NFL Player News

Hollister caught two of five targets for 11 yards in Monday's 23-17 win over the Eagles.

Hollister handled a 55 percent snap share in the first game without Greg Olsen, his highest mark of the season but still fewer than Will Dissly (72 percent). However, Dissly didn't receive a target. In fact, Hollister has out-targeted Dissly 21-9 since the Week 6 bye. That hasn't turned into much fantasy value, though, as he produced a 14-119-0 line in that stretch.

Dissly didn't receive a target in Monday's 23-17 win over the Eagles.

In Seattle's first game without Greg Olsen (foot), Dissly out-snapped Jacob Hollister by a 48-37 margin. However, Hollister received five targets compared to Dissly's goose egg. Hollister did little with the looks however, turning them into two receptions for 11 yards. Dissly is the better blocker of the two, so his snap count should remain consistent, but his fantasy value remains low.

Okwuegbunam underwent successful surgery to repair a torn ACL on Tuesday, Troy Renck of Denver 7 News reports.

The rookie tight end will now shift his focus toward rehabbing for the 2021 season. It's unclear whether he'll be ready in time for Week 1 after picking up the injury Nov. 8. The fourth-round pick showed promise before sustaining the brutal injury, receiving heavy targets from college teammate Drew Lock and finishing with an 11-121-1 line on 15 targets over four games. Okwuegbunam will reside on IR for the remainder of the season.

The Giants cut Wieting from the practice squad Tuesday, Dan Salomone of the team's official site reports.

This was Wieting's third stop since entering the league as an undrafted free agent in April, as he tried his hand with Cleveland and Miami as well. The 23-year-old is strictly a run-blocking tight end and will seek a practice squad role elsewhere.

Coach Kyle Shanahan said Monday that he's hopeful Kittle (foot) will return for the "last couple weeks" of the season, Jennifer Lee Chan of NBC Sports Bay Area reports.

Kittle and Jimmy Garoppolo (ankle) are slated to begin doing individual work on a side field in the near future as they continue their respective rehabs. The tight end himself hasn't played since Week 8 due to a fractured cuboid bone in his foot, and neither of the players' 21-day windows to be activated from IR will be opened until next week, at the earliest. Shanahan specifically noted "whether it's two games or one game or none," so a decision on Kittle could come down to whether the 49ers are still in the race for a playoff spot.

The Giants activated Smith (illness) from the reserve/COVID-19 list Tuesday, Dan Salomone of the team's official site reports.

Smith tested positive for the virus Nov. 20 but has cleared the necessary protocols to return to team activities. The second-year tight end will return to the lineup without missing a game, set to serve as the No. 2 option behind Evan Engram against the Seahawks on Sunday.

Alie-Cox had two receptions for 19 yards on two targets in Sunday's loss to Tennessee.

Alie-Cox was out there for 38 of the offense's 74 snaps. He played the most snaps among the Indy tight ends, but he had fewer targets than Trey Burton (three receptions on six targets, including a touchdown). The Indy passing game utilizes all three tight ends, so Alie-Cox isn't going to get many receptions per week, and Burton has overtaken him as a red-zone target.

Dillon had one reception for six yards on his lone target in Sunday's win over Carolina.

It was his first reception of the season. Dillon played eight snaps on offense and was activated from the practice squad with Irv Smith sidelined with a groin injury. Dillon may move back to the bench when Smith returns.

Sample caught four passes for 40 yards on five targets, but also coughed up a critical fumble in Sunday's loss to the Giants.

The fumble came in the fourth quarter deep in Bengals territory and ultimately led to the Giants' final field goal, one that would provide their margin of victory in the 19-17 game. The target and catch volume were Sample's highest since Week 7 however, and suggest he'll remain a bigger option in the passing game with Brandon Allen under center instead of Joe Burrow (knee).

Waller caught four of seven targets for 23 yards in Sunday's 43-6 loss to the Falcons.

Not even a pass-friendly game script saved Waller from a disappointing fantasy effort by his standards Sunday as the Raiders fell behind by 20 points early in the third quarter, but were ultimately kept out of the end zone all day. He's still seen at least one red-zone target in all 11 contests this season, but Waller has caught four passes or less in two of Las Vegas' last three tilts. On a more positive note, another favorable matchup awaits for him in Week 13 against the Jets, who just ceded a pair of touchdowns to Dolphins tight ends Mike Gesicki and Adam Shaheen on Sunday.