NFL Player News
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Darren Waller TE | MIA
Dolphins' Darren Waller: Won't return Sunday
Waller (pectoral) won't return to Sunday's game against the Browns.
Prior to his exit, Waller didn't record a catch. In his absence, Julian Hill and Tanner Conner will handle Miami's TE duties versus Cleveland. Waller's next chance to see game action will be next Sunday against the Falcons.
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Zach Ertz TE | WAS
Commanders' Zach Ertz: Active as expected Sunday
Ertz (shoulder) is active for Sunday's game against the Cowboys.
The veteran tight end was reported to be trending toward suiting up for Sunday's divisional clash, and that now has been made official. Ertz, who's averaging a modest 4.5 targets per game, should be in for a boost in volume against Dallas due to the absences of WRs Terry McLaurin (quadriceps), Deebo Samuel (heel) and Noah Brown (IR, groin/knee).
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Darren Waller TE | MIA
Dolphins' Darren Waller: Exits with injury Sunday
Waller is questionable to return to Sunday's game versus the Browns due to a pectoral injury.
Waller did not record a reception before he was ruled questionable to return just before halftime, and it's unclear exactly when or how he was forced to exit. In the 33-year-old's absence, Julian Hill should fill in as Miami's TE1 for the time being.
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Tyler Higbee TE | LAR
Rams' Tyler Higbee: Finishes second in targets Sunday
Higbee had three receptions on six targets for 19 yards in Sunday's 35-7 win over Jacksonville.
Higbee wound up finishing second in team targets behind WR Davante Adams due to Puka Nacua (ankle) sitting out the overseas contest in London. That's where the good news ends, as rookie TE Terrance Ferguson cashed in a 31-yard touchdown with his only reception Sunday. Higbee will carry a 13-121-1 receiving line into the Rams' upcoming bye week, numbers that should keep him off the fantasy radar when the team resumes play against the Saints on Nov. 2.
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Michael Mayer TE | LV
Raiders' Michael Mayer: Headed for another start sans Bowers
Mayer is expected to remain a focal point of the Las Vegas passing attack Sunday against the Chiefs with top tight end Brock Bowers (knee) and top receiver Jakobi Meyers (knee/toe) inactive for the contest, Levi Edwards of the Raiders' official site reports.
Bowers is missing his third straight game, but Mayer will be stepping in as the No. 1 tight end for just the second consecutive contest, after the Notre Dame product had previously sat out losses to the Bears in Week 4 and the Colts in Week 5 due to a concussion. In his return to action for this past Sunday's 20-10 win over the Titans, Mayer played 56 of 61 snaps on offense on his way to amassing a 5-50-1 receiving line on seven targets. The Raiders had Meyers available for that contest, but his absence for Week 7 along with Bowers' could free up even more volume for Mayer. The 24-year-old thus projects as a solid lineup option this week for fantasy managers looking for a Bowers replacement or otherwise in need of an alternative at the position.
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Brock Bowers TE | LV
Raiders' Brock Bowers: Missing third straight game
Bowers (knee) is inactive for Sunday's game against the Chiefs.
After going down as a non-participant on seven consecutive Raiders practice reports, Bowers returned to the field Friday as a limited participant. The increase in activity prompted the Raiders to list Bowers as doubtful rather than ruling him out heading into the Week 7 game in Kansas City, but he'll still wind up missing a third consecutive game. With a bye on tap for Week 8, the Raiders have early optimism that Bowers will have made enough progress in his recovery from a lingering PCL injury and bone bruise in his knee to return to action Week 9 versus the Jaguars on Nov. 2. Michael Mayer is expected to serve as the Raiders' top tight end Sunday while Bowers sits out another game.
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Drew Sample TE | CIN
Bengals' Drew Sample: Handles blocking role in Week 7
Sample didn't draw a target or run a route while playing 39 of the Bengals' 76 offensive snaps in Thursday's 33-31 win over the Steelers.
Sample has always been deployed mainly as a blocker when he's taken the field, but the Bengals took that to an extreme in Week 7. Cincinnati didn't have Tanner Hudson (concussion) available as a depth option at tight end, which may have motivated the decision to scale back Sample's route running and use him exclusively as a blocker behind starter Noah Fant, who moved atop the depth chart due to Mike Gesicki (pectoral) hitting injured reserve.
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Zach Ertz TE | WAS
Commanders' Zach Ertz: Likely to play Sunday
Ertz (shoulder), who is officially listed as questionable for Sunday's game against Dallas, is expected to play, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reports.
Ertz appears positioned for a significant role in the receiving game this weekend, as Terry McLaurin (quadriceps) and Deebo Samuel (heel) have both been ruled out, and Noah Brown (groin/knee) was recently placed on injured reserve. After logging six targets while the Commanders had Samuel available for this past Monday's loss to the Bears, Ertz could see his target share grow versus a Dallas defense that's surrendered the most passing yards to opponents in the league through six weeks. His status may not be made official until Washington releases its inactive list roughly 90 minutes prior to kickoff at 4:25 p.m. ET, but Ertz is on track to take the field Sunday.
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E.J. Jenkins TE | PHI
Eagles' E.J. Jenkins: Elevated to active roster
The Eagles elevated Jenkins from the practice squad to the active roster Saturday, Chris McPherson of the team's official site reports.
Jenkins has been on the Eagles' practice squad all season with Saturday's elevation marking his first of the campaign. He's likely to serve primarily on special teams, if he is active Sunday against the Vikings.
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Brock Bowers TE | LV
Raiders' Brock Bowers: Expected to return after bye
Bowers (knee), who is officially listed as doubtful for Sunday's game against the Chiefs, is not expected to play, Adam Schefter of ESPN reports.
Bowers returned to practice as a limited participant Friday after having sat out Wednesday and Thursday, but the second-year tight end is expected to miss a third straight contest due to his lingering PCL injury. The Raiders will then benefit from a Week 8 bye, which Bowers will use to rest up and target a return to action Week 9 against the Jaguars on Sunday, Nov. 2. Michael Mayer will operate as Las Vegas' top tight end if Bowers is indeed inactive, confirmation of which will arrive no later than 90 minutes ahead of Sunday's 1:00 p.m. ET kickoff. Meanwhile, top wide receiver Jakobi Meyers (knee/toe) appears a true game-time decision.