NFL Player News

Brown played 21 of 53 snaps on offense and caught both of his targets for 33 yards in Sunday's 31-17 loss to the Dolphins.

Brown, who now has four catches for 84 yards over his last two outings, actually out-snapped Mike Gesicki (15 snaps, two catches) Sunday, but with Hunter Henry (31 snaps, three catches) also in the mix, he's involved in a timeshare at tight end that limits his weekly fantasy ceiling.

Gesicki was on the field for 15 of a possible 53 snaps on offense in Sunday's 31-17 loss to the Dolphins while catching two of his three targets for 11 yards in the contest, Mike Reiss of ESPN.com reports.

Gesicki was out-snapped Sunday by both Hunter Henry (31 snaps, three catches) and Pharaoh Brown (21 snaps, two catches), as the Patriots' timeshare at tight end continues. With 19 catches (on 25 targets) for 160 yards and a TD in eight games to date, Gesicki only merits lineup consideration in deeper fantasy formats.

Mallory had one reception for six yards on two targets in Sunday's loss to New Orleans.

Mallory played on 15 of of the offense's 71 snaps. He went out for a pass on all 15 of his snaps, which was the second-most routes among the tight ends (Drew Ogletree had 20 and Mo Alie-Cox had 13). However, that usage doesn't translate to many fantasy points, as the Colts don't use tight ends much in the passing game and divide the targets among multiple players at the position.

Smith caught his only target for 13 yards and failed to complete his lone pass attempt during Sunday's 28-23 loss to the Titans.

Smith (48 offensive snaps) was on the field more than any of the Falcons' other tight ends, including Kyle Pitts (41). However, the veteran saw just one target, his fewest since the season opener. Head coach Arthur Smith did dial up a trick play for Smith in the red zone Sunday, but it wasn't successful. From Weeks 2-6, Smith caught 25 passes (on 32 targets) for 282 yards and a touchdown, but since then, he's secured just four passes for 40 yards. Given Smith is still garnering a lot of playing time, he should be on fantasy radars, but at this point, it's difficult to trust any Falcons' skill players on a weekly basis.

Pitts caught three of five targets for 35 yards during Sunday's 28-23 loss to the Titans.

For a second, Pitts appeared to be turning a corner, totaling 11 receptions (on 17 targets) for 130 yards and a score across Weeks 5 and 6. Since then, he's accumulated just six catches (on 10 targets) for 82 yards. On Sunday, Pitts once again saw fewer offensive snaps (41) than Jonnu Smith (48), and as long as the two are splitting the tight-end workload, it'll be tough for Pitts to be a must-start option in fantasy on a weekly basis.

Head coach Mike Vrabel noted Monday that Whyle (concussion) has a chance to return for the Titans' Week 9 contest against the Steelers on Thursday, Jim Wyatt of the Titans' official site reports.

Whyle sustained a concussion in Week 6 against the Ravens and wasn't able to return for Week 8 despite the bye. The rookie tight end saw his snap count on offense steadily increase in Weeks 4 and 5, and he'd resume his role as the backup behind Chigoziem Okonkwo if he's able to return for Thursday's game. In six games this season, Whyle has four catches for 44 yards and a touchdown.

Otton secured four of six targets for 27 yards in the Buccaneers' 24-18 loss to the Bills on Thursday night.

Otton put together a reasonably serviceable performance from a PPR standpoint, although his yardage once again was underwhelming. The second-year tight end's 43-yard tally Week 7 against the Falcons qualifies as his season high, leaving him with capped fantasy value heading into a Week 9 road matchup against the Texans.

Higbee caught five of seven targets for 45 yards during Sunday's 43-20 loss to the Cowboys.

The 20-yard catch by Higbee on the Rams' first drive actually tied or eclipsed his receiving total in any of his last three contests, and the veteran accumulated the most yards, targets and receptions in any game since Week 4. Rams wideouts struggled against a stout Cowboys defense, leaving Higbee and running back Darrell Henderson to lead the team in receiving yardage. Notably, Higbee was on the receiving end of two of backup Brett Rypien's 10 passes after Matthew Stafford left with a thumb injury, and he could act as a safety valve for Rypien in Week 9 versus Green Bay if Stafford is forced to miss any time.

Ogletree started at tight end and had one reception for 33 yards on three targets in Sunday's loss to New Orleans.

He was in the starting lineup a second consecutive game with Kylen Granson out with a concussion. Ogletree wasn't targeted in the Colts' last game despite starting, so this is an improvement. He led Indy tight ends in snaps on offense (38 of 71) and routes run (20), according to Pro Football Focus. However, Indianapolis throws few passes toward tight ends, making them not viable options for most fantasy formats.

Parkinson wasn't targeted in Sunday's 24-20 win over the Browns.

Parkinson played just 18 offensive snaps, finishing behind Noah Fant (33) and Will Dissly (22). It was his first targetless game of the season, as he has produced 11 catches for 132 yards on 17 targets through seven games.