NFL Player News

Kittle had five receptions (seven targets) for just 10 yards in Sunday's 27-24 overtime win over the Rams.

Kittle finished below 30 yards receiving for the third consecutive week, although the five receptions (for those in PPR formats) was his highest since Week 15. It seems like the 49ers let one of their best offensive weapons simply fade in the game plan at various points this season, much to the chagrin of the star tight end's fantasy managers. Kittle still finished the regular season with 71 receptions, 910 yards and six touchdowns over 14 healthy games, which still falls in the elite category despite him being underutilized at times. The 49ers will face a stiff test against the Cowboys in the first round of the playoffs, and it would behoove them to find a way to get one of their two top playmakers involved as a receiver.

Higbee caught six of eight targets for 55 yards and two scores in Sunday's 27-24 loss to San Francisco.

Higbee appeared to sustain a painful injury on the Rams' first drive of the second quarter, but he was able to return just in time to catch a wide-open lob in the back of the end zone. The veteran tight end even feigned an injury before breaking into dance after scoring his first of two touchdowns on the day. It was a strong finish to a decent fantasy campaign, as the 28-year-old finishes with 61 receptions, 560 yards and five scores in 15 games this regular season. Higbee's projections should remain modest in the first round of the playoffs against Arizona next week.

Ertz caught seven passes for 84 yards on 10 targets against Seattle on Sunday.

Ertz was the only Arizona pass catcher who could get anything going Sunday, even in what was a favorable matchup for the Arizona passing game. Despite his unceremonious exit from Philadelphia earlier this year, Ertz clearly has a good bit left in the tank, and even as an in-season pickup he almost immediately became one of the most important parts of the Arizona offense. In his 11 games with Arizona, the tight end caught 56 passes for 574 yards and three touchdowns on 81 targets. He'll likely be a central component of the Arizona offense in their playoff game plan.

Everett caught a 20-yard pass on three targets against Arizona on Sunday.

Everett could have had a touchdown catch but didn't reel it in, and he was otherwise doomed by lack of opportunity on a day in which Russell Wilson attempted only 26 pass attempts. Everett finishes the season with 48 receptions for 478 yards and four touchdowns on 63 targets -- a catch rate of 76.2 percent at 7.6 yards per target, which is quite efficient per-target production. The volume was never really there for Everett in 2021, but that's arguably more due to the incredibly slow pace of the Seattle offense rather than anything in Everett's control. His fantasy prospects for 2022 depend on where he'll play -- he's a free agent after playing on a one-year contract in 2021.

Holtz failed to see a target in the Bears' 31-17 Week 18 loss to the Vikings, and he ended the season without recording a catch.

After posting seven catches for 91 yards in 2019, Holtz failed to catch a pass in 2020 or 2021. He'll be a restricted free agent this offseason, and unless his situation drastically changes, he won't likely be selected in most 2022 fantasy drafts.

James posted no stats in the Bears' 31-17 Week 18 loss to the Vikings, and he ended the season with seven catches for 62 yards and a touchdown.

As the Bears' third-string tight end, James saw more than 25 snaps on just two occasions. Although he technically has three more years on his contract, all are void years, and the team can move on with no cap penalty. However, if the Bears let Jimmy Graham go, James could move up the depth chart and potentially have fantasy value as a red-zone target, though Cole Kmet will likely see the overwhelming majority of tight end targets.

Graham caught two passes for 16 yards in the Bears' 31-17 Week 18 loss to the Vikings, and he ended the season with 14 receptions for 167 yards and three touchdowns.

During the season, Graham caught two or fewer passes in each game he played, though almost half of his targets came in the red zone, where he still showed the ability to box out defenders and score a few touchdowns. The 35-year-old is unlikely to see high target volume in 2022, though he could continue to see end-zone targets if he's on an NFL roster. Although he technically has four more years on his contract, all are void years, and the team can move on from him with no cap penalty.

Waller (knee) is listed as active for Sunday night's game against the Chargers.

Following league-wide developments earlier in the day, both Las Vegas and Los Angeles are fighting for a playoff spot in the final game of the NFL's regular-season slate. In that context, Waller will give it a go for the first time since Week 12, and even if he's somewhat limited following a long layoff, his return no doubt is a welcome development for the Raiders' Week 18 passing attack. The talented tight end checks back into the team's lineup with averages of 5.3 catches (on 8.4 targets) for 64.3 yards per game while scoring two touchdowns in 10 appearances on the campaign.

Hill sustained a foot injury during Sunday's contest in Atlanta, Amie Just of The New Orleans Times-Picayune reports.

As the Saints returned to the field from halftime, coach Sean Payton told Laura Okmin on the Fox broadcast that Hill has a Lisfranc injury. Payton also relayed, "If he can go, he will go." Hill wasn't spotted on the sideline to begin the third quarter, and Trevor Siemian remained under center, so it's unclear if Hill actually will get a chance to return. Assuming Hill doesn't, he'll finish Week 18 having completed seven of nine passes for 107 yards and one touchdown and logging five carries for 18 yards.

Andrews secured eight of 16 targets for 85 yards and rushed once for no gain in the Ravens' 16-13 overtime loss to the Steelers on Sunday.

To label the star tight end Tyler Huntley's security blanket would be a major understatement, as Andrews was targeted nine more times than the next-closest pass catcher, Marquise Brown. Andrews easily paced the Ravens in receptions and receiving yards as a result, a performance that closed out what was a spectacular last month-plus of the regular season. Andrews recorded at least six receptions and Sunday's 85 yards in each of this last five contests, a sample in which he also eclipsed the 100-yard mark on three occasions. The final surge left Andrews with a career-best 107 receptions and 1,361 receiving yards, numbers he complemented with nine touchdowns. Andrews arguably will be as much or an even more coveted of a fantasy asset as Travis Kelce and George Kittle at the tight end position ahead of the 2022 season.