Zylstra and Brock Wright will take on larger roles with starting tight end Sam LaPorta (shoulder) ruled out for Sunday's game against Jacksonville, the Lansing State Journal reports.
Zylstra had a three-TD performance Week 16 of 2022, but he's seen just three targets in the NFL since then, and none this season. He did take five of the 14 snaps in 11 personnel after LaPorta left a Week 10 win over Houston, with Wright getting the other nine snaps and also finishing without a target. Wright is the favorite to lead Detroit's tight ends in snaps and routes this week, but Zylstra also figures to play more than usual, including some work in single-TE formations.
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Lions' Shane Zylstra: Signed to active roster
Rotowire
The Lions signed Zylstra from the practice squad to the active roster Saturday.
Zylstra was elevated from the practice squad for the maximum three times this season, and he'll continue to play in Detroit after being signed to the active roster. Zylstra will serve as the Lions' No. 3 tight end Sunday against the Texans behind Sam LaPorta and Brock Wright.
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Shane Zylstra: Reverts to practice squad
Rotowire
Zylstra reverted to Detroit's practice squad Monday.
Zylstra played exclusively on special teams during Sunday's win versus Green Bay. He has now been elevated three times this season and would need to be signed to the active roster in order to be eligible to play again.
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Lions' Shane Zylstra: Elevated for Week 9
Rotowire
The Lions elevated Zylstra from the practice squad to the active roster Saturday.
This is the third and final time that the Lions can elevate Zylstra from the practice squad this season. He'll serve as Detroit's No. 3 tight end Sunday against the Packers behind starter Sam LaPorta and backup Brock Wright.
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Shane Zylstra: Back with practice squad
Rotowire
Zylstra reverted to the Lions' practice squad Monday, per the NFL's official transaction log.
Zylstra operated as the Lions' No. 3 option at tight end behind Sam LaPorta and Brock Wright in the team's 52-14 win over the Titans in Week 8, failing to record any offensive stats while playing 13 of the team's 48 snaps on that side of the ball. He did record a tackle in punt coverage while playing 20 snaps with the special-teams unit. Zylstra can still be elevated one more time before he'd have to be officially signed to the active roster.
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Lions' Shane Zylstra: Elevated from practice squad
Rotowire
The Lions elevated Zylstra from the practice squad to the active roster Saturday.
Zylstra is being elevated for a second consecutive week, giving him an opportunity to suit up and handle a depth role Sunday versus Tennessee. He played three offensive snaps Week 7 versus the Vikings and was not targeted.
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Shane Zylstra: Dropped by Detroit
Rotowire
The Lions waived Zylstra on Monday, Tom Pelissero of NFL Network reports.
Zylstra missed all of 2023 due to a knee injury, and Detroit has now decided to part ways with the 27-year-old. He appeared in 13 regular-season games for the Lions in 2022, catching 11 of his 15 targets for 60 yards and four touchdowns.
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Lions' Shane Zylstra: Stays in Detroit
Rotowire
Zylstra (knee) re-signed with the Lions on Monday.
Zylstra spent the entirety of the 2023 campaign on IR with a knee injury suffered during training camp, but he should be considered healthy with his return to the team. The 27-year-old last suited up in 2022, when he made 11 receptions (on 15 targets) for 60 yards and four touchdowns across 13 contests. He'll likely be competing for a depth role in the Lions' tight end corps in 2024.
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Shane Zylstra: Waived with injury designation
Rotowire
The Lions waived Zylstra (knee) on Tuesday with an injury designation.
If Zylstra clears waivers, he'll revert to the Lions' injured reserve and be forced to miss the entire 2023 campaign barring an injury settlement. The 26-year-old is expected to be sidelined for at least six months due to the knee injury, per Ian Rapoport of NFL Network.
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Lions' Shane Zylstra: Inks deal with Detroit
Rotowire
The Lions re-signed Zylstra, who was an exclusive rights free agent, on Monday, Aaron Wilson of KPRC 2 Houston reports.
Zylstra and Brock Wright both saw increased work last year after Detroit traded T.J. Hockenson to the Vikings. The Minnesota State product finished with 11 receptions on 15 targets for 60 yards and four touchdowns in 2022, his second season with the Lions. Zylstra and Wright will be back next season and currently sit atop the Lions' tight end depth chart, but things could change quickly after the 2023 NFL Draft.
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Lions' Shane Zylstra: Completes hat trick
Rotowire
Zylstra brought in five of six targets for 26 yards with three touchdowns during Saturday's 37-23 loss to Carolina.
