NFL Player News

Akins caught four of nine targets for 40 yards in Sunday's 38-24 loss to Denver in Week 14.

With Will Fuller (hamstring) sidelined, opportunities became available for other receivers. Surprisingly, it was Akins that benefited the most on a day when Deshaun Watson threw a season-high 50 times. Akins' nine targets were a season high and the second-most on the team behind only DeAndre Hopkins (13).

Seals-Jones caught his lone target for 22 yards in Sunday's 27-19 win over the Bengals.

Cleveland's tight end group had a shakeup Sunday, as David Njoku returned from a wrist injury and Demetrius Harris (shoulder) was made inactive. Seals-Jones brought up the rear in terms of snaps (11), and the target was just his fourth in the last seven games. Over the course of the final few games, Njoku is expected to become the primary tight end while Seals-Jones and Stephen Carlson serve in backup roles.

Carlson failed to catch his only target and played 41 snaps in Sunday's 27-19 win over the Bengals in Week 14.

He was the starting tight end, as Demetrius Harris (shoulder) was made inactive and David Njoku was appearing for the first time since Week 2 after recovering from a wrist injury. Carlson's 41 snaps led the position group, but it was Njoku who drew the most targets (three), including one inside the red zone. As Njoku gets back up to speed, he is expected to start games and receive the most playing time among Cleveland tight ends.

Njoku caught one of three targets for four yards in Sunday's 27-19 win over the Bengals.

The tight end returned from the injured reserve list Sunday, playing for the first time since Week 2. The rust showed on the Browns' first series when a pass he appeared to catch was wrestled away from him and ruled an interception by Cincinnati linebacker Nick Vigil. He also allowed a sack in pass protection, getting beaten by defensive end Carl Larson. Njoku received the most targets of Cleveland's tight ends, including a red-zone target in the third quarter, while playing 21 snaps, second only to Stephen Carlson (41 snaps). His playing time fell off late in the contest, per Ellis L. Williams of the Cleveland Plain Dealer. It remains to be seen how the Browns deploy Njoku going forward, but they would still like to see if he can fulfill the potential that made him a first-round pick in 2017.

Higbee had seven catches (11 targets) for 116 yards in Sunday's 28-12 win over the Seahawks.

Gerald Everett (knee) was held out of action yet again, which opened the door for Higbee to go off for 100-plus yards for the second consecutive game. All it took for the Rams' tight end position to go from a black hole to a fantasy gold mine was for one of the two co-starters to be removed from the picture. There was nothing in Higbee's prior career numbers to suggest that he could be such an offensive force, but with two weeks of proof in front of us, the tight end is a must-add and a likely TE1 against Dallas if Everett remains on the shelf.

Hurst caught all three of his targets for 73 yards and a touchdown during Sunday's 24-17 win over the Bills.

Hurst led the team in receiving yardage thanks in large part to a 61-yard catch and run for a touchdown at the start of the third quarter. It should also be noted that first-string tight end Mark Andrews left the game with an injury, though head coach John Harbaugh downplayed its severity after the game, according to Jamison Hensley of ESPN.com. Hurst would see an uptick in value Thursday against the Jets if Andrews is out, but if not he'd be reliant on big plays due to limited usage.

Graham secured three of five targets for 49 yards in the Packers' 20-15 win over the Redskins on Sunday.

The veteran tight end had one of his more productive days of the second half of the season, checking in second only to Aaron Jones in receiving yardage for the day and drawing the third-most targets. Graham has eclipsed 20 receiving yards in only two of the last six games when factoring in Sunday's performance, however, so he remains a low-floor play in all formats heading into a Week 15 matchup against the Bears.

Hill failed to complete his only pass attempt, adding five carries for 13 yards and a 12-yard reception in the Saints' 48-46 loss to the 49ers on Sunday.

Last week's two-touchdown Thanksgiving bonanza is in the distant rear view, as Hill fell back to earth for a typical stat line in Sunday's loss. The rushing attempts were a season-high, though game script -- influenced by a combined 94 points scored -- likely contributed to that bump in usage out of the backfield. Hill shouldn't be utilized outside of deep two-quarterback leagues, and his value is almost entirely touchdown-dependent.

Vannett was not targeted in Pittsburgh's 23-17 win over Arizona on Sunday.

Coming into this game Vannett had just seven receptions for 70 yards and no touchdowns in eight games for the Steelers. If Vance McDonald (concussion) is unable to play Week 15, Vannett would likely draw the start against a Buffalo defense that has allowed the third and fourth fewest fantasy points to opposing tight ends in standard and PPR formats respectively.

Smith hauled in three of four targets for 29 yards and one touchdown in the Titans' Week 14 win over the Raiders.

Smith was fairly ineffective until he managed his second touchdown of the season early in the fourth quarter. The score came on a well-covered misdirection play that required Smith to make a contested catch over the Raiders' defensive backs. Despite the positive performance, Smith has seen no more than four targets in each of his past three games, making him a touchdown-reliant producer. Smith will look to become more involved in Week 15 against the Texans.