NFL Player News

Saints head coach Dennis Allen said Monday that Johnson is fully cleared after having been evaluated for a concussion during Sunday's loss to the Chargers, Ross Jackson of WWL Louisiana reports.

Johnson was evaluated late during New Orleans' Week 8 loss, but he's good to go for Sunday's road matchup against Carolina. Prior to being forced out versus the Chargers, Johnson had secured three of four targets for 48 yards. With quarterback Derek Carr (oblique) trending in the right direction to return Week 9, Johnson and the Saints' passing game as a whole could be positioned to benefit.

Smith secured four of six targets for 20 yards during Sunday's 28-27 loss to the Cardinals.

Smith has drawn seven, eight, and six targets in his last three appearances, so despite a low yardage total in the Week 8 loss, his involvement on offense remains encouraging. With Tua Tagovailoa back under center, Miami's offense will look to continue getting back on track in a key Week 9 divisional matchup against the Bills.

Hooper, who per Mike Reiss of ESPN.com was on the field for 32 of a possible 67 snaps on offense in Sunday's 25-22 win over the Jets, caught three of his four targets for 15 yards.

Fellow tight end Hunter Henry (57 snaps) caught five of his six targets Sunday for 45 yards. As long Henry remains available, Hooper is only an option in the deepest of fantasy formats.

Trautman caught all four of his targets for 85 yards and a touchdown in Sunday's 28-14 win over the Panthers.

With Greg Dulcich in Sean Payton's doghouse and Lucas Krull picking up a shoulder injury during Sunday's contest, Trautman wound up being significantly more than just a blocker for the first time all season. The fifth-year tight end made a spectacular one-handed grab for a 19-yard TD in the second quarter, his first score of the year, and he also had a 37-yard gain on the final play of the first quarter that helped set up Denver's first touchdown of the day. Krull was able to return to the game and caught both of his targets for 18 yards, but Trautman's breakout performance could put him in line for a larger role as a receiver Week 9 against the Ravens.

Ruckert caught all three of his targets for 14 yards in Sunday's 25-22 loss to the Patriots.

As usual, Ruckert was a distant No. 2 at tight end behind Tyler Conklin, who caught a short touchdown for the second consecutive game. Ruckert has yet to exceed 15 receiving yards in a game this season, and the 2022 third-round draft pick is still searching for his first career touchdown heading into Week 9 against the Texans.

Stover caught two of three targets for 19 yards in Sunday's 23-20 win over Indianapolis in Week 8.

The targets were a season high for Stover, who's seen an uptick in playing time in the wake of Nico Collins' hamstring injury that landed him on injured reserve. Collins could have company on the sidelines this coming Thursday against the Jets, as Stefon Diggs sustained what appears to be a serious knee injury Sunday, which is likely to leave Houston without its top two receivers for Week 9. That sets up a scenario where Stover could get additional opportunities, although it's likely the bulk of extra available targets would accrue to Dalton Schultz.

Swaim caught his only target for seven yards in Sunday's 29-24 win over Baltimore in Week 8.

The target was Swaim's first in six games with the Browns. The 31-year-old has worked his way from the practice squad onto the active roster and out-snapped Jordan Akins for a fourth consecutive game. Neither backup can expect much of a workload while David Njoku is healthy.

Akins failed to catch his lone target in Sunday's 29-24 win over the Ravens in Week 8.

Akins, who played 15 snaps (22 percent share), had a bit role in Cleveland's first game following the season-ending Achilles injury suffered by quarterback Deshaun Watson. The tight end's usage had more to do with David Njoku being fully healthy than which quarterback was in the game, but Week 8 was a significant drop-off for Akins, who had four catches for 42 yards last week, including a 21-yard reception. Geoff Swaim, the other tight end competing for scraps behind Njoku, caught his lone target and was on the field for 21 snaps.

Ertz recorded seven receptions on 11 targets for 77 yards in Sunday's 18-15 win over the Bears.

Ertz had his most productive day of the season by any measure, as he was the favorite target of Jayden Daniels. His statistical output was still modest, though five of his seven receptions went for double-digit yardage. This performance will likely be an anomaly, but Ertz does have at least five targets in four straight contests.

Bowers recorded five receptions on five targets for 58 yards in Sunday's 27-20 loss to the Chiefs.

Bowers made the most of his opportunity in Sunday's loss, as three of his five catches went for double-digit yards. However, he saw his lowest target total since Week 4, as Gardner Minshew distributed targets fairly evenly among the Raiders' skill-position players. Lack of volume isn't likely to be a concern often moving forward, as Minshew has looked to Bowers increasingly as the season has progressed.