NFL Player News

Hockenson caught four of four targets for 62 yards during Sunday's 42-21 loss to the Packers.

The absences of Kenny Golladay (hamstring) and Halapoulivaati Vaitai (foot) seem to have thrown a wrench in the Lions' offensive plans. While Hockenson has secured all nine of the passes sent his way through two weeks, he's only seen one target in the red zone, and his overall upside is likely capped as long as the Lions offense continues to struggle. If Golladay, in particular, remains out Week 3, expectations for Hockenson should remain capped despite a seemingly inviting matchup with the Cardinals. Even though the Arizona defense was notoriously poor at defending tight ends in 2019, the retooled unit has only allowed 11 receptions for 84 yards and no scores through two weeks.

Tonyan caught two passes for 25 yards and a touchdown in Sunday's victory over the Lions.

Tonyan led Packers tight ends in snaps for the second week in a row and registered both his first receptions and score of the 2020 season. He lacks much of a track record and still is an iffy long-term option in fantasy leagues, but he does appear to be the best bet among Packers tight ends after two weeks, and he could be asked to contribute more in the passing game Week 3 if receiver Davante Adams (hamstring) -- and to a lesser degree, fellow tight end Josiah Deguara (shin) and running back Tyler Ervin (concussion) -- cannot take the field.

Bell caught two of three targets for 34 yards in Sunday's comeback win over the Falcons.

With Blake Jarwin (knee) done for the year, Dalton Schultz stepped up and posted a 9-88-1 line on 10 targets as the Cowboys' new No. 1 tight end, but Bell got a little more involved in the passing game as well. There could be more opportunities for both players Week 3 against a Seahawks defense that just gave up 397 passing yards to Cam Newton, but Bell's fantasy ceiling remains limited.

Thomas was not targeted in Sunday's 31-17 loss to the Buccaneers.

Thomas played over half of Carolina's offensive snaps, yet didn't see any of quarterback Teddy Bridgewater's 42 passing attempts come his way. On a day Bridgewater finished with 367 passing yards, Thomas' complete lack of involvement comes as a concern. The tight end will be desperate to make a larger impact in Week 3 versus the Chargers, but Sunday's goose egg sets the bar incredibly low.

Manhertz caught his lone target for eight yards in Sunday's 31-17 loss to the Buccaneers.

Manhertz has now hauled in a pass in back-to-back games, and although that light involvement has only yielded 12 yards in total, his production doesn't differ much from starting tight end Ian Thomas' two grabs for 16 yards thus far.

Akins had a career-high seven catches on seven targets for 55 yards in Sunday's 33-16 loss to the Ravens.

Akins has been a surprise through the first two weeks. After scoring a touchdown Week 1, he finished second in targets behind Brandin Cooks in Week 2. He's caught all nine of his targets through two weeks while doubling the playing time of Darren Fells, who entered training camp as the presumptive No. 1 tight end and scored Houston's lone touchdown Sunday. That usage may be a function of the Texans playing from behind a lot, but Akins is emerging as a go-to option for quarterback Deshaun Watson.

Goedert caught four of his eight targets for 30 yards in Sunday's 37-19 loss to the Rams.

Goedert has now seen one more target than Zach Ertz in each of the season's first two games and is outpacing him 131-60 in terms of yards. While neither did much in this contest, it seems the Eagles have two legit tight-end options heading into a Week 3 matchup with Cincinnati, and Goedert merits consideration as a low-end TE1 with that target share.

Erts caught five of his seven targets for 42 yards in Sunday's 37-19 loss to the Rams.

Ertz has now seen seven targets in each of Philadelphia's first two games of the season, though he has only 60 yards to show for it. Of even greater concern is the fact that Dallas Goedert has seen eight targets in each game for 111 yards so far in 2020. Ertz has a good chance to rebound in a Week 3 matchup against the Bengals, but Goedert's emergence will likely be something to watch all season.

Firkser tallied four receptions on four targets for 45 yards in the Titans' Week 2 win over the Jaguars.

Firkser finished third on the day with four receptions in the absence of A.J. Brown (knee). Three of his receptions were chunk gains, as he recorded catches of 14, 10 and 16 yards. While Firkser splits playing time evenly with MyCole Pruitt in the backup tight end role, Firkser is more heavily utilized as a receiver of the pair. He could see an increase in targets in Week 3 against the Vikings if Brown remains sidelined.

Hurst caught five of eight targets for 72 receiving yards and a touchdown during Sunday's 40-39 loss to the Cowboys.

Outside of an acrobatic 27-yard catch at the tail end of the first quarter, Hurst's Falcons debut last week against Seattle consisted of little to write home about. Sunday against Dallas, he was heavily involved in the game plan from the jump, as Matt Ryan took a deep shot to Hurst on his second pass attempt of the game before connecting with the tight end on a 42-yard completion two drives later. By the end of the contest, Hurst had finished one yard shy of his career high in receiving (73 yards) from 28 games with the Ravens. Week 3 presents a matchup against a Bears defense that's already surrendered 13 catches, 120 receiving yards and one touchdown to opposing tight ends on the year.