NFL Player News
-
Dalton Kincaid TE | BUF
Bills' Dalton Kincaid: Career-high catch total in loss
Kincaid secured 10 of 11 targets for 81 yards in the Bills' 24-18 loss to the Bengals on Sunday night. He also lost a fumble.
Kincaid paced the Bills in receptions and targets with totals that also qualified as new personal bests in his nascent career. However, the rookie's standout night was somewhat marred by his particularly untimely lost fumble, which came at the Bengals' 11-yard line early in the fourth quarter and with Buffalo seemingly on the verge of reducing a 21-10 deficit. Nevertheless, the performance was still very productive from a fantasy perspective, and it brought Kincaid's line over the last three games to an impressive 23-221-1 on 26 targets. With Dawson Knox (IR-wrist) out at least two more games, Kincaid should continue to play an expanded role in the team's air attack and has seemingly already taken clear possession of the role of top pass-catching option at tight end.
-
Jonnu Smith TE | PIT
Falcons' Jonnu Smith: Scores on impressive play
Smith recorded five receptions on six targets for 100 yards and one touchdown in Sunday's 31-28 loss to the Vikings. He rushed the ball once for zero yards.
Smith appeared to be getting phased out of the Atlanta offense, as he entered Sunday's contest with only four targets combined across his previous two games. However, he turned in an impressive performance, highlighted by a 60-yard touchdown that came entirely on yards after the catch halfway through the third quarter. Smith's performance will likely remain uneven, but he has now topped 60 yards with at least five receptions in three of his last six contests.
-
Michael Mayer TE | LV
Raiders' Michael Mayer: Production remains low
Mayer caught both of his targets for 11 yards in Sunday's 30-6 win over the Giants.
Josh Jacobs (26-98-2) and the Raiders' ground game were more than enough to make quick work of the reeling Giants, resulting in another low-usage game for Mayer. The rookie tight end continued to start over veteran Austin Hooper after the Raiders cleaned house this past week, but the latter's presence continues to eat into what little fantasy value Mayer has generated through nine weeks so far. Perhaps Las Vegas' new coaching staff will look to develop the 22-year-old with more targets in the second half of the season. Mayer's current role is simply too small to rely on as a starting option in fantasy for next Sunday's game against the Jets.
-
Daniel Bellinger TE | TEN
Giants' Daniel Bellinger: Maximizes low target count
Bellinger corralled all three of his targets for 43 yards in Sunday's 30-6 loss to Las Vegas.
Bellinger's three targets ranked fifth behind Saquon Barkley and the Giants' three starting receivers, but the tight end did more with less and finished second in yardage for New York on Sunday. Starting quarterback Daniel Jones (knee) went down early in this contest and had to be replaced by backup Tommy DeVito, who was already replacing Tyrod Taylor (ribs), who is currently on injured reserve. Bellinger had been backing up Darren Waller (hamstring) prior to the latter being placed on injured reserve Saturday, so fantasy managers in need of a serviceable tight end could take a look at the second-year backup while Waller mends on IR. Bellinger projects to be the starter against Dallas next Sunday.
-
Kyle Pitts TE | ATL
Falcons' Kyle Pitts: Racks up 56 receiving yards
Pitts recorded four receptions on five targets for 56 yards in Sunday's 31-28 loss to the Vikings.
Pitts' modest stat line was still good enough for his second-best yardage total of the season, while also marking only the second time he's topped 50 receiving yards for the campaign. His most notable gain came on a 27-yard play early in the fourth quarter on a catch deep down the left sideline. The other potential positive was that this was Taylor Heinicke's first full game, perhaps a sign that improved production could be on the way for Pitts.
-
Jake Ferguson TE | DAL
Cowboys' Jake Ferguson: Breaks out against Eagles
Ferguson caught seven of 10 targets for 91 yards and a touchdown in Sunday's 28-23 loss to the Eagles.
The second-year tight end set new career highs in targets and yards while tying the career-best seven receptions he had in Week 4 against the Patriots. Ferguson also caught his third TD of the season on a four-yard toss from Dak Prescott in the first quarter, and the Dallas quarterback seemed to trust him more than any other option aside from CeeDee Lamb. Ferguson has had an up-and-down first campaign as the Cowboys' starting TE, but he may be gearing up for a big second half of the year ahead of a Week 10 meeting with the Giants.
-
Trey McBride TE | ARI
Cardinals' Trey McBride: Limited to three grabs in shutout
McBride brought in three of five targets for 22 yards in the Cardinals' 27-0 loss to the Browns on Sunday.
McBride's catch and yardage totals, modest as they were, qualified as the second highest for the Cardinals on an afternoon when rookie Clayton Tune threw for only 58 yards in his starting debut. Despite the downturn following a breakout 10-catch, 95-yard, one-touchdown performance versus the Ravens in Week 8, McBride could reemerge as a significant component in the air attack if Kyler Murray (knee) is activated ahead of a Week 10 home matchup against the Falcons.
-
Cade Otton TE | TB
Buccaneers' Cade Otton: Finds end zone twice in loss
Otton secured six of nine targets for 70 yards and two touchdowns in the Buccaneers' 39-37 loss to the Texans on Sunday.
Otton was the surprising leader in receptions and targets for the Bucs on the afternoon, exploiting a Texans defense that had been vulnerable to tight ends in the first half of the season. The second-year pro found the end zone from three and 14 yards out for his first two scores since Week 4 against the Saints, and he's now amassed an impressive 15 receptions on 21 targets over his last three games. Otton will look to carry over his burgeoning chemistry with Baker Mayfield into a Week 10 home matchup against the Titans.
-
Dalton Schultz TE | HOU
Texans' Dalton Schultz: Massive output in Week 9 win
Schultz brought in 10 of 11 targets for 130 yards and a touchdown in the Texans' 39-37 win over the Buccaneers on Sunday.
Schultz's career-best day saw him lead the Texans in receptions and tie with Tank Dell for the team lead in targets. The veteran tight end also recorded his fourth touchdown of the campaign on a nine-yard grab early in the fourth quarter, his fourth trip to the end zone in the last five games. Schultz has developed quick chemistry with C.J. Stroud, and despite the amount of weapons available to the rookie signal-caller, Schultz should continue playing a key role in a Week 10 road matchup against the Bengals.