NFL Player News

Hollister was not sighted at practice Friday, Mike Reiss of ESPN.com reports.

Hollister was not listed on the injury report previously in the week, so it remains unclear what's causing the absence. The 24-year-old was dealing with a hamstring injury last week, but he played against the Jaguars last Sunday and had no limitations through the first two practices of the week.

Engram (ankle) was listed as a limited participant in Thursday's practice, but head coach Pat Shumur said he expects the tight end will be "fine" for Sunday's game in Houston, Tom Rock of Newsday reports.

Engram has kicked off the week with back-to-back limited showings in practice, a surprising development after there was no indication that he came out of the Week 2 loss to the Cowboys with an injury. Shumur's comments offer some peace of mind to fantasy owners regarding Engram's status for the weekend, but the 24-year-old's full participation in Friday's session would remove any lingering doubt about his outlook.

Engram was a limited participant at Wednesday's practice due to an ankle injury.

Engram wasn't listed on the injury report last week and didn't seem to have any issues while posting a 7-67-1 receiving line on seven targets in Sunday's 20-13 loss to the Cowboys. In fact, he did most of his damage late in the fourth quarter, when the Giants scored 10 points in garbage time. Assuming the ankle issue isn't a concern heading into the weekend, Engram will do battle with a Houston defense that held Titans tight end Jonnu Smith catchless in Week 2, but only after giving up 123 yards to the Patriots' Rob Gronkowski in Week 1.

Eagles offensive coordinator Mike Groh said Wednesday he wants to increase Goedert's involvement, Dave Zangaro of NBC Sports Philadelphia reports. "We have a talented player in Dallas, and we need to find more ways to get him involved," Groh said Tuesday. "We need to get him involved more. We had some extenuating circumstances [Week 2 against the Buccaneers], for a variety of reasons."

After logging just 17 offensive snaps in both of his first two games, Goedert should see his role expand out of sheer necessity while the Eagles deal with a slew of injuries at wide receiver. The team has largely relied on three-wideout formations during Doug Pederson's tenure as head coach, but the current personnel hints at greater use of two-tight end sets, at least until Alshon Jeffery (shoulder) is ready to play. Regardless, it's hard to imagine Goedert averaging more than two or three catches per week unless Zach Ertz misses time with an injury.

Gesicki was not targeted during Sunday's 20-12 win over the Jets.

Gesicki remains behind fellow tight end A.J. Derby, who reeled in his only target for a touchdown. It was expected for Gesicki to have a limited role to begin the season, and it wouldn't be surprising if the 22-year-old were unable to achieve fantasy relevance in his rookie year given the length of time it generally takes to acclimate to the NFL at his position. Gesicki's usage should nonetheless increase as the season continues, and the rookie remains a key part of Miami's plans for the future.

Derby hauled in one of his two targets for a 19-yard touchdown reception Sunday in the Dolphins' 20-12 win over the Jets.

Derby and Mike Gesicki essentially split the playing time at tight end down the middle, with the former logging 34 offensive snaps to the rookie's 33. Despite the even distribution, it was Derby who was the more active pass catcher of the two, as Gesicki didn't draw a single target in the contest. Though Derby is listed as the top tight end on the Dolphins' unofficial depth chart, he'll probably need to take on a larger portion of the snaps and draw more targets before becoming an appealing option in most fantasy leagues.

Vannett caught three passes on five targets for 23 yards during Monday's 24-17 loss to the Bears.

Vannett matched the target count of rookie Will Dissly, who has scored in each of the first two games. The 25-year-old was still one of Russell Wilson's favorite targets Week 2, and his 6-foot-6 frame should grab his attention near the end zone soon. The Seahawks host the Cowboys in Week 3.

Dissly caught three of five targets for 42 yards and a touchdown in Monday night's 24-17 loss to the Bears.

Dissly had a team-long reception of 34 yards, flashing big-play ability for the second straight week to start his career. Furthermore, like his NFL debut, the rookie fourth-rounder again found the end zone Monday. Although that came via a two-yard catch with 14 seconds left and the game's result already decided, Dissly's impact has been felt nonetheless. The local Washington product is one to continue to keep an eye on, particularly while Doug Baldwin's (knee) status remains murky.

Paulsen hauled in his lone target for a 10-yard gain as Atlanta defeated Carolina, 31-24, on Sunday.

The 31-year-old tight end has almost exclusively contributed as a run blocker throughout his career, eclipsing 20 targets in a year just twice across eight professional seasons. This week's matchup against New Orleans doesn't provide reason for optimism, as the Saints surrendered the fewest number of tight end receptions in the NFL last season with 43.

Firkser was waived by the Titans on Monday, Jim Wyatt of the team's official site reports.

Unfortunately for the Harvard product, a strong preseason campaign wasn't enough to keep Firkser around in Nashville. There's a good chance he'll wind up elsewhere given his impressive play leading up to the regular season.