NFL Player News

Smythe secured his only target for five yards during Sunday's 42-38 win over the Ravens.

Smythe worked as the No. 1 tight end Week 1, but versus Baltimore he handled just 49 percent of offensive snaps compared to Gesicki (4-41-1), who played 61 percent. Smythe isn't nearly the receiving threat that Gesicki is, and to make matters worse, he's now committed a significant mistake in back-to-back contests. Back in Week 1, he narrowly avoided a fumble after losing control of a pass, and versus Baltimore his botched block of Justin Houston caused Tua Tagovailoa's only sack. If trends continue, Smythe could end up yielding work to Hunter Long (ankle) or Cethan Carter (concussion) when they return to health.

Conklin caught six of nine targets for 40 yards in Sunday's 31-30 win over the Browns.

Conklin's usage early in his Jets tenure has been encouraging, as he's had 16 passes thrown his way through two games. He'll need to improve his ball security, as Conklin fumbled for the second consecutive game, though both of them were recovered by the Jets. If C.J. Uzomah (hamstring) returns in Week 3 against the Bengals, he could cut into Conklin's near-monopoly on pass-catching opportunities among New York's tight ends.

Bates caught two of three targets for 15 yards in Sunday's 36-27 loss to the Lions, playing 32 percent of snaps on offense.

Bates saw more snaps Week 1 (55 percent) but was targeted just once. He's unlikely to see many passes as the No. 2 tight end behind Logan Thomas, who played 62 and 73 percent of snaps the first two weeks (with 11 targets) after suffering an ACL tear in the middle of last season. With Thomas seemingly healthy, Bates figures to handle a minor role again Week 3 against the Eagles.

Thomas caught three of five targets for 37 yards and a touchdown in Sunday's 36-27 loss to Detroit.

Thomas hasn't quite returned to his every-down role from 2020 and early 2021, but he did play 62 percent of offensive snaps in the season opener (with a 3-45-0 line on six targets) and then 73 percent in Week 2. He's back on the map as a fantasy option after an ACL tear last year, though his modest target share (12.9 percent) suggests there will also be some quiet games when Carson Wentz isn't so busy. Next up for Washington is a Week 3 home game against the Eagles.

Dissly caught both of his targets for no gain in Sunday's 27-7 loss to the 49ers.

After producing 43 yards and a touchdown in Week 1, Dissly regressed and actually handled less playing time than Noah Fant. Dissly played 23 offensive snaps while Fant logged 26 snaps. The two will continue to split snaps going forward, and it will be difficult to rely on either player in fantasy.

Fant caught both of his targets for 11 yards in Sunday's 27-7 loss to the 49ers.

Fant handled 26 of 49 offensive snaps, while fellow tight end Will Dissly was on the field for 23 snaps. Fant has produced just five catches for 27 yards through two games, and It doesn't appear that he'll have a big role on offense this season, as DK Metcalf and Tyler Lockett are the focal points of the passing game.

Tonyan was targeted twice and caught two passes for 11 yards in Sunday's victory over the Bears.

Tonyan made a rapid recovery from a torn ACL and took the field in Week 1, but the Packers aren't giving him a big workload right away. Although his snap count percentage increased slightly, he was out there for fewer than 40 percent of the plays for the second week in a row. Tonyan played at least 60 percent of the snaps in both 2020 and 2021, so it's evident there is room for growth in that department.

Brown caught three of five targets for 24 yards in Sunday's 16-9 loss to Denver.

Brown was more involved in the offense after getting just one target in Week 1, but none of the throws came during Houston's lone red-zone opportunity. Quarterback Davis Mills, who played well in Week 1, was not sharp in Denver and was out of synch with his wideouts, which may be why the tight end saw increased targets. Houston's tight ends went from five targets in Week 1 to 10 in Week 2.

Bryant caught three of four targets for 45 yards in Sunday's 31-30 loss to the Jets in Week 2.

Bryant had four targets for the second consecutive week and has the edge over primary tight end David Njoku (six targets in two games) in that category. Each tight end has two red-zone targets but neither has scored in 2022.

Njoku caught three of five targets for 32 yards in Sunday's 31-30 loss to the Jets in Week 2.

After a quiet opening game in which he was targeted just once, Njoku was back on top of the tight end group with his five targets. He was on the field for 94 percent of the offensive snaps (63 of 67 snaps), a greater share than he had in Week 1. This is still an offense dominated by its running backs, but quarterback Jacoby Brissett looked downfield more in Week 2 and averaged 8.5 yards per attempt, up from 4.3 against the Panthers, so the Cleveland passing game is beginning to show glimmers of upside.