NFL Player News

Higbee secured all three of his targets for 49 yards during Sunday's 30-13 win over the Seahawks.

It was a slightly down night for the Rams' veteran tight end in terms of usage, with just three of Matthew Stafford's 37 total passes aimed Higbee's way, but he made the most of his limited touches with a sweet double move for a 30-yard reception in the third quarter. Fantasy managers hoping for Higbee to be more involved with Cooper Kupp (hamstring) absent may be disappointed with the volume, and the emergence of Puka Nacua and Tutu Atwell may have been a factor in the reduced target share. Higbee had mixed results against San Francisco, the Rams' Week 2 opponent, in 2022 with one great game (10-73-0 on 14 targets in Week 4) and one to forget (2-15-0 on six targets in Week 8).

Coach John Harbaugh said Monday that Andrews (quadriceps) "looks good" and that the Ravens will monitor him in practice, Jamison Hensley of ESPN.com reports.

Andrews appears to have a chance at returning for Week 2's matchup in Cincinnati, but his odds will depend on how he looks in practice. A return by the star tight end would be a needed piece of good news for Baltimore, as the team sustained a fair amount of injuries in Week 1's win over the Texans, with J.K. Dobbins (Achilles) most notably having been lost for the season.

Mundt played on five of the offense's 64 snaps in Sunday's loss to Tampa Bay and was not targeted in the passing game.

Mundt had 19 receptions on 21 targets for 140 yards and a touchdown last season, but he had a much more limited role with the acquisition of Josh Oliver to be the team's primary blocking tight end. Mundt won't be a factor in the passing game unless there are several injuries to the pass-catching corps.

Oliver brought in all three targets for 32 yards in Sunday's loss to Tampa Bay.

Oliver started at tight end opposite T.J. Hockenson as the Vikings opened in a two-TE set. Oliver is mostly a blocking tight end in head coach Kevin O'Connell's offense, but did go out for a pass on 13 of his 30 snaps. He won't generate enough targets for viable fantasy value in most leagues, but he could be a factor should Hockenson get hurt.

Likely caught his lone target for a four-yard gain in Sunday's win over the Texans in Week 1.

With Mark Andrews (quad) sidelined, Likely was expected to step into a larger role in the season opener. Likely logged 71 percent of the offensive snaps and yet he drew just one target. Likely was the only Ravens tight end to play significant snaps as Charlie Kolar logged 13 snaps on offense. Meanwhile, Lamar Jackson leaned on his receiving corps ,as Zay Flowers, Rashod Bateman and Odell Beckham comprised the bulk of the target volume. Andrews' status for Week 2 is uncertain at this stage, so Likely could be in line for significant playing time once again. Still, Sunday's outing shows that Likely is not a lock for targets even if he's playing a high snap count.

Alie-Cox did not have a reception on two targets in Sunday's loss at Jacksonville.

Cox played on 30 of the offense's 72 snaps as he and Kylen Granson got nearly all the TE snaps with Andrew Ogletree suffering a concussion. Even with several tight ends injured (Jelani Woods is on IR with a hamstring injury), Alie-Cox can't find his way into the passing game. Cox went out on a route on 16 of his snaps, according to Pro Football Focus, compared to Granson's 35 routes on 44 snaps. Alie-Cox looks like mostly a blocking tight end in the offense who may get a rare red-zone target due to his height (6-foot-7).

Strange played 27 offensive snaps but wasn't targeted during Sunday's 31-21 win against the Colts.

The rookie second-round pick received a fair amount of playing time in his professional debut but was an afterthought in the passing game, with starter Evan Engram being the only Jacksonville tight end to receive any targets. Luke Farrell received a bit more playing time, but neither he nor Strange are likely to see much of the ball while Engram remains healthy.

Gesicki, who was on the field for 33 of a possible 80 snaps on offense in Sunday's season-opening 25-20 loss to the Eagles, caught all three of his targets for 36 yards in his regular-season debut with the Patriots, Mike Reiss of ESPN.com reports.

Meanwhile, fellow TE Hunter Henry logged 63 snaps while catching five of his six targets for 56 yards and a TD. As the season progresses, there figures to be weeks where Gesicki sees more targets, but as long as Henry is available, the former looks like a hit-or-miss fantasy lineup option.

Farrell played 33 offensive snaps but wasn't targeted during Sunday's 31-21 win over the Colts.

The 25-year-old operated as Jacksonville's secondary tight end behind starter Evan Engram but wasn't involved in the passing game. Farrell played in all 17 games last season but caught just four passes for 40 yards, and he's unlikely to see much week-to-week involvement in the aerial attack again this year.

Hesse played 14 snaps (seven offensive) and recorded one solo tackle during Sunday's 24-10 win over the Panthers.

Hesse was elevated from the practice squad for Week 1 but garnered a marginal role, and his only noteworthy play was thwarted by a horse-collar tackle on special teams. Coach Arthur Smith loves to have as many tight ends on the field as possible, but Hesse doesn't hold much fantasy value at this point.