NFL Player News

Sample went without a target across 13 snaps on offense Sunday in the Bengals' 27-24 loss to the Ravens.

Sample has now logged 31 snaps on offense through the first two weeks of the season but has yet to draw a look in the passing game from quarterback Joe Burrow. So long as Irv Smith stays healthy, he'll be entrenched as Cincinnati's top tight end and will continue to dominate the snaps and targets among the position group.

McKitty went without a target while playing three of his 14 total snaps on offense in the Chargers' 27-24 overtime loss to the Titans on Sunday.

McKitty might be the best blocker among the four tight ends on the Chargers' 53-man roster, but his prowess in that regard hasn't earned him much work thus far. He's played just eight snaps on offense through the first two weeks, placing McKitty well behind Gerald Everett (79), Donald Parham (67) and Stone Smartt (26).

Thomas (concussion) isn't practicing Wednesday, Nicki Jhabvala of The Washington Post reports.

Thomas entered the concussion protocol late in the second quarter of Sunday's 35-33 win over Denver after safety Kareem Jackson was ejected for hitting him in the helmet at the end of a touchdown catch. Thomas is dealing with his first documented concussion since entering the NFL in 2014, but he's still uncertain to be fully cleared ahead of Sunday's matchup with Buffalo. Both John Bates and Cole Turner picked up more playing time once Thomas exited this past Sunday's game, with Bates recording a career-high 46 receiving yards even as Turner took many of the snaps in clear passing situations.

Smartt hauled in his lone target for a 24-yard gain in Sunday's 27-24 overtime loss to the Titans.

Smartt finished third among Chargers tight ends in offensive snaps in the Week 2 loss, with his 22 (34 percent share) placing him behind Donald Parham (31, 48 percent) and Gerald Everett (27, 42 percent). The latter two tight ends have been consistently more involved in the passing attack thus far, though Smartt recorded the longest reception of his young career on the Chargers' fourth-quarter touchdown drive.

Knox won't practice Wednesday due to a back injury, Chris Brown of the Bills' official site reports.

Knox has two more opportunities to practice ahead of Sunday's game against the Commanders, but if he's out this weekend, fellow tight end Dalton Kincaid would be in line for added opportunities. Through two contests to begin the 2023 season, Knox has caught six passes on nine targets for 35 yards and a touchdown.

Wells recorded two receptions for minus-10 yards and a fumble in Sunday's 27-17 win over the Bears.

Both of Wells' receptions -- the first two of his NFL career -- came on the Buccaneers' 12-play, 89-yard touchdown drive in the third quarter. Wells made a key one-yard catch on third down to extend the possession, but he ended up accounting for a huge chunk of negative yardage when he caught a pass at Chicago's 21-yard line for no gain, then fumbled before quarterback Baker Mayfield recovered the loose ball at the 32-yard line. Wells may not have many opportunities to get into positive yardage for the season anytime soon, as he's third on the depth chart at tight end and won't be a featured option in the passing game whenever he's on the field.

Kieft went without a target over his 17 snaps on offense in Sunday's 27-17 win over the Bears.

After Kieft failed to reel in any of his three targets in the Week 1 win over the Vikings, quarterback Baker Mayfield didn't end up looking the tight end's way in the Week 2 win. Kieft has run routes (26.5 percent) more frequently than he's blocked (18.4 percent) when he's taken the field for passing plays, but he's unlikely to rank as anything more than a tertiary option in the aerial attack at any point this season.

Wesco played 40 snaps on offense but drew just one catchless target in Sunday's 27-24 overtime win over the Chargers.

Though his 63 percent offensive snap share wasn't far behind that of starting tight end Chigoziem Okonkwo (71 percent), Wesco remained relegated to a blocking role, which has been par for the course since he entered the NFL in 2019. Wesco has ran just six routes on his 63 offensive snaps through the first two weeks of the season.

Gray secured all three of his targets for 38 yards in Sunday's 17-9 win over the Jaguars.

Gray reeled in three catches for the second-straight week, despite Travis Kelce making his 2023 debut in Week 2. Surprisingly, the third-year tight end's 41 offensive snaps Sunday were just two fewer than that of Kelce, who saw a team-high nine targets in the contest. Gray's role will likely be limited moving forward and should keep him off the fantasy radar in Week 3 when the Chiefs host the Bears.

Likely secured his only target for eight yards in Sunday's 27-24 win over the Bengals.

Likely operated as the Ravens' primary backup tight end Sunday with Mark Andrews making his 2023 debut. The 23-year-old took the field for just 25 of Baltimore's 75 offensive snaps and, as expected, was not an important part of the team's offensive game plan. With Andrews healthy, Likely should remain off the fantasy radar when the Ravens host the Colts in Week 3.