NFL Player News

Ertz gathered in five of seven targets for 42 yards during Monday's 30-23 loss to the Rams.

Ertz had some practice limitations during Week 14 prep due to a shoulder injury, but he wasn't any worse for wear on game day, earning a snap share (83 percent) in line with his previous four contests (76-81 percent). Kyler Murray again spread the ball around among the Cardinals' key skill-position players, with Ertz tying for third in catches, sitting fourth in targets and finishing fifth in receiving yards on the team. He has a friendly matchup on tap Sunday against a Lions defense that has allowed nearly 8.0 yards per target (seventh most in the NFL) to tight ends this season.

Kelce compiled just three catches for 27 yards on four targets during Sunday's game against the Raiders.

Kelce hasn't enjoyed the kind of success recently that he's accustomed to, reeling in a combined six passes for 54 yards over the past pair of games. The competition level figures to turn up a notch this week against a tough Chargers team, which could afford the veteran tight end more opportunities to get his hands on the ball. Kelce still ranks second among tight ends in receiving yards (875) and receptions (73) but is lagging slightly behind as a red-zone threat this year, posting just five touchdowns.

Higbee's positive test for COVID-19 has been deemed a false positive, Kevin Modesti of the Los Angeles Daily News reports.

Higbee thus is not considered to have actually tested positive for the virus, despite numerous teammates recently doing so. That likely leaves a good chance for him to suit up Sunday against the Seahawks. Look for the tight end's activation from the Reserve/COVID-19 list to be forthcoming, though there's no need to rush the move with the Rams' facility shut down at the moment.

Bates caught one of his two targets for 19 yards during Sunday's 27-20 loss to the Cowboys.

With Logan Thomas (knee) on injured reserve, Bates operated as the No. 2 tight end behind Ricky Seals-Jones. Seals-Jones saw two more targets than Bates, but the latter out-gained the former 19-8. Over his last four games, Bates has caught 11 of 13 targets for 124 yards, but barring his first touchdown of the season, the rookie fourth-round pick doesn't garner much fantasy potential heading into Week 15.

Bryant (ankle) is in line to return to practice Wednesday, Jake Trotter of ESPN.com reports.

Bryant suffered a high-ankle sprain Week 12 at Baltimore, but with the benefit of the Browns' ensuing bye week he's only missed one game so far due to the injury. If he gets back on the field Wednesday, he could be set up nicely for a big workload Saturday with multiple Cleveland players landing on the reserve/COVID-19 list. In his position group alone, Austin Hooper, David Njoku and Stephen Carlson are on the list, leaving Bryant and Miller Forristall as the remaining TEs on the active roster.

Hooper was placed on the reserve/COVID-19 list Tuesday.

Last Tuesday, Cleveland added tight ends David Njoku and Stephen Carlson to the reserve/COVID-19 list. Hooper now joins them this week along with five others, including Jarvis Landry, that all tested positive for the virus, per Tom Pelissero of NFL Network. The team has a quicker turnaround between games than normal with a Saturday matchup against the Raiders on tap, so the state of the TE room is in flux for Week 15. Currently, Harrison Bryant (ankle) and Miller Forristall are the members of the position group currently not on the COVID-19 list.

Fant caught all four of his targets for 51 yards in Sunday's 38-10 win over the Lions.

Fant's 51 receiving yards were a team high, though it was Denver's No. 2 tight end Albert Okwuegbunam who had the better fantasy day. Fant played on 50 offensive snaps, while Okwuegbunam was in on 38. The latter, however, found the end zone on a four-yard catch late in the game. Like the rest of Denver's pass catchers, Fant has been underwhelming for several weeks, and he hasn't scored a touchdown since Week 6. The 6-foot-4, 249-pounder will be hard to trust down the stretch, starting with a Week 15 matchup against the Bengals.

Parham caught both of his targets for 13 yards in Sunday's 37-21 win over the Giants on Sunday.

Parham played 41 percent of all offensive snaps, but he was held in check against a New York defense that gives up the 14th most yards to the tight-end position. After catching three touchdowns in his first six games this season, the young tight end has not caught a TD pass in his last five outings. For the 24-year-old to be an effective tight end in fantasy, he must figure out a way to get back in the end zone due to a lack of targets (26 in 13 games). Parham and the Chargers get a Chiefs defensive unit on Thursday, one that has looked very strong as of late.

Coach Dan Campbell said Monday he's "hopeful" Hockenson (hand) will be available for Sunday's game against the Cardinals.

Campbell said the same of D'Andre Swift (shoulder), so it looks like it's possible both of Detroit's top offensive weapons could be back on the field versus Arizona. In the event that Hockenson needs more time to rest, however, undrafted rookie Brock Wright and Shane Zylstra (also undrafted in 2020) will once again be called upon to hold down the fort at tight end.

Thomas (knee) has undergone further testing which revealed an ACL tear, John Keim of ESPN reports.

Washington initially feared Thomas had suffered an ACL tear, but follow-up testing led the team to be optimistic the structural damage in his knee had not impacted his ACL. However, after he had already been placed on season-ending IR, further testing has now confirmed the severity of Thomas' injury, for which he's expected to undergo surgery shortly. As a result the tight end, who recently signed a three-year, $24 million extension, faces a more arduous recovery timeframe and may not be back to 100 percent by the start of the 2022 season. For the remainder of the 2021 campaign, Ricky Seals-Jones will operate as Washington's top tight end.