NFL Player News

Smith hauled in four of seven targets for 36 yards and a touchdown during Monday's 16-14 win against Denver.

Entering his fourth NFL season out of Florida International, Smith kicks off 2020 atop Tennessee's tight end depth chart. The 25-year-old already has 39 career starts and 45 appearances to his name, yet he has never surpassed 45 targets, 450 receiving yards, or three touchdowns in any professional campaign. His Week 1 usage indicates a potential season-long increase in all three of those statistical departments, as he was just one target behind Corey Davis and A.J. Brown for the team lead. Next up for Smith is a Week 2 matchup against a Jaguars defense that allowed five catches and 69 yards to opposing tight ends in its season opener.

Fant corralled five of his six targets for 81 receiving yards and a touchdown during Monday's 16-14 loss to Tennessee.

The second-year tight end made his touches count against the Titans, collecting 15-plus receiving yards or a touchdown on four of his five receptions. Fant demonstrated big-play ability as a rookie in racking up 14.1 yards per catch, second only to New Orleans' Jared Cook (16.4) among NFL tight ends last year. The key to Fant unlocking a magical fantasy season, however, may come via the touchdown, as he collected just three last year on 66 targets. Week 1's outcome is encouraging in that regard, but now he prepares for a matchup against a Steelers defense that contained Evan Engram to two catches for nine yards in its first appearance of 2020.

Knox caught two of three targets for 26 yards in Sunday's win over the Jets.

The good news is that Knox received two red-zone looks and played 64 percent of the offensive snaps while no other Bills tight end saw more than five percent. He'll have a chance to make more of a dent on the scoresheet against the Dolphins in Week 2, though with Stefon Diggs, John Brown, Cole Beasley, Devin Singletary and Zack Moss all in the fold and quarterback Josh Allen still looking for opportunities to run the ball himself, it's going to be difficult for Knox to see his production elevated to the level of the league's top tight ends.

Hollister caught his lone target for nine yards in Sunday's 38-25 win over the Falcons.

Hollister predictably played a minimal role Sunday with Greg Olsen on board and Will Dissly recovered from an Achilles injury. He logged just 11 of 62 offensive snaps (18 percent), while Olsen played 41 snaps and Dissly played 25. The Seahawks often used two-tight-end sets, but Hollister's the odd man out among the bunch.

Engram caught two of seven targets for nine yards in Monday night's 26-16 loss to the Steelers.

Engram dropped his first target, then narrowly missed a wide-open touchdown shortly after, failing to connect with quarterback Daniel Jones from two yards out. The tight end ultimately got in the catch column with a couple grabs late, but it overall was a disappointing season debut. On the bright side, Engram trailed only Saquon Barkley and Darius Slayton in targets, and Week 2's meeting with the Bears could offer a more even matchup, raising hopes for a rebound.

Arnold reeled in both of his targets for 21 yards during Sunday's 24-20 victory in San Francisco.

Considered something of a deep sleeper entering 2020 after scoring two TDs in three games to close last season, Arnold was targeted between the 20s in this contest. On a positive note, he got the start and earned two more offensive snaps (45 versus 43) than veteran tight end Maxx Williams, who didn't corral either of his two targets. Expect Arnold to be the most relevant Cardinals TE in terms of fantasy moving forward, but as his Week 1 stat line revealed, he'll be a hit-or-miss option.

With David Njoku (knee) landing on injured reserve, Hooper could see a greater share of targets and snaps against the Bengals on Thursday.

Hooper was tops among Cleveland's tight ends with 56 plays (77 percent) but had just two targets in Sunday's loss to the Ravens. It was an unassuming debut for the tight end, who signed a four-year deal worth more than $10 million per during the offseason. More was expected from Hooper in Week 1, but the Browns' offense was in a deep hole early, which altered their game plan. If Cleveland can get into its offense, Hooper should make a more significant contribution.

Swaim (coach's decision) is not active for the team's Week 1 contest against the Broncos, John Glennon of The Athletic reports.

Swaim signed with Tennessee partway through training camp and made the roster as a depth tight end. However, he'll be inactive for the team's opening contest of the season.

With the Browns placing David Njoku on injured reserve Monday, Bryant should see an increase in playing time.

Njoku will be out for at least three weeks, which gives Bryant a lot of exposure beginning Week 2 at home against the Bengals on Thursday. The rookie's 31 snaps in a Week 1 loss to the Ravens were second among four tight ends that played. The entire position group combined to play 116 snaps, so the offense is geared to playing multiple tight ends. Austin Hooper, who played 77 percent of the snaps Week 1, could also see an increase.

Okwuegbunam has officially been declared inactive for Monday's matchup with the Titans due to a coach's decision, Aric DiLalla of the Broncos' official website reports.

Okwuegbunam was limited at Thursday's practice due to an ankle issue but subsequently logged full workloads the next two days. It's unclear if he suffered some type of setback or if the Broncos are just erring on the side of caution here. Regardless, he was not expected to play a big role in the contest, as he is behind Noah Fant, Nick Vannett and Jake Butt on the depth chart.