NFL Player News

Pitts brought in four of eight targets for 31 yards in the Falcons' 32-6 loss to the Eagles on Sunday.

Pitts' highly anticipated regular-season debut was a disappointing microcosm of the Falcons' afternoon, even as the rookie tight end tied for second on the team in receptions and also was the runner-up in receiving yardage, despite his modest total. His longest reception went for 18 yards, meaning he netted a measly 13 on his three other grabs. Pitts did draw even with Calvin Ridley for the team lead in targets, however, offering a glimmer of optimism for disheartened fantasy managers who invested heavy draft capital in him. Pitts will have the tough task of trying to better his production in a Week 2 road battle against the defending champion Buccaneers.

Kittle caught four of five targets for 78 yards Sunday, but he lost a fumble in a 41-33 win over the Lions.

Deebo Samuel (nine catches, 189 yards and a touchdown) did most of the heavy lifting on the receiving end, but Kittle still managed to do some damage between the numbers against an inexperienced Detroit defense. The 27-year-old remains one of the top tight ends in the league, but he will have the occasional moderate volume game, like this one, due to his elite run blocking on a run-heavy offense. Kittle remains a bona fide TE1 heading into a Week 2 matchup against the Eagles.

Bryant is active for Sunday's game against the Chiefs, according to Andrew Gribble of the Browns' official site.

Bryant makes the active roster for the season opener, but he is behind both Austin Hooper and David Njoku on the depth chart. As a result, he's not expected to have a big role in the Browns' passing attack Sunday.

Ertz (hamstring) returned to Sunday's game against the Falcons, per Jeff McLane of The Philadelphia Inquirer.

Ertz briefly left the contest with the hamstring injury, but it was not serious enough to bring an early end to his day.

Ertz injured his hamstring in Sunday's game against the Falcons and is questionable to return, Martin Frank of The Delaware News Journal reports.

Ertz's injury does not seem overly serious, but it does leave his status uncertain for the rest of the Eagles' season opener.

Jordan is inactive for Sunday's game against the Chargers.

With Jordan's regular-season debut on hold, Jordan Akins and Pharaoh Brown are in line to head Houston's tight end corps Sunday, with Antony Auclair also on hand.

Sample enters the season behind C.J. Uzomah on the Bengals' initial depth chart.

Last season in the only game in which Uzomah was healthy, Sample saw action on 24 offensive snaps and received just one target. The Bengals run with an "11" formation as much as anyone in the NFL, so it's possible that Sample's workload will mirror what happened in Week 1 last season more than the workload he received after Uzomah got hurt.

Pruitt was elevated from the Titans' practice squad ahead of Sunday's Week 1 matchup against the Cardinals, Paul Kuharsky of PaulKuharsky.com reports.

Pruitt joined the Titans' practice squad after he was cut by the 49ers at the end of August. He'll join the active roster to provide depth at tight end in the season opener since Tommy Hudson (toe) has been ruled out.

Hudson (toe) has been downgraded to out for Sunday's Week 1 matchup against the Cardinals, Jim Wyatt of the Titans' official site reports.

Hudson was limited in practice and was initially considered questionable, but he'll be unable to suit up in the season opener. It's not yet clear whether the tight end will return for the Week 2 contest against Seattle on Sept. 19.

Brown was named the starter at tight end for Sunday's season opener against the Jaguars, Brooks Kubena of the Houston Chronicle reports.

The Texans are expected to use all three of their tight ends, but Brown is considered the best blocker of the bunch. As the plan is to establish a ground game and rely heavily on it, Brown gets the starting nod over Jordan Akins and rookie Brevin Jordan. At 6-foot-6, the 258-pound Brown could be a helpful target in the red zone, an area the Texans would like to improve upon in 2021.