NFL Player News

Henry snagged both of his targets for 11 yards in Sunday's 21-13 loss to the Patriots.

After back-to-back solid weeks, Henry predictably fell back to earth against a surging Patriots defense. Given the second-year pro still saw the most snaps of any Chargers tight end, though, it's likely Sunday's performance may be a blip on the radar. Henry will look to rebound following the team's bye when the Chargers take on the Jaguars in Week 10.

Kittle caught two passes (four targets) for 22 yards in Sunday's 33-10 loss to the Eagles.

The rookie tight end was asked to stay back and block more often than not against an aggresive Philadelphia defensive front, and that gameplan was emphasized after starting tackles Joe Staley (eye) and Garry Gilliam (knee) were knocked out of the contest. Both of Kittle's catches came on check and releases, and that kind of utilization will severely limit his value going forward if the 49ers' offensive line continues to struggle protecting its rookie quarterback.

James caught two passes for 42 yards in a 20-15 win over the Lions on Sunday night.

With Vance McDonald (knee) inactive, James saw his first targets (three) since Week 5 and produced his best game in terms of yardage all season. The tight end position has not been a primary weapon in an otherwise potent Pittsburgh offense, limiting the fantasy value of both James and McDonald.

Graham caught four of five targets for 39 yards and two touchdowns in Sunday's 41-38 win over the Texans.

Graham struggled for most of the afternoon, even drawing criticism on the broadcast for his shortcomings as a run blocker. He more than made up for it in the fourth quarter, first catching an easy one-yard touchdown on a play-action bootleg, and then hitting paydirt from 18 yards out on a seam route to give Seattle the lead with only 21 seconds remaining in the game. Graham has bounced back nicely from his dreadful start to the season, scoring four times in the last three games while topping 30 yards in every contest since Week 2. He draws a favorable Week 9 matchup against a Washington defense that's struggled to contain tight ends this year.

Ertz caught four of six targets for 34 yards and a touchdown in Sunday's 33-10 win over San Francisco.

Ertz pushed his touchdown streak to four consecutive games with a one-yard score just after the two-minute warning in the first half. The talented tight end has been a valuable weapon all over the field for quarterback Carson Wentz, but he's been especially strong in the red zone with a team-leading six touchdowns this season. Ertz has established himself as an every-week TE1.

Hooper snared four of six targets for 47 yards and a touchdown in Sunday's 25-20 win over the Jets.

The 23-year-old got into the end zone for the first time since the opener, notching the Falcons' first score of the day with a one-yard touchdown grab at the 5:03 mark of the first quarter. With the exception of a one-catch, six-yard effort in Week 7 against the Patriots, Hooper's production and opportunities have somewhat evened out over the last month. He posted a combined 16 receptions (on 22 targets) for 145 yards and Sunday's touchdown in Weeks 5, 6 and 8, offering fantasy owners some hope that he's starting to carve out a consistent niche in offensive coordinator Steve Sarkisian's system. He'll look to build in Sunday's effort against the Panthers in Week 9.

Kroft reeled in five of six targets for 46 yards in Sunday's 24-23 win over the Colts.

Remember when Tyler Eifert seemingly came out of nowhere to lead the Bengals' pass offense a couple of seasons back? Kroft isn't having quite that same emergence, but the former third-round pick is adjusting well to his newly solidified role as the starter with Eifert (back) out for the year. The Rutgers product has caught at least four passes in each of the past four games, and like Eifert, has been dangerous in the red zone, notching three touchdowns during that span.

Derby (shoulder) practiced fully Friday after being limited during Thursday's session, the Denver Post reports.

Over his last three games, Derby has emerged as an option in deeper fantasy formats, having hauled in 11 of 17 targets for 151 yards and a touchdown in that span. He led the Broncos with six catches (on seven targets) for 66 yards in Week 7's 21-0 loss to the Chargers and figures to remain a key cog in the team's offense Monday night against the Chiefs.

Gathers (concussion) needs to get into football shape before he gets on the field, Kate Hairopoulos of The Dallas Morning News reports.

After getting selected in the sixth round of the 2016 draft, Gathers has yet to suit up for a game. He'll have a chance at being activated from injured reserve if he can get into football shape, but there's not much film on whether Gathers can contribute or not.

Mayle has been ruled out for the remainder of Thursday's game with a concussion.

With Maxx Williams (ankle) out, Mayle is currently the third tight end on Baltimore's depth chart. His absence should free up snaps for Gavin Escobar.