Becoming a bigger and bigger part of the passing game in every passing week since Detroit traded T.J. Hockenson, Zylstra was again used on short routes Saturday -- particularly near the goal line. However, this marked Zylstra's first game of the season with more than two targets, and he's averaging just over five yards per catch on his 10 receptions this season. Despite the big day, Zylstra is probably not on the fantasy radar in Week 17 against Chicago.
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Lions' Shane Zylstra: Gets promotion to 53-man roster
Rotowire
Detroit signed Zylstra from its practice squad to the active roster Saturday ahead of Sunday's game at Chicago.
After he caught a touchdown in Week 9, Zylstra was added to the 53-man roster for good ahead of Week 10. When the Lions traded away T.J. Hockenson, Zylstra became arguably the team's best remaining receiving threat at tight end.
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Lions' Shane Zylstra: Back on active roster
Rotowire
Zylstra was elevated from Detroit's practice squad to the active roster ahead of Sunday's matchup against the Dolphins.
Zylstra will be on the Lions' active roster for the first time since Week 3. He has served primarily on special teams in three contests this season, though he may see a slight uptick in offensive role in the absence of T.J. Hockenson.
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Shane Zylstra: Inks practice-squad deal
Rotowire
The Lions signed Zylstra to the practice squad Tuesday.
Zylstra appeared in each of the first three games of the season but didn't record a single offensive statistic. He was waived by Detroit ahead of the team's Week 4 loss to the Seahawks, but he's been brought back on a practice-squad deal. The 6-foot-4 tight end will be a likely candidate to be elevated on a weekly basis, but he'd presumably be relegated to primarily special-team duties.
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Shane Zylstra: Waived by Lions
Rotowire
Zylstra was waived by Detroit on Saturday.
Zylstra was active for each of Detroit's first three games but didn't log an offensive statistic. He was on the field for a significant number of snaps on special teams, which could help him find another opportunity around the league.
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Lions' Shane Zylstra: Won't return Sunday
Rotowire
Zylstra (knee) has been ruled out for the remainder of Sunday's contest against the Falcons.
Zylstra was added to the active roster as a COVID-19 replacement. However, he failed to a catch a pass for a third consecutive week after leaving the contest early with a knee injury. His absence leaves the Lions with Brock Wright as their only available tight end.
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Lions' Shane Zylstra: Promoted from practice squad
Rotowire
Zylstra was bumped up from the practice squad Saturday as a COVID-19 replacement.
Zylstra has seen significant work the last two weeks since T.J. Hockenson (thumb) went on IR. Playing a total of 67 snaps on offense across both games, Zylstra has recorded three catches on seven targets for 34 yards in those two contests. Zylstra will look to make an impact, and maybe catch his first career touchdown, Sunday against the Falcons.
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Lions' Shane Zylstra: One catch against Cardinals
Rotowire
Zylstra secured his only target for 16 yards during Sunday's 30-12 win over Arizona.
After leading Lions tight ends in snaps last week against Denver, Zysltra (45 percent) trailed Brock Wright (75) in this one. For how much success Detroit had in producing what might be the upset of the year, it was disappointing for Zylstra that tight ends weren't a big part of the process, at least in terms of receiving production. As such, Lions tight ends seem safe to avoid down the stretch in the vast majority of fantasy formats.
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Lions' Shane Zylstra: Moves up from practice squad
Rotowire
Zylstra was activated from Detroit's practice squad Friday, while fellow Lions tight end T.J. Hockenson (thumb) was placed on IR after season-ending surgery.
With Hockenson out for last week's 38-10 loss to Denver, the Lions called on Zylstra to handle 63 percent snap share and six targets in his first taste of non-special-teams action in the NFL. He caught just two of the six passes for 18 yards, with fellow tight end Brock Wright adding three catches for 20 yards on five targets (and 56 percent snap share). It's possible one separates from the other in the coming weeks, but the most likely scenario for this Sunday against the Cardinals is another timeshare.
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Lions' Shane Zylstra: Promoted to active roster
Rotowire
The Lions elevated Zylstra from the practice squad to their active roster Saturday, Chris Burke of The Athletic reports.
With No. 1 tight end T.J. Hockenson (head) unlikely to play in Week 14, Zylstra will join the Lions' active roster for the second time this season. The first time he was elevated, Hockenson was dealing with a knee injury but ultimately was able to suit up, so Zylstra played exclusively on special teams. If Hockenson is indeed ruled out, the Minnesota State product will operate as the primary backup to Brock Wright against the Broncos, but he likely won't garner enough snaps to make him fantasy relevant.
