NFL Player News

Waller had thumb surgery Monday, Scott Bair of NBC Sports Bay Area reports.

It's unclear when Waller sustained this injury, but it surely didn't hinder him in the season finale, as he caught six passes for 107 yards -- his fifth game of 2019 with 100-plus receiving yards. Waller was a late-round steal for fantasy purposes this year, as he finished with 90 receptions for 1,145 yards and three touchdowns. The 27-year-old is expected to make a full recovery for the 2020 season when the Raiders move to Las Vegas.

Engram (foot) said Monday that he expects to make a full recovery from the surgery he required earlier this month and return to full activity for the start of the Giants' offseason program this spring, Bob Glauber of Newsday reports.

Engram confirmed that his left foot surgery entailed repairing the Lisfranc ligament, though the tight end indicated he wasn't dealing with a "full-blown tear." While that bodes well for Engram's chances of bouncing back from the procedure, he'll likely need to showcase better health in 2020 in order to make a serious case for a lucrative contract extension. Engram has missed 13 games due to lower-body injuries the past two seasons and isn't a surefire bet to have his fifth-year option exercised this spring.

Higbee caught eight of 12 targets for 84 yards and a touchdown during Sunday's 31-24 win over Arizona.

With Sunday's big performance, Higbee recorded an impressive 43 receptions for 522 yards and two touchdowns over the final five weeks of the season. It's impossible to imagine his role diminishing significantly to start the 2020 campaign, and the breakout stretch definitely legitimizes Los Angeles signing him to a four-year, $31.03 million contract in September. However, fellow tight end Gerald Everett still looms and has flashed big-play potential himself, so it's possible that he could cut into some of Higbee's target share.

Hooper, who can become a free agent in March, said Monday that the Falcons have yet to engage him in talks about an extension, D. Orlando Ledbetter of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports. "I'm not going to speak on that too much," Hooper said, when asked about his contract situation. "It's a business. I'm open to coming back here. I don't know. ... I haven't received an offer yet. I'm going to let my representation and the representation for the Falcons handle that."

Despite missing three games due to a sprained MCL in his knee, Hooper turned in the best season of his four-year career in 2019, posting 75 receptions for 787 yards and six touchdowns. Atlanta was able to clear up some cap space over the weekend by restructuring the 2020 contracts of Matt Ryan and Grady Jarrett, so look for the team to apply some of those savings toward a new deal for Hooper.

Coach Doug Pederson confirmed that Ertz (ribs/back/kidney) has a chance to return for Sunday's playoff game against the Seahawks, Reuben Frank of NBC Sports Philadelphia reports.

Pederson refused to elaborate, neither confirming nor denying recent reports that suggest Ertz is recovering from a lacerated kidney as well as a cracked rib. The tight end played through his injuries in a Week 16 win over Dallas, but he wasn't able to suit up Week 17 against the Giants. Dallas Goedert and Joshua Perkins took on larger roles in Ertz's absence, with the former playing 100 percent of offensive snaps while the latter handled 78 percent (career highs for both). The two tight ends combined for 16 targets, which translates to 40 percent of the team total. It isn't clear if they'll have that same opportunity in the playoffs, as Pederson expects Ertz to manage some level of practice participation later this week, per Dave Zangaro of NBC Sports Philadelphia.

Gesicki secured four of seven targets for 34 yards and one touchdown during Sunday's 27-24 win over the Patriots.

Gesicki was held in check for the majority of Sunday's upset win, but he showed up with just 24 seconds remaining in the fourth quarter by beating safety Patrick Chung to reel in a game-winning touchdown. After being held without a score in his rookie season, Gesicki caught 51 of 89 targets for 570 yards and five touchdowns across 16 games this year. The Dolphins will work to further develop the ultra-athletic Penn State product into a key part of their passing game in 2020.

Hollister caught four of eight targets for 25 yards in Sunday's 26-21 loss to the 49ers.

Hollister was second on the team in targets behind DK Metcalf (12), but it's the play he couldn't make that will be remembered from this contest. With the Seahawks down to their last snap and needing a touchdown to win not only the game but the NFC West title, Russell Wilson fired a pass to Hollister just short of the goal line, and he was unable to gain the missing inches as he was brought down. The tight end has now gone six straight games without a touchdown, averaging four catches for 35.3 receiving yards per game in that span. Seattle travels to Philadelphia for a wild-card clash Sunday, and Hollister will likely remain a secondary option for Wilson in the passing attack.

Pruitt hauled in both of his targets for 13 yards and a touchdown in the team's Week 17 win over the Texans.

Pruitt worked behind Jonnu Smith as the team's primary tight end, but proved to be more impactful on the stat sheet. His primary contribution came early in the second quarter, when he caught a one-yard touchdown pass from Ryan Tannehill. Pruitt failed to contribute for much of the regular season, but he did record all six of his receptions starting in Week 12. At the conclusion of the season, Pruitt will hit free agency and should remain a depth option wherever he lands. However, in the immediate future, he'll look to help Tennessee try to go on a deep playoff run.

Henry caught five of his six targets for 42 yards and a touchdown in Sunday's 31-21 loss to the Chiefs.

He finished the season with 55 receptions, 652 receiving yards and five touchdowns across 12 games. Henry easily set career highs in just about every major statistical category save for touchdown receptions, but a five-week stretch to end the season in which he posted just 16 catches, 165 receiving yards and two touchdowns puts a damper on what should have been a breakout year for the fourth-year tight end. While the Chargers have a number of important free agents to make decisions on, it seems entirely likely the team will either franchise tag or re-sign Henry to a lucrative extension in the offseason, as the 25-year-old is set to become an unrestricted free agent in March. A history of injuries ultimately could keep his price tag in check, as the 2016 second-round pick has never played a full 16-game season in the NFL, most recently suffering a knee fracture, which kept him out four games in 2019.

Kittle had seven catches for 86 yards and rushed once for seven yards in Sunday's 26-21 win over Seattle.

Kittle paced all receiving options for either team by hauling in all seven of the balls thrown his way as the 49ers passed the ball with ease against a banged-up Seattle defense. The 86 yards put the 25-year-old over 1,000 receiving yards for the second consecutive season, and his five scores matched last year's output in two fewer games. Kittle's ankle injury that forced him to miss two games -- and never fully healed -- caused him to finish behind fellow stud tight end Travis Kelce in the fantasy rankings, and both figure to again be the top options at the thin position heading into the 2020 campaign.