NFL Player News

Lions tight end Joseph Fauria has been seen at the facility Friday on crutches and wearing a walking boot, which indicates he is likely out for the Week 4 game against the host Jets, per the Detroit News.

Fauria, who is dealing with an ankle injury sustained last Wednesday in a home accident, has one catch in each of the first three games.

Giants tight end Larry Donnell had a monstrous game Thursday against Washington.

The Washington DST did not have an answer for Donnell early. On New York's second drive of the game, Donnell caught two passes, including a 5 yard score. He didn't stop there. On the second play of the second quarter, Donnell managed another score, this time from 6 yards out. On the next drive, Donnell scored a third time, hauling in a pass over a cornerback. He would finish with seven receptions for 54 yards and three scores. Six of those catches would come in the first half. Donnell was targeted eight times during the contest.

Donnell will look for more Week 5 against the Falcons. 

Washington 's backup pass catchers made a small impact Thursday against the Giants.

Logan Paulsen hauled in three balls for 28 yards during the contest. Andre Roberts caught one pass, but made it count. He the second quarter, he pulled in an 18 yard touchdown strike from Kirk Cousins.

Both players will take on the Seahawks Week 5. 

Lions coach Jim Caldwell announced Thursday tight end Joseph Fauria missed practice after injuring his ankle Wednesday night at his house. Fauria is expected to undergo an MRI and his status for Week 4 at N.Y. Jets remains up in the air.

After a couple big-yardage performances to begin the season, Eagles tight end Zach Ertz caught only two passes for 14 yards against Washington last week, giving reason to wonder if he's really the breakthrough star so many of us perceived him to be.

Jamey Eisenberg and Dave Richard seem undeterred, ranking him among their top six tight ends for this week, but I have my doubts. For starters, their Week 4 opponent, San Francisco, has done a good job of limiting tight ends this week. The 49ers did allow seven catches and a touchdown to the Bears' Martellus Bennett in Week 2, but for a pathetic 5.3 yards per catch. Over their three games, the 49ers have allowed the sixth-fewest Fantasy points per game to tight ends.

But even more than that, rookie wide receiver Jordan Matthews' emergence last week gives quarterback Nick Foles somewhere else to look when Ertz is on the field -- which, by the way, isn't all that much. He played only 52 percent of the Eagles' snaps in Week 3, according to FootballOutsiders.com, 40th-most among tight ends. He's played 62.3 percent of their snaps this season.

Maybe that's not so surprising given the design of the Eagles offense, but looking back at Ertz's first two games, he didn't have all that many targets. His production depended on him averaging more than 20 yards per catch, which is unrealistic for a tight end. It doesn't mean you can't start him in Fantasy -- only so many options at the position, after all -- but it does make him less than automatic for me.

The Chargers made several moves Tuesday, adding running back Shaun Draughn and linebackers Kevin Reddick and Cordarro Law to the active roster. The team also placed running back Danny Woodhead on injured reserve and released defensive lineman Lawrence Guy.

The Chargers added three players to the practice squad Tuesday as well: running back D.J. Adams, tight end David Paulson and outside linebacker Colton Underwood. Adrian Phillips was released from the practice squad, while Marcus Cromartie was released from the reserved-injured list.

The Titans announced Tuesday they signed tight end Chase Coffman. To clear a spot on the roster, wide receiver T.J. Graham was waived.

The Ravens announced Tuesday they placed tight end Dennis Pitta (hip) on injured reserve. To take his spot on the roster, tight end Phillip Supernaw was elevated from the practice squad.

Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce will be a hot name on the waiver wire ahead of Week 4, after breaking through for his first NFL touchdown. Kelce already ranks 10th among tight ends in Fantasy scoring, despite being featured on just 45.1 percent of the team's snaps through three games, a good sign moving forward.

Kelce played just 50 snaps in the team's first two games, but was on the field 47 times on offense in Week 3, 65 percent of the team's plays. He turned that into just three catches for 36 yards, but made up for it with a touchdown, and should get more looks moving forward.

Kelce has a tough matchup on the way in Week 4, as the Chiefs get set to take on the Patriots this Sunday. New England has allowed just 4.0 Fantasy points per game to opposing tight ends, the third-lowest total in the league. Kelce might not pay immediate dividends as a waiver-wire pickup this week, but his growing role should lead to good things before long. 

The Jaguars waived/injured safety Chris Prosinski (elbow) and waived wideout Kerry Taylor and tight end Marcel Jensen. The team signed rookie tight end Nic Jacobs off the Saints' practice squad and added fullback Eric Kettani to its practice squad.