NFL Player News

Kelce caught eight of nine targets for 121 yards and a touchdown in Sunday's 44-21 win over the Cardinals.

With Tyreek Hill now in Miami, Kelce is the clear top target for Patrick Mahomes, and he proved it in Week 1 by leading Kansas City in receptions, targets and receiving yards while hauling in Mahomes' first of five TD passes on the day. The tight end recorded his 30th career game with 100-plus yards, leaving Kelce just two games short of Rob Gronkowski's NFL record of 32, with Hall of Famer Tony Gonzalez (31) the only other TE in league history with 30 or more.

Kmet failed to catch his lone target in the Bears' 19-10 win over the 49ers on Sunday.

Not only did Kmet see quite a bit of 49ers' coverage ace Fred Warner, the wet field was a disaster while intermittent heavy rain fell during the game. He'll look to get on track next week when Chicago travels to Green Bay.

Waller caught four passes on six targets for 79 yards in a loss against the Chargers on Sunday.

Waller did his part and his box score is clean at a glance, but he didn't get involved until late in the game, notching three of his four receptions in the fourth quarter. The Raiders took a loss with this approach, so they might try to get Waller going earlier in future games after Davante Adams claimed 17 of Vegas' 35 targets in the season opener. The Raiders face Arizona in Week 2.

Hockenson caught four of seven targets for 38 yards during Sunday's 38-35 loss to the Eagles.

The good news is that Hockenson was one of three Lions receivers to earn more than three targets. However, he was generally the target of shorter throws and specifically the target of the pick-six that Jared Goff threw in the first half. Better days should be ahead for Hockenson on the production front as long as he keeps seeing respectable volume, but the sheer number of playmakers Detroit suddenly has on offense could limit his opportunities down the field and in the red zone. Next up for Hockenson is a Week 2 matchup with a Washington team that is uncertain to have standout safety Kamren Curl (thumb) available.

Freiermuth caught five passes on 10 targets for 75 yards in an overtime win against Cincinnati on Sunday.

It was a borderline excellent performance by Freiermuth given the mediocre quarterback play of Mitch Trubisky. Freiermuth knows how to read defensive leverage and find weak spots even a bad quarterback can hit, then he plays rugged through contact to make the most of the target. He may not become a top-shelf fantasy option as long as the quarterback play is subpar, but Freiermuth's own abilities are increasingly difficult to question.

Goedert brought in three of four targets for 60 yards in the Eagles' 38-35 win over the Lions on Sunday.

The athletic tight end was second in receptions and receiving yards on the afternoon for the Eagles while also tying with Kenneth Gainwell as distant runner-ups to A.J. Brown in targets as well. Goedert's 27-yard reception was the highlight of his day and was a tangible reminder of his downfield prowess, but fantasy managers will be hoping to see a bit more equity in the target share between him and Brown in a Week 2 Monday night showdown at home against the Vikings on Sept. 19.

Hurst caught five passes for 46 yards on eight targets in the 23-20 overtime loss to the Steelers on Sunday.

Hurst was quiet in the game at first, but he stepped up a bit following the exit of wideout Tee Higgins (concussion) and made some plays toward the end. It's at the very least encouraging that Hurst decisively held off 2019 second-round pick Drew Sample, who drew just one target for a two-yard catch in the game. Hurst might need to play a bigger role again if Higgins is unable to gain clearance before Cincinnati plays at Dallas in Week 2.

McBride (coach's decision) is inactive for Sunday's game versus the Chiefs, Darren Urban of the Cardinals' official site reports.

Despite Zach Ertz coming back from a calf injury that sidelined him for more than a month and Maxx Williams returning from a torn ACL suffered last October, McBride won't see NFL action in his first opportunity to do so. It may come as a surprise considering the Cardinals spent a second-round pick on the tight end back in April, but McBride will have to wait until potentially next Sunday at Las Vegas to see the field in an official game.

Parham (hamstring) is inactive for Sunday's Week 1 matchup against the Raiders, Jeff Miller of the Los Angeles Times reports.

As expected, Parham is unable to overcome his doubtful status to start the season. As a result, top tight end Gerald Everett could see some extra targets in his first regular-season game with the Bolts, while Tre' McKitty is likely to serve as his primary backup.

Ertz (calf) is active for Sunday's game against the Chiefs, Darren Urban of the Cardinals' official site reports.

Ertz was sidelined for the entire preseason due to a calf injury sustained in practice Aug. 4. He proceeded to return to the field this week, fitting in a pair of limited sessions around an absence Thursday. The activity was enough for the Cardinals to clear Ertz for Week 1 action, when he'll serve as the team's top pass-catching tight end. In 12 games (including playoffs) with Arizona following his trade from Philadelphia last season, he put together a 59-595-3 line on 85 targets.