NFL Player News

Mitchell caught two of two targets for eight yards and one touchdown during Sunday's 15-9 win over the Packers.

While Detroit tight ends received only four of Jared Goff's 26 pass attempts in the team's first game without T.J. Hockenson, Mitchell received half of them and parlayed one into his first career touchdown. However, he also saw less playing time (13 offensive snaps) than new No. 1 tight end Brock Wright (50) and Shane Zylstra (16). Mitchell, a rookie fifth-rounder, should get plenty of opportunities to prove his worth as the rest of the year goes on, but his production figures to be unpredictable unless he starts seeing consistently high snap counts.

Wright failed to catch his only target in Sunday's 15-9 win over the Packers.

After rising to the top of the depth chart in the wake of T.J. Hockenson's trade to Minnesota, Wright was barely used in the passing game despite logging 81 percent of the offensive snaps. Meanwhile, rookie fifth-round pick James Mitchell caught both of his targets for eight yards and a touchdown while third-string Shane Zylstra caught his lone target for a one-yard touchdown. Wright could luck into his own scoring opportunities a couple of times as the rest of the season unfolds, but it seems that the Lions may be looking to replace Hockenson with a committee approach if this game was any indication.

Njoku (ankle) plans on playing Sunday against the Dolphins, Mary Kay Cabot of The Cleveland Plain Dealer reports.

Njoku was ruled out for Week 8 due to a high-ankle sprain he suffered Week 7. The tight end appears to have benefited from the team's Week 9 bye and intends to suit up Week 10. After a slow start to his career, Njoku has developed as a pass catcher over the last two campaigns and has 34 receptions for 418 yards across seven appearances this season, putting him on pace to shatter his career-high numbers (36 receptions for 475 yards) from a year ago.

Coach Doug Pederson said Monday that Engram, who briefly left Sunday's win over the Raiders due to a back injury, is considered day-to-day and should be fine for Week 10, John Shipley of SI.com reports.

Engram caught one of two targets for eight yards during the contest, but after securing his only reception, he left the field pointing to his lower back. The talented tight end was able to return to the game and appears to have avoided a major injury, but fantasy mangers still are encouraged to monitor Engram's status throughout the week.

Smith caught three of his four targets for 21 yards in Sunday's 26-3 win over the Colts.

Smith, who was on the field for 34 of a possible 63 snaps on offense in the contest, per Mike Reiss of ESPN.com, has logged three catches and four targets in each of his last two outings, but while working in a timeshare with fellow TE Hunter Henry, the 27-year-old remains a hit-or-miss fantasy option as the Patriots' next contest against the Jets approaches on Sunday, Nov. 20.

Higbee failed to secure his lone target in Sunday's 16-13 loss to the Buccaneers.

After a solid first five weeks of the season serving as the secondary receiving option to Cooper Kupp, the wheels have fallen off for Higbee since, with just three receptions for 22 yards in the past three games. Despite being on the field for nearly 80 percent of the team's offensive snaps, Higbee only managed a single target, a worrying trend after being peppered with 48 targets in Weeks 1-5. The Rams' Week 10 opponent, Arizona, just gave up a 5-96-0 line to Noah Fant in Week 9, and Higbee managed 61 yards on four receptions against them Week 3, giving fantasy managers hope for a rebound for the slumping tight end.

Deguara caught all five of his targets for 41 yards in Sunday's 15-9 loss to the Lions.

The tight end entered Sunday's contest with just six receptions for 65 yards over eight games, but the Packers needed more from him Sunday after rookie wideouts Romeo Doubs (ankle) and Christian Watson (head) exited early, and Deguara nearly doubled his production on the season. The Packers may continue looking for ways to get him more involved due to the attrition at wide receiver, but he is sharing snaps at tight end with Robert Tonyan and Marcedes Lewis and thus remains on the fringes of fantasy utility.

Tonyan was targeted four times and caught three passes for 29 yards in Sunday's 15-9 loss to the Lions.

Tonyan drew at least four targets for a fifth straight game and garnered a couple looks close to the goal line, but he finished with fewer than 30 yards for the fourth time this season and was held out of the end zone for the eighth time in nine appearances. He will have a tough time getting on track in Week 10 against a speedy Dallas defense that has contained tight ends as well as anyone, but quarterback Aaron Rodgers may need to look Tonyan's way more often anyway if the Packers are short-handed at wide receiver.

Pruitt caught his only target for six yards during Sunday's 20-17 loss versus the Chargers.

Pruitt has played at least 11 offensive snaps in each of the past five games, but he's seen just two targets, catching both for eight yards. Atlanta's passing attack remains limited, so despite Pruitt's consistent role in the Falcons offense, he doesn't have much fantasy value moving forward.

Conklin caught one of two targets for seven yards in Sunday's 20-17 win over the Bills.

New York implemented a run-heavy game plan in the upset win, and rookie wide receiver Garrett Wilson was prioritized when the team turned to the air, accounting for eight of Zach Wilson's 18 completions and 92 of the quarterback's 154 passing yards. Conklin's inconsistent usage can be frustrating, as he's been targeted at least seven times on four different occasions but has also drawn two or fewer targets three times heading into New York's Week 10 bye.