NFL Player News

Conklin caught two of three targets or 53 yards in Sunday's 41-17 win over the Dolphins.

Conklin recorded career highs in receptions and yards on his way to leading the Vikings in receiving. His biggest gain went for 33 yards on a play-action fake as Kirk Cousins found Conklin near the left sideline. It remains to be seen if Minnesota's change at offensive coordinator contributed to Conklin's increased involvement, though this was a positive sign for the rookie.

Waller caught his lone target for 44 yards and rushed for 21 yards on one carry during Sunday's 30-16 loss to the Bengals.

Waller racked up 65 total yards in just nine offensive snaps during what was only his second contest with the Raiders this season, having been signed in late November. The tight end's role in the offense figures to remain limited, however, as both Derek Carrier and Lee Smith were dealt at least seven snaps each behind starter Jared Cook.

Alie-Cox failed to catch his lone target in Sunday's 23-0 win over the Cowboys.

Alie-Cox returned after missing the previous three games and led Colts' tight ends by playing 40 of 72 offensive snaps. The 25-year-old outsnapped starter Eric Ebron 40-38, but with the team bleeding the clock with the run game in the second half it's hardly an indication of changing roles. Alie-Cox appears entrenched as the Indianapolis' No. 2 tight end but holds little fantasy value in the low-volume role.

Henry (knee) returned to practice Monday, opening a 21-day window for the Chargers to place him on the active roster or rule him out for the rest of the season.

Cleared for individual drills less than seven months after suffering an ACL tear, Henry seems to be enjoying an unusually rapid recovery with eyes toward suiting up at some point during the playoffs. He'll presumably be limited to a part-time role if it ends up happening, but he should be headed for a three-down job in a productive offense next season.

Henry (knee) may start doing individual drills as soon as Monday, Eric D. Williams of ESPN.com reports.

The Chargers still haven't placed Henry on injured reserve, holding out hope he can make it back for some sort of contribution during a playoff run. It's safe to assume he won't play Week 16 or 17, but a game appearance in mid-to-late January isn't totally out of the question. Henry suffered a torn ACL on May 22.

Higbee caught both his targets for 14 yards during Sunday's 30-23 loss to Philadelphia.

After a four-game stretch where Higbee turned 18 targets into 13 receptions for 147 yards and a touchdown, he's now caught just three passes for 23 yards the past two weeks. Instead, it's been fellow tight end Gerald Everett -- nine receptions for 75 yards -- who has been more involved the past two games. With Everett clearly distancing himself in the passing-attack pecking order, it's difficult to trust Higbee in any fantasy setting heading into Week 16.

Everett caught a season-high five passes for 46 yards during Sunday's 30-23 loss to Philadelphia.

The sophomore tight end was targeted seven times for the second consecutive week, as he continues to carve out a bigger role in the passing attack. However, it's important to note that the Rams were attempting comebacks in both games, and each of Everett's catches this week against the Eagles came in the fourth quarter and underneath the secondary with the Philadelphia defensive backs clearly focused on taking away the deep ball. Los Angeles has presumably soft matchups against Arizona and San Francisco on deck, so it will be telling to see how involved Everett is if the Rams are in the driver's seat and not trailing. While he remains a risky fantasy start Week 16, it definitely appears that Everett's long-term value is trending up. It makes him a speculative stash candidate for next season in deep keeper/dynasty leagues, especially considering how chaotic the tight end position has been in 2018.

Allen was on the field for three of the Patriots' 62 snaps on offense in Sunday's 17-10 loss to the Steelers.

Allen's return from a knee injury bolsters the team's tight end depth, but as long as Rob Gronkowski remains healthy, there's not much left for Allen to do in the Patriots' passing game. He was not targeted Sunday.

Tonyan played eight snaps on offense in Sunday's loss to the Bears and was not targeted.

Tonyan has not gotten any more involved in the Packers offense since catching a 54-yard touchdown against the Seahawks in Week 11. With the Packers now eliminated from playoff contention, the team could decide to give Tonyan a longer look, but unless the Packers explicitly announce that at some point this week, that purely will be speculation.

Lewis played 11 snaps on offense in Sunday's loss to the Bears and was not targeted.

The 11 snaps were the second most among Packers tight ends, but that did not lead to any passes thrown his direction. Lewis still sits with just three receptions for 39 yards over 14 games this season.