NFL Player News

Thomas caught his only target for nine yards in Sunday's 23-16 loss to the Bears.

Thomas played nearly 70 percent of Carolina's offensive snaps but yet again made minimal impact from a receiving standpoint. Through six games, the tight end sports just six grabs for 39 yards and a touchdown, leaving him on the outskirts of fantasy relevancy.

Brown caught two of two targets for 28 yards in Sunday's 42-36 overtime loss to the Titans.

Brown stepped in for the injured Jordan Akins (concussion, ankle) for the second straight week and played 30 snaps (42 percent), similar to last week's usage. One of his catches came in the red zone, his first such target of the season. Akins was a limited participant in practice last week before being declared inactive for Sunday, so he may be nearing a return, which would relegate Brown to third on the depth chart.

Bryant caught one of two targets for 11 yards in Sunday's 38-7 loss to the Steelers.

The rookie remains part of the Browns' three-man rotation at tight end, but Week 6 was the first time he had a lower share of snaps (37 percent) than David Njoku (40 percent). The consensus entering the season was that Njoku would sit second behind starter Austin Hooper, but a knee injury limited him over the first five weeks and raised Bryant's profile. Since Njoku's return, however, Bryant has just three targets over the last two weeks.

Njoku caught one of three targets for seven yards in Sunday's 38-7 loss to Pittsburgh.

This was Njoku's second week back from a knee injury, and he had a season-high 40 percent of the offensive snaps (23 of 57). It's natural that he would get more usage during a game in which the Browns trailed early and were forced to throw often, as Njoku's considered more of a receiving threat at tight end than a blocker. Still, it was the first time he had more snaps and a larger share of playing time than rookie Harrison Bryant (37 snaps).

Hooper caught of five of his team-high six targets for 52 yards in Sunday's 38-7 loss to the Steelers.

Hooper topped the target chart for a second consecutive week and has 15 catches over the last three weeks. The Browns are utilizing the tight end more after a slow start. Over the last three weeks, Hooper is averaging five catches on 7.7 targets for 47.7 yards.

Kittle had seven receptions (10 targets) for 109 yards and a touchdown in Sunday's 24-16 win over the Rams.

Kittle bounced back after a team-wide disappointment last week, reaching the century mark in receiving yards while also scoring a touchdown for the second time over his last three contests. If his dominance as a receiver wasn't enough, the star tight end's performance is even more impressive when you consider he is kept back to help with both the run and pass protection for nearly half of his snaps. Jimmy Garoppolo (ankle) looked healthy for the first time since going down to injury back in Week 2, which bodes well for Kittle's fantasy potential heading into Sunday's matchup against the Patriots and beyond.

Hockenson recorded two receptions on five targets for 17 yards and a touchdown in Week 6 against the Jaguars.

Hockenson tied for second on the team with five targets, but turned in his second-lowest yardage total of the season. He salvaged his day with a one-yard touchdown, his third of the campaign. Although Hockenson topped 50 yards in his first three games, he has combined to total 26 yards across the last two contests. He'll look to get things back on track in Week 7 in a positive matchup against Atlanta.

Hurst caught all four of his targets for 57 receiving yards and a touchdown during Sunday's 40-23 win against the Vikings.

The 27-year-old tight end has been inconsistent from week-to-week, but against the Vikings he enjoyed one of his more prolific outings of 2020. During the odd Weeks -- 1, 3 and 5 -- Hurst has averaged 15.7 receiving yards per game, but in his other three outings, he has amassed 60 receiving yards per game with two total TDs. Week 7 is not likely to be the time when Hurst breaks his every-other-game trend, as the opposing Lions entered Sunday allowing an NFL-low 96 receiving yards to opposing TEs.

Smith hauled in four of his five targets for 55 receiving yards during Sunday's 40-23 loss to the Falcons.

The 22-year-old was obsolete in the passing game Weeks 1 through 4, managing only two total receptions for 14 yards despite playing 143 offensive snaps during that span. Smith has become much more involved as a receiver of late, posting a season-high 59 offensive snaps last week while recording four receptions for 64 yards against the Seahawks. The Alabama product now has eight receptions and 119 receiving yards in his past two outings as Minnesota moves into its Week 7 bye before battling Green Bay on Nov. 1.

Andrews caught two of four targets for 21 yards during Sunday's 30-28 win over the Eagles.

Although the Ravens scored 30 points for the fifth time in six games, Andrews finished with a new season low in yardage as the Eagles defense made a concerted effort to stop him. He has five touchdowns through the first six games of the season, but he still hasn't reached 60 receiving yards and has been held under 30 three times, creating a somewhat touchdown-dependent fantasy profile. Andrews will enjoy a bye next weekend before taking on the Steelers in Week 8.