NFL Player News

Goedert caught one of his three targets for four yards in Thursday's 18-12 win over the Falcons.

Although he was reportedly to see more playing time as the Eagles utilized more two tight end sets with Alshon Jeffery (shoulder) out, Goedert was only on the field for 24 percent of the offensive plays in the win. The Eagles' 2018 first-round pick made some rookie mistakes in the contest, failing to get both feet in on a potential touchdown in the first half and later deflecting his final target to a defender for a fourth-quarter interception. Nevertheless, the South Dakota State product still has immense potential and instantly becomes an intriguing play should anything happen to Zach Ertz over the course of the season.

James will be the Steelers' starting tight end Sunday in Cleveland, Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.com reports.

James was in line for a larger workload Week 1 with Vance McDonald (foot) on the mend, and the latter subsequently was ruled out. As a result, James will be the tight end of choice in a Steelers offense that may be without Le'Veon Bell (contract dispute) in the season opener. Even if there are more targets up for grabs, James has surpassed 50 yard receiving just two times in 40 career games.

Hooper corralled three of his four targets for 24 yards in Atlanta's 18-12 loss to Philadelphia on Thursday.

Hooper is a sure-handed target but not an explosive player by any means, as he has now gone 16 consecutive regular-season contests without exceeding 50 receiving yards (averaging 26.4 yards per game during that span). The breakout performance is unlikely to come in Atlanta's Week 2 matchup against Carolina, facing a defense that allowed the fifth-fewest points to tight ends in PPR scoring last season.

Hurst (foot) is out for Sunday's game against the Bills.

Hurst never had any real shot to play, as he's just two weeks removed from a minor procedure that carries an estimated recovery timetable of 3-to-4 weeks. With Baltimore's next game coming just four days later on Thursday Night Football, the rookie tight end is likely targeting Week 3 or 4 for his regular-season NFL debut. Nick Boyle figures to start at tight end in the meantime, followed by Maxx Williams and Mark Andrews on the depth chart. Hurst is still the best bet of the bunch to establish fantasy value at some point this season.

Manhertz (foot) is listed as questionable for Sunday's season opener against the Cowboys, David Newton of ESPN.com reports.

Manhertz was removed from the Physically Unable to Perform list and was a limited participant in practice this week to earn the questionable tag. The 26-year-old sustained the injury during minicamp in mid-June and is likely to serve as the Panthers' No. 3 tight end, if he's able to suit up Sunday.

Ertz brought in five of 10 targets for 48 yards in the Eagles' 18-12 win over the Falcons on Thursday.

Ertz paced the Eagles in receiving yards on a night when Nick Foles struggled to complete better than 50 percent of his throws. The athletic tight end did record a team-long 18-yard reception as part of his tally, and although rookie backup Dallas Goedert was targeted on three occasions as well, Ertz drew even with Nelson Agholor for the team lead in passing-game looks. Ertz should see an increase in his already robust workload as long as Alshon Jeffery (shoulder) is sidelined, although he's projected to be near the team lead in targets even when the pass-catching corps is back at full health.

Everett (shoulder) isn't listed on the Rams' Week 1 injury report Thursday, Myles Simmons of the team's official site reports.

Expected to challenge starter Tyler Higbee for reps at tight end this season, Everett instead spent the bulk of training camp and the entire preseason recovering from an unspecified shoulder injury. At one point, Everett was seen with a sling on his left arm during a practice session. With the season opener days away, he has reached 100 percent health -- or at least enough to avoid the injury report -- but the past month may have put a damper on his ability to produce early on.

The Achilles' issue that landed Gray on IR was the result of a non-contact injury, Armando Salguero of the Miami Herald reports.

Coach Adam Gase confirmed Thursday that Gray is out for the year, which sets the stage for rookie Mike Gesicki to carve out a significant role as a pass catcher in the Miami offense, while A.J. Derby should factor in on that front as well.

Gray was placed on injured reserve Thursday after suffering a torn Achilles' tendon in Wednesday's practice, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reports.

The Dolphins had listed Gray as a limited participant in the session due to a foot injury, but Rapoport's clarification of the setback provides a better explanation for why the team elected to remove the 28-year-old from the 53-man roster. While the Dolphins haven't offered a projected timeline for Gray's recovery, injuries of this nature are almost always of the season-ending variety, so it's not expected that the team will reserve one of its two designated-to-return spots for him. With Gray out of commission, rookie Mike Gesicki could be thrown into the fire as the Dolphins' top pass-catching tight end in Sunday's season opener against the Titans.

With MarQueis Gray (Achilles) having landed on IR, Gesicki figures to see an expanded role out of the gate this season.

The No. 42 overall pick in the 2018 NFL Draft already had sleeper potential, but with Gray out of the mix, Gesicki, who excelled at the NFL Combine in March, appears poised to carve out a pass-catching role in the Miami offense. Though A.J. Derby was previously listed as the Dolphins' No. 2 tight end behind Gray, Gesicki's combo of athleticism and opportunity make him the upside play here. The only caveat is that the young tight end's blocking is a work in progress.