NFL Player News

Uzomah recorded three receptions for 37 yards during Sunday's 26-21 loss to the Chargers.

The fourth-year man out of Auburn has been steady but unexplosive all year -- seven times finishing between 30 and 55 receiving yards and never finishing with more than six receptions in a single week. Uzomah has provided a reliable floor for participants in PPR scoring (at least three receptions in five straight games), but with no more than 55 yards in a game and just two touchdowns all season, his upside is severely limited in standard formats. Week 15's matchup make him a start-worthy entity, however, facing an Oakland defense that's allowed an NFL-high nine touchdown catches to tight ends in 2018.

Akins caught both of his targets for 40 yards in Sunday's 24-21 loss to the Colts.

Quarterback Deshaun Watson has increased the use of the tight ends in recent weeks and targeted the three-man group of Akins, Ryan Griffin and Jordan Thomas 11 times in the loss. Houston is dealing with injuries at wideout, which could lead to similar targeting Week 15 against the Jets. Of the three, Griffin leads in targets while Thomas is the touchdown leader.

Kittle brought in seven of nine targets for 210 yards and a touchdown in the 49ers' 20-14 win over the Broncos on Sunday.

Kittle enjoyed arguably the most spectacular half of football for any tight end in NFL history, and he became the first 49er at his position to ever reach the 1,000-yard mark on the season. Additionally, he fell just five yards short of eclipsing Shannon Sharpe's NFL single-game record for receiving yards by a tight end. The second-year pro notched an 85-yard touchdown reception in the second quarter, putting his game-breaking speed on display downfield. The 25-year-old has seen no fewer than nine targets in any of his last four games, and he'll look to continue his excellent stretch of play against the Seahawks in Week 15.

Kelce corralled seven of nine targets, compiling 77 receiving yards and one touchdown during Sunday's 27-24 win against the Ravens.

Kelce has been white-hot over Kansas City's past three outings, averaging 9.7 catches and 124 receiving yards per game with four total touchdowns over that stretch (5.8 catches and 76 receiving YPG between Weeks 6 and 10). To provide an idea of just how dominant he's been of late, Kelce entered Sunday with 28.5-plus PPR points in three of his past four outings, compared to three such performances for all other NFL tight ends this season. Week 15 provides a matchup against a Chargers defense that's held opposing tight ends to a 58.1 percent catch rate this year (second best in the league).

Engram (hamstring) caught three of five targets for a team-high 77 receiving yards in Sunday's 40-16 win over Washington.

Just over half of Engram's yardage came on a 39-yard catch. The Giants raced out to a 40-0 lead against a Mark Sanchez-led Redskins team, so New York's passing game wasn't overly stressed without Odell Beckham Jr. (quadriceps). Engram has dealt with injury issues of his own, but his health seems to be trending up ahead of a Week 15 meeting with the Titans.

Thomas caught nine of 11 targets for 77 yards in Sunday's 26-20 loss to the Browns.

Thomas struggled earlier this season when Greg Olsen was out with a foot injury, but the rookie tight end looked much more comfortable taking over as the starter this time around. He led the Panthers in targets and catches while coming up only three receiving yards short of Curtis Samuel's team-leading total. With Olsen on injured reserve, Thomas will be a popular waiver wire add ahead of a Week 15 matchup with a Saints team that just gave up two touchdowns to Buccaneers tight end Cameron Brate.

Njoku caught three of four targets for 35 yards in Sunday's 26-20 win over the Panthers.

Njoku turned in another disappointing effort despite facing a Carolina defense that's been generous to tight ends this season. The second-year man out of Miami has faded when it matters most for fantasy owners, recording 35 yards or fewer in three of the past four games.

Hooper suffered a knee injury in Sunday's 34-20 loss to the Packers, Kelsey Conway of the Falcons' official site reports.

Hooper limped off the field on the Falcons' final drive of the game and was deemed questionable to return, but with the contest in the closing stages and already out of reach, he never retook the field. The 24-year-old caught four of six targets for 37 yards, as the Falcons offense struggled to score until the fourth quarter. The specifics of the injury remain unclear, but his status should receive some clarification by the time Atlanta resumes practice Wednesday.

Engram is slated to return from a two-game absence due to a hamstring injury Sunday against the Redskins but is expected to see his role limited primarily to passing downs, Jordan Raanan of ESPN.com reports.

The Giants seem comfortable with where Engram is at on the health front and aren't expected to restrict his playing time because of it, but the 24-year-old had already been losing work to backup Rhett Ellison even before getting hurt. In the Giants' two games following their Week 9 bye, Engram took the field for just 47 percent of the team's offensive snaps after averaging around 90 percent through the five contests he had previously played. Though most of the plays Engram was sidelined for were designed runs, the overall decline in snap share nonetheless presented fewer opportunities for him to put up numbers. Should the trend hold the rest of the way, Engram's weekly upside would be capped to some extent, though he should at least rank higher in the Giants' pass-catching hierarchy this Sunday with top wideout Odell Beckham (quadriceps) ruled out.

Allen (knee) was downgraded to out for Sunday's game against the Dolphins, Doug Kyed of NESN.com reports.

Allen progressed to full practice participation Friday but was unable to travel with the team to Miami. Rob Gronkowski and Jacob Hollister are the Patriots' remaining available tight ends, though fullback James Develin could also be utilized if needed as Allen will miss his third consecutive game.