NFL Player News

Moreau reeled in both his targets for 20 yards during Monday's 20-17 win against the Panthers.

Moreau tied with running back Tony Jones and the versatile Taysom Hill for the Saints' fifth-most targets against the Panthers. The 26-year-old logged more receiving yards than starting tight end Juwan Johnson (13), though he still finished far behind wideouts Chris Olave (86), Rashid Shaheed (63) and Michael Thomas (55). Moreau also played significantly fewer offensive snaps (36) than Johnson did (62), as the latter still appears firmly entrenched as New Orleans' TE1. Moreau should continue to serve in a depth role when the Saints travel to Green Bay on Sunday.

Johnson hauled in two of three targets for 13 yards during Monday's 20-17 win against the Panthers.

Johnson's first target didn't come until the Saints' final two-minute drive in the second quarter, and he recorded both of his catches in a span of eight plays midway through the third quarter. His moderate target share from quarterback Derek Carr is rather disappointing for the 6-foot-4 tight end, who was regarded as an up-and-coming fantasy product after he accumulated career-best numbers across 16 games in 2022 (42-508-7). However, Johnson still played starting reps Monday night, lining up on 81 percent of New Orleans' offensive snaps compared to 47 percent for Foster Moreau and 13 percent for Jimmy Graham. Johnson will look to carve out a more favorable target share versus the Packers on Sunday.

Hurst caught all three of his targets for 20 yards in Monday night's 20-17 loss to the Saints.

The veteran tight end's output wasn't anything special, as Carolina's passing attack managed just 153 yards under rookie QB Bryce Young. Through two games, Hurst has hauled in eight of his 10 targets and profiles as a useful red-zone option for Young after scoring in Week 1.

Smith was held to two catches for 10 yards on four targets in Sunday's loss to the Ravens.

Smith came close to having a third catch but was eventually ruled to be out of bounds on what would have been a pretty nice third-down conversion in the first half. Smith doesn't have the volume to trust right now, and certainly Joe Burrow's setback with his calf injury raises even more concerns.

Freiermuth secured his lone target for two yards during the Steelers' 26-22 win over the Browns on Monday.

Freiermuth exited last week's regular-season opener with a chest injury but didn't appear to have significant limitations Monday while playing 76 percent of the team's offensive snaps. While the 2021 second-rounder managed to prop up his fantasy output by reaching the end zone in Week 1, he was unable to do the same against Cleveland in prime time. Freiermuth has had a slow start to the season, securing two of five targets for five yards and that touchdown, but he'll have a more favorable matchup against Las Vegas on Sunday.

Bryant did not catch either of two targets in Monday's 26-22 loss to Pittsburgh.

Bryant was involved in the Browns' ominous first play of the game. Quarterback Deshaun Watson's throw was catchable, if slightly off target, but Bryant couldn't secure the ball and it deflected into the hands of Steelers linebacker Alex Highsmith, who returned it for a touchdown. Bryant (27 snaps) once again had more run than Jordan Akins (nine) and is firmly established as the backup tight end to starter David Njoku, although Monday's performance could begin to change that. Bryant's been targeted twice in each of the first two games.

Akins caught his lone target for two yards in Monday's 26-22 loss to the Steelers.

Thus far, Akins has not been a high-volume target for Deshaun Watson, his former quarterback when the pair were in Houston. The tight end's snap count dropped from 23 in Week 1 to nine in Week 2. He's been targeted once in each of the first two games, catching both for 14 total yards. A rosy offseason scenario which speculated Akins would rekindle the chemistry he had with Watson and vault Harrison Bryant (26 snaps Monday) to become the No. 2 tight end behind David Njoku has not materialized.

Njoku secured all four targets for 48 yards in the Browns' 26-22 loss to the Steelers on Monday night. He also lost a fumble.

Njoku finished second in receptions and receiving yards to Amari Cooper on the night, coming on in the second half after a slow start. Njoku's numbers were modest overall, but they still represented exactly double the production the veteran tight end generated in Week 1. He could take on an even more important role beginning with a favorable Week 3 home matchup against the Titans now that star running back Nick Chubb is confirmed to be out for the season with a knee injury, per Ian Rapoport of NFL Network.

Okonkwo recorded four receptions on four targets for 35 yards in Sunday's 27-24 overtime win over the Chargers.

Okonkwo was targeted only twice and failed to record a catch Week 1, though he bounced back for a decent performance against the Chargers. His primary contribution came early in the third quarter when he caught a short pass over the middle of the field before dragging defenders for a gain of 20 yards. Okonkwo will likely see inconsistent volume when the entire Tennessee receiving corps is healthy, but he continues to prove capable of making big plays when given a chance.

Higbee secured three of seven targets for 12 yards during Sunday's 30-23 loss to the 49ers.

Despite the generous amount of targets the veteran received, Higbee was unable to do much with them, with his largest gain going for just six yards. It was encouraging, however, to see the Rams' stalwart tight end still have seven targets with Puka Nacua (20 targets), Tutu Atwell (nine targets) and Kyren Williams (10 targets) all earning massive chunks of Matthew Stafford's attention as well. Higbee will look to be more productive Week 3 against a Bengals defense that just allowed Mark Andrews to accumulate 45 yards and a touchdown during their Week 2 matchup.