NFL Player News

Coach Vic Fangio said Monday that Fant (illness) is close to clearing the league's COVID-19 protocols, Aric DiLalla of the Broncos' official site reports.

Fangio is optimistic that Fant will be able to rejoin the Broncos on Tuesday, but he has "one last hurdle" to clear before he's activated. The tight end has been on the reserve/COVID-19 list since Nov. 2 after testing positive for the virus, but it appears as though he has a good chance to return to action Sunday against the Eagles.

McKeon failed to catch either of his targets in Sunday's 30-16 loss to the Broncos.

With Blake Jarwin (hip) sidelined, McKeon moved into the No. 2 role at tight end for the Cowboys and saw his first two targets of the season, but he wasn't able to bring in either one. Dalton Schultz will remain the clear No. 1 at the position for Dallas, but McKeon could stumble into some deep-league fantasy value while Jarwin is out.

Dafney was targeted once but did not catch a pass in Sunday's 13-7 loss to the Chiefs.

Dafney was on the field for 40 percent of the 63 plays run by the Packers' offense, but he did not see another football in his direction after the first offensive play of the contest. Dafney still has not caught a pass this season -- he did miss five games with a hip injury -- but he should continue seeing the field plenty with fellow tight end Robert Tonyan (knee) done for the season.

Lewis was targeted once and caught one pass for minus-1 yard in Sunday's 13-7 loss to the Chiefs.

Lewis led Packers tight ends in snaps against Kansas City, but he spent most of the day providing added protection for Jordan Love, who was blitzed heavily in his first pro start. Lewis figures to continue spending most of his time blocking, but with top pass-catching tight end Robert Tonyan (knee) out for the season, Lewis could see a few more passes in his direction once starting quarterback Aaron Rodgers (illness) is back at the helm.

Deguara was targeted twice and caught two passes for 16 yards in Sunday's 13-7 loss to the Chiefs.

Deguara matched the career-high two receptions he recorded Week 8, but he didn't do much for fantasy players who were hoping he would step up in the absence of fellow tight end Robert Tonyan (knee). Deguara will have more opportunities to contribute with Tonyan done for the season, but he played the third-most snaps among Packers tight ends Week 9, so his role wasn't markedly different than it was in previous weeks. Of course, his prospects could improve some once starting quarterback Aaron Rodgers (illness) returns.

Tremble caught one of two targets for six yards in Sunday's 24-6 loss to the Patriots.

Tremble played just four fewer offensive snaps than Ian Thomas, but neither Carolina tight end managed more than one reception amid quarterback Sam Darnold's continued struggles. Through nine games, Tremble now sports just nine grabs, giving him little value ahead of Week 10's matchup versus the Cardinals.

Thomas caught one of two targets for nine yards in Sunday's 24-6 loss to the Patriots.

Thomas also recovered a fumble, but he was flagged for a costly unsportsmanlike conduct penalty that pushed Carolina out of the red zone during the second quarter. Through nine games, Thomas has now hauled in more than one pass just twice, evidencing his rather restricted fantasy upside.

Jordan caught two of two targets for nine yards in Sunday's 17-9 loss to the Dolphins.

A week after making his NFL debut and scoring his first touchdown, Jordan was given more snaps (20). He played nearly as much as Jordan Akins (25 snaps) and could see more work when Houston resumes its season after a Week 10 bye.

Akins caught two of three targets for seven yards in Sunday's 17-9 loss to Miami.

Akins, who has multiple catches in six of the last seven games, also had a fumble late in the fourth quarter that stymied the Texans' comeback attempt. There could be change coming in the second half after Houston's bye in Week 10, as the 29-year-old tight end is in the final year of his contract and is not expected back in 2022. The Texans are developing rookie tight end Brevin Jordan to take on the receiving role at the position.

Kittle caught six of eight targets for 101 yards and a touchdown in Sunday's 31-17 loss to the Cardinals.

The tight end looked completely healthy in his first game action since Week 4, and Kittle celebrated his return from a calf injury by leading the 49ers in receiving yards and scoring his first TD of 2021 on a six-yard toss from Jimmy Garoppolo just before halftime. Kittle will attempt to continue to make up for lost time in a Week 10 clash with the Rams.