NFL Player News

Bell was unable to haul in his lone target Thursday against the Chargers.

Bell has played more than 20 percent of snaps in all but one game he's appeared in this season but hasn't recorded more than a single catch in any one game.That could change next week, however, with Travis Kelce being placed on the COVID-19/reserve list Monday. Bell would presumably take over as the team's top tight end if Kelce is unable to clear the league's protocol in time, with Noah Gray also figuring into the mix more often.

Higbee wasn't activated from the reserve/COVID-19 list and won't be available for Tuesday's game against the Seahawks, Lindsey Thiry of ESPN.com reports.

Higbee is one of nine players on the 53-man roster and 16 in the organization who was unable to clear the necessary COVID-19 protocols for the Week 15 contest, even after the NFL pushed back the game two days from its original date. The tight end will be missing his second straight game, after he was previously sidelined for a Week 14 win over the Cardinals for what was later revealed to be a false positive COVID-19 test. Though he was restored to the roster one day after that game, Higbee returned to the list three days later, either due to a true positive test or as an unvaccinated close contact of an infected person. In any case, with Higbee missing his second game in a row, the Rams will likely turn to the blocking-oriented Kendall Blanton to make another start at tight end.

Freiermuth was placed in the NFL's five-step concussion protocol after exiting Sunday's 19-13 win over the Titans with a head injury, Teresa Varley of the Steelers' official site reports.

Freiermuth contributed four receptions for 37 yards on four targets before departing. With the rookie tight end now in the concussion protocol, he'll likely be listed as a limited or non-participant when Pittsburgh resumes practicing Wednesday. In order to make himself eligible to play this weekend in Kansas City, Freiermuth will need to resume taking contact in addition to receiving clearance from an independent neurologist.

Okwuegbunam caught three of four targets for 58 yards in Sunday's 15-10 loss to the Bengals.

Okwuegbunam remained involved in Denver's passing attack Sunday, as his 58 yards were a team-high. The 23-year-old tight end has now seen at least four targets in his last 3 games. Against Cincinnati, Okwuegbunam played on 30 of the Broncos' 75 offensive snaps, exactly half of starter Noah Fant's snap total in the contest. Though Okwuegbunam is difficult to trust for fantasy purposes, his involvement in the offense is an encouraging sign. The 6-foot-5, 258-pounder will be nothing more than a desperation play in a favorable matchup with the Raiders in Week 16.

Forristall played one offensive snap in Monday's 16-14 loss to the Raiders.

With starting tight end Austin Hooper unavailable on the reserve/COVID-19 list, Forristall was part of the active roster for the second consecutive game. He played 10 offensive snaps last week against the Baltimore and has not been targeted in the two games.

Bryant caught two of two targets for 11 yards, including a six-yard touchdown catch in Monday's 16-14 loss to Las Vegas.

Bryant was touch-and-go during the practice week with an ankle injury but was needed amid a COVID-19 outbreak that made starting tight end Austin Hooper unavailable. His touchdown catch gave Cleveland a 14-13 lead with just under four minutes left. It was the first TD of the season for Bryant, who operated as the second tight end behind David Njoku. The second-year player out of Florida Atlantic has caught 18 of 23 targets for 222 yards over 13 games (17.1 YPG).

Conklin brought in one of three targets for seven yards in the Vikings' 17-9 win over the Bears on Monday night.

The emerging tight end had a rough night, one which was more or less emblematic of the struggles of the Vikings' passing game as a whole. Conklin has established new career highs across the board this season, but he's now been limited to no more than three receptions and 35 receiving yards in five of the last six contests. Conklin's next chance to boost his production comes in a Week 16 home matchup against the Rams that will be critical to Minnesota's playoff hopes.

Graham caught one pass for 13 yards in the Bears' 17-9 loss to the Vikings on Monday.

Aside from his lone reception, Graham failed to box out a defender on an end-zone target that should've resulted in a score. Over the last three games, he's recorded four catches for 17 yards, making him a touchdown-dependent fantasy option in the fantasy playoffs.

Horsted caught a 19-yard touchdown pass in the Bears' 17-9 loss to the Vikings on Monday.

With the game out of hand and the clock winding down, the Bears had many of their backups on the field, which led to Horsted catching a touchdown pass on his only target as time expired. He's certainly been efficient this year, as he's caught two of his three targets, with both of his receptions coming in the end zone. It's unlikely he'll have enough of a role in the offense to be considered in the fantasy playoffs.

Kmet caught six passes for 71 yards in the Bears' 17-9 loss to the Vikings on Monday.

Kmet led the Bears in targets and he frequently had plenty of room to operate in the middle of the field, helping him post a solid yardage total. He was also open for a potential touchdown reception in the fourth quarter, but Justin Fields threw the ball behind where it needed to be, and the ball was knocked away. Although he hasn't scored all year, he's posted at least 41 yards in three of his last four games, and he'll be a potential fantasy starter for the duration of the fantasy playoffs.