NFL Player News

Hurst caught his only target for a three-yard touchdown during Sunday's 29-21 win over the Panthers.

Hurst returned from a three-game absence to catch his second touchdown of the season. Before the ankle injury, Hurst recorded 20 receptions on 25 targets for 158 yards and a touchdown through nine games. Matt Ryan's reliance on checkdowns to running backs and tight ends makes the 2018 first-round pick an interesting option, but the emergence of Kyle Pitts will likely diminish Hurst's fantasy potential.

Blanton is expected to start at tight end in Monday's game against the Cardinals after the Rams placed Tyler Higbee on the reserve/COVID-19 list.

Blanton, an undrafted rookie out of Missouri, was added to the Rams' roster Week 7 and has played just 37 offensive snaps on the season, drawing three targets. The 6-foot-6, 262-pound Blanton has served mainly as a blocker during his time on the field, so he likely won't be tasked with matching Higbee's output as a pass catcher, even though he's the frontrunner to absorb most of the snaps at tight end. Behind Blanton on the depth chart are 2020 fourth-round draft pick Brycen Hopkins and practice squad call-up Jared Pinkney, who profile as better receiving threats than Blanton but have played just 16 offensive snaps between them during their NFL careers.

Higbee won't be available for Monday's game against the Cardinals after the Rams placed him on the reserve/COVID-19 list.

Higbee and cornerback Jalen Ramsey were placed on the list in the hours leading up to the 8:15 p.m. ET kickoff, leaving the Rams without two key starters. They become the fifth players to be placed on the list within the last few days, joining running back Darrell Henderson, offensive tackle Rob Havenstein and cornerback Donte Deayon. The team hasn't revealed whether Higbee or Ramsey tested positive for the virus, or if they were deemed close contacts of an infected person. In any case, Higbee will sit out his first game of the season Monday, and his status for Los Angeles' Week 15 game against the Seahawks also is in question. Kendall Blanton is the next man up at tight end, and rookie Brycen Hopkins could be called upon to cover some of Higbee's vacated snaps.

Lewis was targeted four times and caught four passes for 51 yards in Sunday's 45-30 victory over the Bears.

Both the reception and yardage totals were season highs for Lewis, who played 55 percent of the snaps Sunday after being on the field for fewer than 40 percent of the plays the Packers ran over the two weeks leading up to their Week 13 bye. While Lewis had his best game of the season, he still split tight end duties with teammate Josiah Deguara, so his fantasy value hasn't been altered significantly. Lewis will have the matchup in his favor in both Weeks 15 and 16, but considering he racked up a total of 13 yards over the four games prior to Sunday, he remains on the fringes in fantasy circles.

Schultz caught one of three targets for four yards in Sunday's 27-20 win over Washington.

It was something of an odd day for the Dallas offense, as Dak Prescott struggled to move the ball consistently even with the defense giving him some short fields, and Schultz's lack of production reflected that erratic performance. The tight end's numbers have declined since Michael Gallup returned to the lineup, and with CeeDee Lamb and Amari Cooper also healthy, there may not be a lot of looks left over for Schultz.

Deguara was targeted three times and caught three passes for 44 yards in Sunday's 45-30 victory over the Bears.

The 44 yards were a career best for Deguara, as were the 37 snaps he played in Sunday's contest. He has not stamped himself as the Packers' top tight end, as teammate Marcedes Lewis racked up more yards and receptions Week 14 and played just one fewer snap. However, Deguara at least has done enough to put himself on the radar for Weeks 15 and 16, when the Packers will take on Ravens and Browns defenses that have been below average this season against opposing tight ends.

Johnson secured his only target for 15 yards during Sunday's 30-9 win over the Jets.

Johnson saw roughly half the snaps of Nick Vannett, who ended up leading the offense with 44 receiving yards on six targets. However, even if Johnson started seeing more playing time, no Saints receivers are safe for fantasy purposes as long as the offense flows through the rushing abilities of Taysom Hill and Alvin Kamara.

Wright caught three of five passes for 20 yards during Sunday's 38-10 loss to the Broncos.

Wright seemed in store for a heightened load with T.J. Hockenson (hand) sidelined. While Wright certainly was more involved as a receiver, he did it while not topping 60 percent of the offensive snaps. Instead, Shane Zylstra led Detroit tight ends in snaps, though neither managed a useful stat line for fantasy purposes. Even if Hockenson remains sidelined Week 15 against Arizona, neither Wright nor Zylstra will be worthy of much fantasy consideration.

Thomas didn't catch either of his two targets in Sunday's 29-21 loss to the Falcons.

Thomas played one more offensive snap than fellow tight end Tommy Tremble, but the rookie caught both of his targets for 23 yards, again outperforming Thomas statistically. With just three receptions for 26 yards over his last six appearances, Thomas' fantasy value is extremely restricted.

Tremble caught both of his targets for 23 yards in Sunday's 29-21 loss to the Falcons.

Tremble played just one less offensive snap than fellow tight end Ian Thomas and again outperformed him statistically. Although he's usually only good for a catch or two, Tremble's increased involvement over the course of his rookie campaign is a positive development.