NFL Player News

Smith secured all five of his targets for 21 yards in Sunday's 16-10 loss to Miami.

Smith did most of his damage near the line of scrimmage as Tennessee's offense failed to generate a play longer than 17 yards without quarterback Marcus Mariota (hamstring). Backup Matt Cassel relied heavily on the tight end position, with starter Delanie Walker turning five targets into 25 yards and third-stringer Phillip Supernaw catching the team's lone touchdown. Supernaw's no threat to Smith's playing time, as the rookie has established himself as a nice secondary weapon with 75 yards and two scores over the past three weeks.

Chiefs coach Andy Reid confirmed that Kelce was bothered by concussion symptoms during Sunday's 42-34 win over the Texans, Matt McMullen of the Chiefs' official site reports. "Kelce has a concussion. He was cleared by the UNC (unaffiliated neurological consultants), but then when he came in at halftime he complained about his memory," Reid said. "He remembered everything in the (injury) tent, but didn't have it once we got inside (the locker room), so we chose to hold him out."

Kelce took a hit to the head with about a minute remaining in the first half, and while he initially was cleared to reenter the game, the Chiefs held him out for the entire second half. He had a shot to push for career-high marks in multiple receiving categories before the injury, finishing the first half with eight catches for 98 yards on 11 targets. Demetrius Harris will serve as the Chiefs' top tight end in Week 6 against Pittsburgh if Kelce doesn't pass through the NFL's concussion protocol before Sunday.

Engram had an uncharacteristically quiet game with four targets and no catches Sunday, but should be in for significant work going forward, given all the injuries to the team's receiving corps.

Engram was actually tied for second in the NFL among tight ends with 30 targets heading into Week 5, so it's strange he didn't receive more looks in a game where Brandon Marshall and Sterling Shepard left early and Odell Beckham left late. Even so, Engram is probably the team's best weapon at this point, and it wouldn't be shocking to see him line up at receiver on occasion, given how thin the team is at the position. At 6-3, 236 Engram runs a 4.42 40, so he's a matchup problem for most defensive backs.

Kelce exited Sunday's game to be evaluated for a concussion, Terez A. Paylor of the Kansas City Star reports.

Kelce briefly exited the game in the first half and returned shortly thereafter, but he hasn't been seen for the entirety of the second half. It's a disappointing situation for the tight end, as he logged 98 receiving yards on eight receptions prior to exiting and seemed to be well on his way towards his third 100-yard outing of the season. While we likely won't be seeing any more of him for the remainder of Sunday's game, it's no sure thing he'll be able to play in Week 6 either, as Kelce will need to clear concussion protocol in order to take the field.

Higbee gained 98 yards on four catches (eight targets) during Sunday's 16-10 loss to the Seahawks.

Higbee ran effectively down the seam in this one, breaking off a 35-yard gain and a couple of other chunks to finish as his team's leading receiver. He came into the game with just six catches for 72 yards through the opening four games, but he displayed the ability to stretch the field from the tight end position against one of the top defenses in the league. Higbee may still be growing into his role, but he could emerge as a fantasy contributor if he continues to experience this type of usage. He will look to build on this performance next week against the Jaguars.

Graham caught six of eight targets for 37 yards and a touchdown in Sunday's 16-10 win over the Rams.

Graham tied for the team lead in targets, but a long gain of just nine yards limited his production in that regard. He salvaged his day from a fantasy perspective with a four-yard touchdown grab in the second quarter for his first score of the season. Graham's role seems to be trending up after a sluggish start to the season, and he will enjoy the upcoming bye before he looks to keep it going Oct. 22 against the Giants.

Kittle caught seven of nine targets for 83 yards and a touchdown during Sunday's 26-23 loss to the Colts.

Kittle enjoyed a career day as he set personal bests in targets, catches and yardage while finding the end zone for the first time in his rookie season. He averaged a respectable 11.9 yards per catch and even ripped off a 27-yard gain at one point. Kittle had totaled just 10 grabs for 83 yards through the season's first four weeks, so it would be a bit hasty to assume he will maintain a sizable role next week against the Redskins. However, Sunday's performance should have him near the fantasy radar as a potential emerging talent.

Henry brought in three of eight targets for 42 yards and a touchdown in Sunday's 27-22 win over the Giants.

Philip Rivers wasn't exactly at his sharpest against a tough Giants secondary Sunday, so like teammate Keenan Allen, Henry didn't finish with the most efficient catch rate. However, he did cross the goal line for the second consecutive game, bringing in a 25-yard scoring dart from Rivers with 40 seconds remaining in the third quarter to cap off a 12-play, 92-yard drive. The young tight end has endured a rollercoaster season thus far, as he's failed to be targeted in two different games but has also seen seven and eight looks in a pair of other contests. He appears to be trending in the right direction after having scored the last two weeks, a pattern he'll look to replicate against the Raiders in a Week 6 road tilt.

James totaled 24 yards on three catches in Pittsburgh's 30-9 loss to Jacksonville.

Trailing most of the game resulted in Ben Roethlisberger throwing 54 times, but only five of those passes were directed at James. Big Ben completed more passes to Jacksonville defenders than he did James, who next faces a tough Chiefs defense that has limited opposing tight ends to fewer than four receptions per game without allowing them to reach the end zone.

Kroft caught four of five targets for 38 yards in Sunday's 20-16 win over Buffalo.

It wasn't the field day that Kroft had against Cleveland in Week 4, but the third-year tight end caught at least three passes for the third consecutive week. It's hard to jump on Kroft's bandwagon when Tyler Eifert, so productive when healthy, is on the mend. At the same time, it's fair to wonder if, frustrated by Eifert's injury history, the Bengals are looking to move forward with their former third-round pick, Kroft. Expect the picture to become clearer in Week 7 after the Bengals' bye.