NFL Player News

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.

Thomas caught one of three targets for seven yards in a 28-20 loss to the Rams on Sunday.

After averaging 4.3 catches for 40.9 yards and 0.3 TDs in his first 10 appearances this year, Thomas has just three catches for 22 yards on eight targets over his past three games. Next up is a Week 16 matchup with the Jets.

Bellinger caught both of his targets or 13 yards in Sunday's 24-6 Week 15 loss to New Orleans.

Bellinger worked as New York's starting tight end while Waller was on IR with a hamstring injury between Week 9 and Week 14, but he returned to a backup role with the latter returning Sunday. Bellinger averaged a modest 2.2 receptions for 27.6 yards during his five-game starting stint, and he wasn't far off those numbers while working behind Waller against the Saints. Waller appeared to come out of the contest in good health, so Bellinger should again see limited receiving opportunities next Monday against the Eagles.

Engram had four receptions on six targets for 28 yards in Sunday's 23-7 loss to the Ravens.

Engram reverted back to his usual form after going off for a combined 20 receptions, 177 yards and three touchdowns over his previous two contests. While that sort of production was unrealistic to expect to continue, fantasy managers were likely hoping for a gradual regression to the mean as opposed what transpired Sunday. Perhaps Engram can meet somewhere in the middle when the Jaguars visit the Buccaneers next Sunday.

Otton brought in both targets for 44 yards in the Buccaneers' 34-20 win over the Packers on Sunday.

The second-year tight end contributed a pair of 22-yard receptions -- both coming on a late third-quarter drive that culminated in a Buccaneers touchdown -- showing more downfield chops than in his typical shorter-area role. With Sunday's production, Otton tied the 42 catches he posted as a rookie in 2022, and he set a new career high by pushing his season yardage total to 408 yards. Otton had only Week 14's two receptions for 16 yards and a touchdown in the two games prior to Sunday, so his boost in yardage was a welcome sight for fantasy managers rolling with him in any playoff contests. The 2022 fourth-round pick next takes aim at the Jaguars in a Week 16 home matchup.