NFL Player News
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Keaton Mitchell RB | BAL
Ravens' Keaton Mitchell: MRI yields encouraging news
An MRI on Mitchell's knee came back clean after he exited Sunday's 27-22 loss to the Steelers, and the running back's injury is viewed as minor, Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.com reports.
Before leaving early Sunday, the explosive Mitchell made an impact, contributing 76 rushing yards and a touchdown on six totes while bringing back three kickoffs for 72 yards. Though he has proven to be a potent complementary piece out of the backfield over his first three NFL seasons, durability is a growing concern for the 23-year-old. Mitchell previously tore the ACL in his left knee in December 2023, but his latest knee issue appears to be less significant. The Ravens are categorizing Mitchell as day-to-day, leaving the door open for him to be available this Sunday in Cincinnati.
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Jaleel McLaughlin RB | DEN
Broncos' Jaleel McLaughlin: Handles four carries in win
McLaughlin rushed four times for 22 yards and caught his lone target for nine yards in Sunday's 24-17 win over the Raiders.
McLaughlin played just 10 of the Broncos' 74 offensive snaps Sunday, behind both RJ Harvey (50) and Tyler Badie (12). The 25-year-old running back was unable to get much going with his limited opportunities, as Harvey continued to establish himself as the No. 1 option out of the backfield while recording 100 total scrimmage yards on 23 touches and a touchdown. McLaughlin remains a solid insurance policy in the event that Harvey misses time down the stretch, but barring an injury, McLaughlin should not be trusted for fantasy purposes heading into a Week 15 matchup against the Packers.
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Omarion Hampton RB | LAC
Chargers' Omarion Hampton: Has 50/50 split in return
Hampton (ankle) carried the ball 13 times for 56 yards and also caught both of his targets for 11 yards and a touchdown in the Chargers' 22-19 overtime win over the Eagles on Monday.
Kimani Vidal got the start, but Hampton quickly was brought back into the fold after missing the past seven games due to an ankle injury, finishing with an even distribution of the 30 touches from the backfield. It's unclear if that was a counter to Philadelphia's ferocious front seven, or if the duo of Vidal and Hampton will truly have an even split moving forward, but the rookie 2025 first-round pick did have the most explosive of the carries (long of 18 yards). Up next is another difficult matchup against a Kansas City defense fighting for their playoff lives.
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Kimani Vidal RB | LAC
Chargers' Kimani Vidal: Split workload in win
Vidal carried the ball 14 times for 44 yards in the Chargers' 22-19 overtime win over the Eagles on Monday. He also caught one of his three targets for 60 yards.
It's worth noting Vidal got the start in the primetime game, but the distribution of touches ended up being split right down the middle, as the returning Omarion Hampton (ankle) also recorded 15 touches in the the contest. Vidal's fantasy day was salvaged by a simple checkdown in the first half, which the rookie exploded for 60 yards to set up a touchdown on the team's opening drive, but he otherwise was kept in check on the ground. It won't get much easier Week 15 against a Kansas City team that will be playing for its playoff lives.
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Saquon Barkley RB | PHI
Eagles' Saquon Barkley: Busts out of slump with huge TD
Barkley took 20 carries for 122 yards and a touchdown while failing to bring in either of his targets in Monday's 22-19 overtime loss to the Chargers.
Barkley snapped out his recent funk in a big way when he took a pitch early in the fourth quarter down the sidelines for 52 yards to give Philadelphia its first lead of the evening. It was the second time this season that the star running back eclipsed 100 rushing yards, a feat he accomplished an astonishing 14 times (including the playoffs) during his impressive 2024 campaign. While Barkley's production has dropped off following the Eagles' Super Bowl run, he has still managed to generate over 1,000 yards from scrimmage with seven touchdowns for fantasy managers in 13 starts this year. Barkley will look to add to those totals in a favorable home matchup against the Raiders in Week 15.
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Evan Hull RB | NO
Saints' Evan Hull: Records two touches in Tampa Bay
Hull notched one carry for four yards and reeled in his only target for six yards during Sunday's 24-20 victory against the Buccaneers.
With Alvin Kamara out for the second game in a row, Hull once again saw the field in the Saints' injury-riddled running-back room. This week, Devin Neal took on a bigger role as the RB1 with 19 carries, and fellow backup Audric Estime saw more run with three carries compared to zero in the previous game. Hull has now accumulated seven rushing attempts in four career games across his first three seasons. Even if the Saints are hit with more injuries at running back, it's unlikely that Hull will be their first choice to help fill the void. Fantasy owners shouldn't expect much out of him during the Week 15 contest versus Carolina.
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Velus Jones Jr. RB | SEA
Seahawks' Velus Jones: Goes back to practice squad
Jones reverted to Seattle's practice squad Monday, per the NFL's transaction log.
Jones was elevated from the practice squad each of the past two weeks. He logged six of 62 offensive snaps Sunday against Tampa Bay and carried four times for 32 yards while also recording 16 snaps on special teams. Jones' offensive work Sunday came entirely in garbage time with the Seahawks holding a big lead, and he doesn't figure to be a big part of the offense in future games for which he's active unless there are injuries ahead of him in the RB pecking order.
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Cody Schrader RB | DEN
Texans' Cody Schrader: Staying in AFC South with Houston
The Texans claimed Schrader off waivers from the Jaguars on Monday.
Schrader was waived by the Jaguars on Saturday after appearing in just one regular-season game for Jacksonville. He'll stay in the AFC South as a member of the Texans, and he gives Houston added depth out of the backfield in case Nick Chubb is sidelined due to a rib injury he picked up against the Chiefs on Sunday.
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Jakob Johnson RB | HOU
Jakob Johnson: Let go by Houston
The Texans waived Johnson on Monday.
Johnson has been let go by the Texans despite being the lone fullback on the roster. He should garner interest from teams in need of blocking out of the backfield, though he could opt to remain in Houston as a member of the team's practice squad if he clears waivers.
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Jeremy McNichols RB | WAS
Commanders' Jeremy McNichols: Used sparsley on offense
McNichols caught his lone target for two yards and did not record a carry during the Commanders' 31-0 loss to the Vikings on Sunday.
Sunday marked the first time since Week 2 against the Packers that McNichols failed to record a carry, and his two-yard catch from Jayden Daniels (elbow) was his lone contribution on offense. McNichols' 18 offensive snaps were behind Chris Rodriguez (22) and ahead of Jacory Croskey-Merritt (10), but none of Washington's three running backs saw the field more than 42 percent of the team's offensive snaps. Through 13 regular-season games, McNichols has turned 32 carries into 211 yards (6.6 YPC) and a touchdown and has caught 18 passes (on 23 targets) for 151 yards.