NFL Player News

Manhertz (foot) is active for Sunday's season-opening tilt against the Cowboys.

Both Manhertz and Greg Olsen (back) are active Sunday after shaking off questionable designations, giving Cam Newton his full complement of tight ends against the Cowboys.

Gesicki isn't slated to start at tight end Sunday against the Titans, as the Dolphins instead plan to use a four-wideout configuration to begin the contest, Adam H. Beasley of the Miami Herald reports.

It's not expected that the Dolphins will use a four receivers as their primary offensive set for most of the day, so Gesicki is likely still in line for plenty of work after the team's projected starter at tight end, MarQueis Gray, suffered a season-ending Achilles' tear during a recent practice. Gesicki was one of the top pass-catching tight ends in the draft this spring after finishing his senior season at Penn State with 57 receptions for 563 yards and nine touchdowns on 80 targets.

Hollister (hamstring) is inactive for Sunday's game against the Texans.

When available, Hollister provides depth behind red-zone maven Rob Gronkowski and blocking ace Dwayne Allen, but his fantasy value is limited as long as Gronkowski is healthy.

Hollister (hamstring) is listed as questionable for Sunday's game against the Texans after practicing in a limited fashion all week, Mike Reiss of ESPN.com reports.

Hollister provides depth behind star tight end Rob Gronkowski and blocking ace Dwayne Allen, but his fantasy value is limited as long as Gronkowski is healthy. That said, Hollister's pass-catching skills probably give him more upside than Allen in the event that Gronkowski misses any time down the road.

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.