NFL Player News
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Adam Trautman TE | DEN
Saints' Adam Trautman: Two receptions in loss
Trautman caught both of his targets for 17 yards in the Saints' 37-30 loss to the Packers on Sunday.
Trautman recorded the first multi-catch game of his career. Jared Cook left this one early, as he was seen limping to the locker room in the second half. If he's limited or forced to miss time, Trautman should see his role increase moving forward.
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Taysom Hill QB | NO
Saints' Taysom Hill: Three touches in loss
Hill carried twice for six yards and brought in his only target for one yard in the Saints' 37-30 loss to the Packers on Sunday.
He also lost a fumble. Hill's 2019 career year seems a distant memory, as he's now totaled just 10 touches through the first three weeks of the season. With Alvin Kamara and Drew Brees both in full health this season, Hill's roles as a receiver and option quarterback have shrunk considerably. He can't be comfortably utilized in most fantasy formats.
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Tyler Kroft TE | MIA
Bills' Tyler Kroft: Finds pay dirt twice
Kroft caught four of five targets for 24 yards and two scores during Sunday's win over the Rams.
Kroft's second TD was one of the bigger ones in recent memory for the Buffalo franchise, as the 3-0 Bills prevented a huge meltdown against the Rams by coming back -- after blowing a 25-point lead -- to retake the lead via a nice three-yard touch pass from Josh Allen to Kroft with 15 seconds remaining. Kroft's value is truly tied to the status of starter Dawson Knox, who missed Sunday's game due to a concussion.
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Jonnu Smith TE | PIT
Titans' Jonnu Smith: Draws eight targets
Smith recorded five receptions on eight targets for 61 yards in Week 3 against the Vikings.
Smith led the team with eight targets, continuing his target spike to begin the 2020 season. He delivered several big plays in the contest, including receptions of 21, 16 and 14 yards. Smith appears to be in the midst of a fourth-year breakout, as he's already accrued 20 targets -- nearly half of his previous season-best. The major caveat is his involvement once A.J. Brown (knee) is able to return, though Smith has shown good chemistry with quarterback Ryan Tannehill through three games.
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Lawrence Cager TE | WAS
Jets' Lawrence Cager: Two catches in NFL debut
Cager made his NFL debut in Sunday's 36-7 loss to the Colts, catching two balls for 35 yards on four targets.
Cager pulled in receptions of 16 and 19 yards, and that production was good enough for him to finish third on the team in receiving yards behind slot receiver Braxton Berrios (64) and running back Kalen Ballage (44). The undrafted rookie's role should shrink if New York's beat up wide receiver corps ever heals, and there's little fantasy appeal to a depth piece on a team that has been outscored 94-37 through three games.
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Mo Alie-Cox TE | IND
Colts' Mo Alie-Cox: Finds end zone in win
Alie-Cox caught all three of his targets for 52 yards and a touchdown in Sunday's 36-7 win over the Jets.
The Colts' passing game wasn't needed much in the big win, but Alie-Cox made his mark early with a one-yard TD catch in the second quarter for Indy's first offensive score. Even with Jack Doyle active, Alie-Cox had his second straight productive game, and the athletic third-year tight end could be emerging as one of Philip Rivers' favorite targets. He'll look to keep rolling in Week 4 against a Bears defense that's allowed a TE to find the end zone in two of three games to begin the season.
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Noah Fant TE | NO
Broncos' Noah Fant: Top target in loss to Bucs
Fant hauled in five of a team-high 10 targets for 46 receiving yards during Sunday's 28-10 loss to Tampa Bay.
Though his two-game scoring streak was snapped by the Buccaneers, the second-year tight end tied a career high with his 10 targets. This was certainly not an ideal matchup for Fant, as Tampa Bay entered Sunday holding the longest active streak of games without a TE touchdown allowed (dating back to Week 12 of last year). An upcoming Thursday night matchup against the Jets may help get Fant back in the end zone; New York has already surrendered three receiving TDs to opposing TEs.
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Hunter Henry TE | NE
Chargers' Hunter Henry: Kept in check
Henry gathered five of his seven targets for 50 yards in the 21-16 loss Sunday to the Panthers.
It might not have been a massive performance for Henry, but the tight end was an athletic mismatch in the middle of the field for Justin Herbert to continue to rely on. That's now three games in which Henry has caught at least five passes, and he's been targeted 23 times during that stretch, good for second best on the team. Curiously, he's been less than involved in the red zone, although both of the team's scores came from outside 10 yards. The Buccaneers, who play the Chargers in Week 4, just held Noah Fant to a paltry 46 yards across 10 targets, so fantasy managers might want to temper expectations when it comes to Henry's performance next week.
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Zach Ertz TE | WAS
Eagles' Zach Ertz: Double-digit targets in tie
Ertz corralled seven of 10 targets for 70 receiving yards during Sunday's 23-23 tie against the Bengals.
Ertz, Miles Sanders (eight targets) and Greg Ward (11 targets) were the clear go-to options Week 3, as no other Eagles player attracted more than four passes throughout the course of the 70-minute contest. In terms of Ertz' fantasy outlook going forward, there is little reason to suggest he will see a decrease in usage given that Dallas Goedert (ankle) is "expected to miss some time," per Ian Rapoport of NFL Network. Philadelphia is also coping with a cluster of injuries to the receiving corps, with DeSean Jackson (hamstring) joining Jalen Reagor (thumb) and Alshon Jeffery (foot) on the sideline because of an in-game injury. As one of few targets Wentz can still reliably trust, Ertz should expect plenty of work Week 4 against a San Francisco defense that currently has Ahkello Witherspoon (hamstring) and Richard Sherman (calf) dealing with injury.
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Josiah Deguara TE | SF
Packers' Josiah Deguara: Not playing Week 3
Deguara (ankle) is listed as inactive Sunday in New Orleans, Ryan Wood of the Green Bay Press-Gazette reports.
After opening his career with one catch on a 31-percent offensive snap share Week 1, Deguara will miss his second game in a row due to an ankle injury. With Davante Adams (hamstring) also inactive Sunday, the Packers may use more two-TE sets than normal, setting up Robert Tonyan, Marcedes Lewis and Jace Sternberger for increased usage.