NFL Player News

Hooper hauled in all five of his targets for 59 yards and a touchdown during Sunday's 31-24 win over the Panthers.

Hooper's performance on Sunday was his most substantial PPR-scoring output since Week 10 of last season (16.9 points). With 59 yards against Carolina, the former Stanford standout also eclipsed 50 receiving yards for the first time since putting up over 100 in Week 1 of 2017. Upcoming for Hooper and the Falcons is a Saints defense that has allowed 663 passing yards during the first two games of the season to Ryan Fitzpatrick and Tyrod Taylor.

Smith did not see a target Week 2 against Houston.

Smith was on the field for 59 offensive snaps but did not appear on the stat sheet after being pegged to fill in for the injured Delanie Walker (ankle). Backup quarterback Blaine Gabbert attempted only 20 passes, so there weren't an abundance of opportunities for any Titans receivers. As the team gets healthier -- they were without starting quarterback Marcus Mariota and key members of the offensive line -- Smith may become more involved, but that role isn't imminent after Smith's disappointing Week 2 showing.

Akins caught both of his targets for 21 yards in Sunday's 20-17 loss to the Titans in Week 2.

Akins led Houston's tight ends in receiving yards Sunday and is the position group's leader in catches and yards through the first two weeks. He's caught all four of his targets for 32 yards over the first two weeks.

Seals-Jones caught four of six passes for 17 yards in Sunday's 34-0 loss to the Rams.

The six targets were actually a team-high mark in a game that saw the Rams hold a 67-43 advantage in snaps and a 432-137 advantage in yards. Seals-Jones appeared to dominate the playing time at tight end for a second time in as many weeks, but it still isn't translating into production. He might benefit if the Cardinals switched from Sam Bradford to Josh Rosen, though the team's issues clearly aren't just a matter of the quarterback position. There's a chance Seals-Jones will lose some of his snaps and targets if Jermaine Gresham (Achilles) is ready for Week 3 against the Bears.

James caught all five of his targets for 138 yards and a touchdown during Sunday's 42-37 loss to Kansas City.

With Pittsburgh down three scores early, Ben Roethlisberger scrambled around and lofted a 26-yard pass to James for the Steelers' first score of the game. James has been getting down field thus far this season. Be aware: depth charts can be misleading. James, the No. 2 tight end for the Steelers, has 198 receiving yards to Vance McDonald's 26.

Gathers is active for Sunday's game against the Giants, David Helman of the Cowboys' official site reports.

Gathers was a healthy inactive Week 1 in Carolina and has yet to make an appearance in a regular-season game. Dalton Schultz will be the scratch this week, leaving Gathers, Blake Jarwin and Geoff Swaim as the Cowboys' options at tight end. None of the bunch is a strong bet to draw more than three or four targets.

Kelce snagged seven of 10 targets for 109 yards and two touchdowns during Sunday's 42-37 win over Pittsburgh.

Kelce fans can breathe a collective sigh of relief. Following a disappointing one-catch outing Week 1, Kelce hooked up with Patrick Mahomes for touchdowns of 19 and 25 yards, both coming up the seam. Kelce is among the best tight ends in the league in stretching the field vertically. Now equipped with a quarterback of Mahomes' arm strength, things can get ugly for opposing defenses. Expect to see more of Week 2 Kelce than Week 1 Kelce moving forward.

Graham caught six of eight targets for 95 yards during Sunday's 29-29 tie with the Vikings.

Graham finished second on the team in targets and led the team in receiving yardage while posting a long gain of 34 yards. He appeared to score his first touchdown as a Packer midway through the third quarter, only to see it nullified by a holding penalty. Nevertheless, it was an excellent bounce-back performance for Graham, who managed just eight yards on two receptions in the season opener. Perhaps Aaron Rodgers' knee injury has shifted his focus more to short and intermediate pass catchers for the time being, which could have Graham heavily involved once again Week 3 against the Redskins.

Ertz brought in 11 of 13 passes for 94 yards in the Eagles' 27-21 loss to the Buccaneers on Sunday.

As expected, Ertz saw no shortage of volume in the Eagles' second straight game to open the season without Alshon Jeffery (shoulder), and with Mike Wallace exiting early with an ankle injury. The prolific tight end led the Eagles in receptions, receiving yards and targets, and he's now logged a whopping 23 looks through two games. Ertz will potentially have a chance to reestablish his strong connection with Carson Wentz (knee) in a Week 3 battle against the Colts, if the latter is reportedly ready to return to action in that contest as expected.

Njoku hauled in four of seven targets for 20 yards in Sunday's 21-18 loss to the Saints.

Njoku was targeted seven times for the second consecutive week, though the tight end again failed to do much with his plethora of looks. His longest catch went for eight yards and he seems to be just a short-yardage option, despite his athletic ability to get down the field. More targets could be coming Njoku's way to make up for Josh Gordon's (hamstring) absence.