NFL Player News

Quitoriano recently underwent successful groin and oblique surgeries and is expected to recover in the offseason, Aaron Wilson of KPRC 2 Houston reports.

It's a shimmer of encouraging news for Quitoriano, who is now all but certain to sit out the rest of this season. He served mostly as a blocker this year, catching two passes for 33 yards on three targets over seven games.

Ruckert caught both of his targets for 16 yards in Sunday's 30-0 loss to the Dolphins.

Ruckert had only two targets while fellow tight end Tyler Conklin saw seven, but Ruckert finished only two yards shy of Conklin's total. Trevor Siemian failed to lead New York's offense to any points after Zach Wilson (concussion) got hurt in the first half, so Jets pass catchers will be tough to trust in Week 16, even against the leaky Commanders pass defense.

Sullivan caught his only target for 14 yards in Sunday's 9-7 win over the Falcons.

Sullivan has become more of a factor lately, with all nine of his catches this season coming in the last eight weeks. Although he hasn't topped 28 yards in any contest, he's generally been good for an occasional catch, as was the case Sunday.

Tremble caught both of his targets for 32 yards in Sunday's 9-7 win over the Falcons.

Tremble's yardage output marked his best of this season. In fact, over a quarter of the tight end's yardage for the entire campaign came Sunday, underscoring his typically low upside in a poor Panthers passing attack.

Coach Sean Payton said Monday that Dulcich missed Saturday's game at Detroit due to swelling and soreness in his foot, Ryan McFadden of The Denver Post reports.

Payton also said that he expects Dulcich to return to action at some point this season. Per Parker Gabriel of the Denver Post, Dulcich's foot injury was unrelated to the hamstring that injury that landed the tight end on injured reserve. Denver's injury reports over the week will give some indication of whether he might be available for Week 16.

Gesicki, who was on the field for 21 of a possible 53 snaps on offense, per Mike Reiss of ESPN.com, caught one of his two targets for seven yards in Sunday's 27-17 loss to Kansas City.

Gesicki's modest production continued Week 15, but it's possible that he and Pharaoh Brown could see added opportunities this coming weekend against the Broncos if a knee issue causes fellow TE Hunter Henry to miss time. In the event that Henry, who caught seven passes for 66 yards and a TD versus the Chiefs, is unavailable Week 16, Gesicki's role in New England's passing attack would likely increase, but he'd still profile as a fantasy dart, even in that context.

Smythe secured all four of his targets for 32 yards during Sunday's 30-0 win over the Jets.

Smythe functioned as Miami's second leading receiver with Tyreek Hill (ankle) sidelined, though it was Jaylen Waddle (8-142-1) who stole the show. Still, Smythe logged his highest target and yardage totals since Week 4, so if Hill is unable to suit up again in Week 16 versus the Cowboys, he could warrant consideration as an emergency fantasy option for teams in need of a spot-start tight end.

Allen secured his only target for 14 yards during Sunday's 28-20 victory against the Commanders.

Tyler Higbee's return from a neck injury did lower the rookie tight end's usage on offense, but Higbee didn't completely dominate the snap share at the position like usual -- the veteran was on the field for 47 snaps to Allen's 26. Higbee did outproduce Allen with four catches for 36 yards on five targets, but how the two players are deployed against the Saints in Week 16 will be telling with respect to whether the rookie has earned a more significant role or if Higbee was simply being eased back into action.

Trautman caught one of three targets for 24 yards in Saturday's 42-17 loss to the Lions.

Trautman's modest performance Saturday came on a day when the entire Denver offense struggled to get much going. The veteran played just 47 percent of the Broncos' offensive snaps, his lowest snap share of the season. Meanwhile, fellow tight end Lucas Krull, who was signed to Denver's 53-man roster Saturday, played just one fewer offensive snap (29). The 26-year-old Trautman has not been a major part of the Broncos' offensive plans this season, and splitting playing time would just diminish his fantasy utility even further. In addition, it's possible Greg Dulcich (hamstring) could be nearing a return, further complicating the playing-time situation. Trautman and the Broncos will host the Patriots in Week 16.

Jordan caught his lone target for 14 yards in Sunday's 19-16 overtime win over Tennessee.

Jordan's increased role the last two weeks ended with the return of Dalton Schultz from a hamstring injury. Jordan entered the game having played 75 percent of the offensive snaps the previous two weeks but was back to a normal 25 percent share against Tennessee.