NFL Player News

Trautman (illness) wasn't activated from the reserve/COVID-19 list prior to the Saints' deadline for Week 16 roster moves and won't be available for Monday's game against the Dolphins, Katherine Terrell of The Athletic reports.

After testing positive for the virus Wednesday and landing on the list, Trautman was facing an uphill battle to gain clearance for the Week 16 contest. With Trautman sidelined for the fourth time in five games -- he was spent Weeks 12 through 14 on injured reserve with a sprained knee -- Nick Vannett and Ethan Wolf are left as the Saints' options at tight end.

Jacksonsille placed Farrell on the reserve/COVID-19 list Monday after he tested positive for the virus, Tom Pelissero of NFL Network reports.

Farrell played one offensive snap Sunday against the Jets and is now on the COVID-19 list. Chris Manhertz (illness) was also added to the list, leaving James O'Shaughnessy and Jacob Hollister as the only healthy tight ends on the roster.

Jacksonville placed Manhertz on the reserve/COVID-19 list Monday after he tested positive for the virus, Tom Pelissero of NFL Network reports.

Manhertz wasn't targeted on 27 offensive snaps during Sunday's loss to the Jets, and he's now looks to be at risk of missing the Jaguars' Week 17 game against the Patriots. Luke Farrell (illness) also landed on the COVID-19 list, leaving James O'Shaughnessy and Jacob Hollister as the only available tight ends on the roster.

Jacksonville placed Arnold (knee) on the reserve/COVID-19 list Monday after he tested positive for the virus, Tom Pelissero of NFL Network reports.

Arnold was designated to return from injured reserve last week but must now also contend with the COVID-19 protocols. He'll need to clear said protocols before returning to the practice field, with James O'Shaughnessy and Jacob Hollister currently the team's top available tight end options.

Coach Robert Saleh said Wesco (knee) will be sidelined for "a while" by an MCL injury, Connor Hughes of The Athletic reports.

Wesco suffered the injury during Sunday's win over the Jets, and it's safe to rule him out for the final two games of the season. The 2019 fourth-round pick finishes the campaign with three receptions for 25 yards in 12 games.

Alie-Cox caught two of his four targets for 42 yards during Saturday's 22-16 win over the Cardinals.

Jack Doyle (ankle, knee) played just two offensive snaps before leaving the game with a pair of injuries. His absence opened the door for Alie-Cox to record his most receptions since Week 7 and his most receiving yards since Week 5. If Doyle is unable to play in Week 17, then Alie-Cox could be a viable streaming option against the Raiders on Sunday.

Conklin caught four of his five targets for 44 yards during Sunday's 30-23 loss to the Rams.

Conklin had caught at least two passes in every single game this season until he was held to just one catch for seven yards against the Bears in Week 15. However, the tight end bounced back against the Rams to notch his seventh game with at least four catches and his seventh game with at least 40 yards receiving. Through 15 games, the 26-year-old has totaled 54 catches for 540 yards and three touchdowns. Conklin caught all three of his targets for 35 yards during the Vikings' first meeting with the Packers and will likely see a similar workload during the rematch in Week 17.

Hurst caught both of his targets for 21 yards and a touchdown during Sunday's 20-16 win over the Lions.

Hurst caught his first pass of the game on the last play of the first quarter, but he wasn't targeted again until he caught the go-ahead, 12-yard touchdown early in the fourth quarter, which ultimately turned out to be the game winner. Hurst has now caught at least one pass in each of his last three games, including two touchdown grabs. Matt Ryan's reliance on tight ends makes Hurst worthy of fantasy consideration, but barring an occasional touchdown, his fantasy production is likely diminished by the standout play from Kyle Pitts.

Smith logged 21 of a possible 64 snaps on offense in Sunday's 33-21 loss to the Bills, Mike Reiss of ESPN.com reports.

In the process, Smith was not targeted in the contest. Meanwhile, fellow tight end Hunter Henry saw action on 55 snaps and caught one of his six targets for nine yards. While working in a game-flow dependent timeshare, Smith remains a hit-or-miss fantasy option down the stretch.

Henry was on the field for 55 of a possible 64 snaps on offense in Sunday's 33-21 loss to the Bills en route to catching one of his six targets for nine yards, Mike Reiss of ESPN.com reports.

Meanwhile, fellow tight end Jonnu Smith logged 21 snaps and wasn't targeted in the contest. Henry's Week 16 fantasy dud follows an effort last weekend in which he caught six of eight targets for a season-high 77 yards and two touchdowns in a loss to the Colts. A stat line somewhere in the middle of that range is a plausible projection for him versus the Jaguars this coming Sunday.