NFL Player News

Njoku is in line to serve as Cleveland's top tight end for Monday's game against Las Vegas after Austin Hooper (illness) wasn't reinstated from the reserve/COVID-19 list, Anthony Poisal of the Browns' official site reports.

After missing Cleveland's Week 14 win over Baltimore while he resided on the reserve/COVID-19 list, Njoku was restored to the roster Thursday, two days after Hooper tested positive for the virus Tuesday. Even with the NFL pushing back the Browns' Week 15 game an extra two days, Hooper wasn't able to clear the necessary protocols, which should leave Njoku in store for one of his larger snap shares and target counts of the season. Cleveland could have No. 3 tight end Harrison Bryant (ankle) available Monday, but expect Njoku to see the bulk of the work at the position as the healthier option. Njoku will be working with third-string quarterback Nick Mullens, who will pick up the start with both Baker Mayfield (illness) and Case Keenum (illness) still stuck on the reserve/COVID-19 list.

Bowers (neck) has been activated from IR in advance of Monday's game against the Browns.

With Darren Waller (knee/back) unavailable for the contest, Bowers will give the Raiders some added Week 15 tight end depth behind Foster Moreau and Daniel Helm. Prior to landing on IR in October, Bowers had seen most of his snaps on special teams.

Hurst caught both of his targets for six yards during Sunday's 31-13 loss to the 49ers.

Hurst battled an illness in practice leading up to Week 15, but he was able to play 25 of the Falcons' 60 offensive snaps. However, his role in the passing attack remained minimal. With Kyle Pitts and Russell Gage absorbing the majority of Matt Ryan's attention, it will be difficult for another viable fantasy to emerge from the Falcons' struggling offense.

Hooper (illness) wasn't activated from the reserve/COVID-19 list and won't be available for Monday's game against the Raiders, Mary Kay Cabot of The Cleveland Plain Dealer reports.

Even with the NFL pushing back Cleveland's Week 15 game an extra two days in addition to relaxing the return-to-play protocols for vaccinated individuals who test positive for COVID-19, Hooper and several other key Browns players weren't able to clear the necessary protocols prior to Monday's 5 p.m. ET kickoff. With Hooper and wideout Jarvis Landry (illness) both set to miss Monday's contest, fill-in starting quarterback Nick Mullens will likely have to make do with Donovan Peoples-Jones, Anthony Schwartz (concussion), Rashard Higgins and David Njoku as his top targets in the passing game.

Thomas caught his only target for five yards in Sunday's 31-14 loss to the Bills.

Thomas trailed rookie Tommy Tremble in snaps, but he at least hauled in the only look sent his way. Given his small role, though, the veteran holds little fantasy value ahead of Week 16's matchup versus the Bucs.

Tremble caught one of four targets for eight yards in Sunday's 31-14 loss to the Bills.

Tremble played seven more snaps than Ian Thomas, but neither tight end managed more than one reception. In a struggling offense, the rookie usually doesn't make much of an impact beyond a catch or two for mild yardage, restricting his fantasy value.

Davis was targeted once and caught one pass for 22 yards in Sunday's 31-30 victory over the Ravens.

Davis' numbers certainly did not stand out in the box score, but the 22-yard reception was a career long and he also played a career-high 19 snaps on offense. Davis remains definitively behind Josiah Deguara and Marcedes Lewis on the depth chart, but he will continue operating as the Packers' third tight end until Dominique Dafney (ankle) returns, and he could retain the role afterward.

Firkser recorded two receptions on two targets for 19 yards in Sunday's 19-13 loss to Pittsburgh.

Firkser recorded multiple receptions for the third time in his last four games, though he was still on the field for only 17 offensive snaps. He lost a fumble on Tennessee's first drive, which may have limited his playing time further. Overall, Firkser remains in the tight end rotation in Tennessee, but his production remains unreliable while splitting time with both Geoff Swaim and MyCole Pruitt.

Lewis was targeted three times and caught three passes for 40 yards in Sunday's 31-30 victory over the Ravens.

Lewis set season highs with four catches and 51 yards in Week 14, and he followed that up with his second-best day of the campaign from both a reception and yardage standpoint. He will be worth a look in Week 16 against a Browns team that has had issues containing tight ends of late, but fantasy players will probably want to turn their eyes elsewhere, as Lewis trailed fellow tight end Josiah Deguara in snaps for the second week in a row and still retains a fairly low floor.

Deguara was targeted five times and caught three passes for 16 yards in Sunday's 31-30 victory over the Ravens.

While the five targets were a career high for Deguara, he was unable to do much with them, and he finished with no more than 16 yards for the fourth time in the six games the Packers have played since losing starting tight end Robert Tonyan (knee). Deguara did play more than 50 percent of the snaps for the second week in a row, and he will have the matchup in his favor in Week 16 against the Browns. However, his game log suggests he will be tough to trust in that contest.