NFL Player News

Mitchell logged five offensive snaps during Sunday's 29-0 loss to the Patriots.

Mitchell made his regular-season debut last week against Seattle and was active again this week in New England, but the fifth-round rookie was limited to five snaps on offense. With T.J. Hockenson cemented atop the depth chart and Brock Wright maintaining the No. 2 role well, Mitchell may need to be used as an H-back in order to do any damage in the box score going forward.

Wright logged 28 offensive snaps during Sunday's 29-0 loss to the Patriots.

Wright caught his fist pass of the season in Week 2, but he hasn't seen any work in the passing game since then. Expect the blocking specialist to continue in his usual ways when Detroit gets back from a Week 6 bye.

Hesse caught his only target for nine yards during Sunday's 21-15 defeat against the Buccaneers.

Due to his blocking prowess, Hesse continues to garner a major role for Atlanta's offense and played 38 offensive snaps against Tampa Bay, by far the most among Falcons tight ends. Even when Kyle Pitts (hamstring) was healthy, Hesse was garnering a similar role, but Hesse doesn't have the pass-catching ability that Pitts possesses. Hesse has secured one catch in four of five games this season, totaling just 41 yards.

Firkser caught his only target for 11 yards during Sunday's 21-15 defeat against Tampa Bay.

With Kyle Pitts (hamstring) sidelined, Firkser played a season-high 14 offensive snaps and caught his third pass of the season. Parker Hesse operated as the team's top tight end in Pitts' absence, securing one catch for nine yards across 38 offensive snaps. Both tight ends figure to garner similar roles against San Francisco in Week 6 if Pitts remains out.

Lewis caught his only target for a two-yard touchdown in Sunday's 27-22 loss to the Giants.

The reception was the first for Lewis in 2022, and the touchdown was his first since Week 12 of the 2020 season. The veteran led Packers tight ends in snaps Week 5, but with blocking being his primary purpose on the field, his fantasy appeal remains limited.

Tonyan was targeted four times and caught four passes for 23 yards in Sunday's 27-22 loss to the Giants.

Tonyan did not do much in the box score, but he did haul in all four of his targets and now has caught 17 of the 20 passes thrown his way this season. Fellow tight end Marcedes Lewis played more snaps and found pay dirt Week 5, but Tonyan remains the better fantasy option of the two.

Akins caught both his targets for 22 yards in Sunday's 13-6 win over the Jaguars in Week 5.

Akins played just 12 snaps but once again made an impact for Houston, as he moved the chains on 3rd-and-10 on the Texans' game-deciding drive in the fourth quarter. This was the third time that Akins was elevated from the practice squad, and Houston will need to sign him if it wants to use him on the active roster again. He's been the team's most consistent receiving threat at tight end with 86 yards, and the club released Pharaoh Brown last week, so a permanent spot for Akins seems assured.

Bryant did not catch his lone target in Sunday's 30-28 loss to the Chargers in Week 5.

Bryant battled an illness during the week but was on the field for 57 percent of the offensive snaps. It's unlikely the illness had any impact on his targets. The second-string tight end has caught nine of 15 targets for 81 yards and has yet to score in 2022. Week 5 saw the introduction of newly signed tight end Pharaoh Brown, whose presence could eventually eat into Bryant's playing time. Brown played just two snaps Sunday.

Brown played two snaps in Sunday's 30-28 loss to the Chargers in Week 5.

Brown, who was signed earlier in the week, was actually listed as a starter, but the newest member of the team had little impact. As the season advances, it's likely Brown will get more on-field work, but he's considered primarily a blocking tight end, while David Njoku is the pass-catching threat at the position. Njoku has turned into the offensive force the organization thought it was getting when he was drafted in the first round of 2017.

Hurst (groin) caught six of seven targets for 53 yards and a touchdown in a 19-17 loss to the Ravens on Sunday.

Hurst was limited in practice with a groin injury this week, but he was always leaning toward playing. A failed first-round pick of Baltimore in 2018, the Bengals' new starting tight end exacted his revenge with an impressive 19-yard touchdown in the second quarter; his second in as many weeks. The Ravens got the last laugh in this mini rivalry with the victory, but the 27-year-old is starting to show some of the promise as a receiver that he displayed as a college prospect. Hurst will look to keep this scoring streak rolling against the Saints next Sunday.