuming he's out for a second straight week, the Raiders will turn to Zamir White as their lead option on the ground. Ameer Abdullah should function as the main receiving back, while Brandon Bolden has almost exclusively been used on special teams in 2023.

Murray did not record a carry or target in Saturday's 24-22 win over the Chargers.

Murray has served as the No. 2 running back behind James Cook most of the season and leads all Buffalo running backs with four rushing touchdowns, but it's noteworthy that Leonard Fournette saw five carries in a tight game compared to none for Murray. Fournette -- who joined the Bills' practice squad in October -- has plenty of cred and is five years younger than Murray, so it'll be interesting to see how the Bills split up the backup carries the rest of the way. With Josh Allen up to 13 rushing touchdowns on the season, no one besides Cook holds anything more than speculative value in the Buffalo running back corps.

Fournette rushed five times for 20 yards and was not targeted in the receiving game in Buffalo's 24-22 win over the Chargers on Saturday. He also returned one kickoff for 17 yards.

Perhaps Playoff Lenny, who was elevated from the practice squad earlier in the day, was brought up with just that in mind, as the Bills are fighting hard for a postseason spot. James Cook is the main back in this offense, but it now seems pretty open for backup work between Fournette, Latavius Murray and Ty Johnson (shoulder). Fournette looked strong and fresh in his limited work, and the coaching staff has to like the fact that he volunteered for return duty. We'll see if this continues as the Bills try to win their final two games to seal a playoff berth, while it's worth noting that Murray did not receive a carry Saturday and Johnson missed the contest.

Johnson rushed once for two yards during Sunday's 30-12 loss to the Buccaneers.

Jacksonville fell behind early and rushed the ball 13 times in the blowout defeat, with just seven of those carries going to running backs. Johnson has a solid grip on the No. 2 tailback job but isn't likely to be major factor in the offense down the stretch with starter Travis Etienne healthy.

McLaughlin had six carries for 37 yards and caught four of five targets for 30 yards in Sunday's 26-23 loss to the Patriots.

McLaughlin maximized his time on the field Sunday, converting 10 combined touches into 67 yards from scrimmage. The opposite could be said for starter Javonte Williams, who netted just 19 yards on 14 touches in the loss to New England. McLaughlin has been Denver's most efficient rusher this season, but he has spent most of the year operating as the team's third option behind Williams and veteran backup Samaje Perine. Perhaps the undrafted rookie will get more looks against the Chargers on Dec. 31 after Sunday's loss all but sealed the Broncos' fate in regards to making the playoffs this year.

Harris carried the ball seven times for 21 yards in Sunday's 26-23 win over the Broncos.

Harris appeared in his second game this season and saw increased involvement in the offense. He was inefficient with his chances and also had no involvement as a pass catcher. Harris has limited fantasy appeal as a result, though he should continue to see work as long as Rhamondre Stevenson (ankle) is sidelined.

Williams had 11 carries for 24 yards and a touchdown while catching all three of his targets for a loss of five yards in Sunday's 26-23 loss to the Patriots.

Williams finished with negative receiving yards and 20 or fewer yards from scrimmage for the second game in a row. He also coughed up his first fumble of the season. Unlike last week's dud against Detroit, the 23-year-old was able to offset the low yardage total with a short touchdown run in the first quarter. Williams also caught one of Russell Wilson's successful two-point attempts in the fourth quarter to give another boost to his managers' fantasy scores Sunday. Despite his recent struggles, Williams figures to lead Denver's backfield against the Chargers on Dec. 31.