NFL Player News
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Elijah Higgins TE | ARI
Cardinals' Elijah Higgins: Two grabs in loss
Higgins caught two of three targets for 11 yards in Sunday's 41-22 loss to the 49ers.
Higgins continued to operate as Arizona's No. 2 tight end behind Trey McBride, playing 28 of the Cardinals' 79 offensive snaps while McBride (70) continued to dominate as one of the team's top pass catchers. The 25-year-old Higgins is not seeing enough usage to be considered for fantasy purposes. Barring an injury to McBride, the Stanford product will remain far off the fantasy radar heading into a Week 12 matchup against the Jaguars.
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Chris Manhertz TE | NYG
Giants' Chris Manhertz: Remains limited to blocking role
Manhertz didn't draw a target while playing 15 of 72 snaps on offense in Sunday's 27-20 loss to the Packers.
The reserve tight end has suited up in all 11 of the Giants' games this season, but he's drawn just one target. Manhertz should continue to suit up on game days but will largely be limited to a blocking role on offense in addition to serving as a core special-teams player.
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Michael Mayer TE | LV
Raiders' Michael Mayer: Earns four targets in MNF loss
Mayer caught three of four targets for 13 yards in Monday's 33-16 loss to the Cowboys.
Mayer played 77 percent of the Raiders' offensive snaps as they continue leaning into 12 personnel, but his 4.3 yards per reception marked a season low, and fellow tight end Brock Bowers paced the team in receiving with a 7-72-0 line on 12 targets. Expect a similar level of involvement for Mayer against the Browns in Week 12.
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Cade Otton TE | TB
Buccaneers' Cade Otton: Quiet in Week 11 loss
Otton secured two of five targets for 28 yards in the Buccaneers' 44-32 loss to the Bills on Sunday.
Otton checked into Sunday's game riding a productive five-game run where he'd generated a 29-319-0 line on 37 targets, so his downturn against the Bills was significant. Baker Mayfield ultimately threw for only 173 yards against a tough Buffalo pass defense, however, putting Otton's modest numbers into better context. The talented tight end could have a chance to bounce back in a Week 12 road showdown against the Rams on Sunday night, considering Tampa Bay figures to have to remain aggressive to keep pace with Sean McVay's potent offense.
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Jake Ferguson TE | DAL
Cowboys' Jake Ferguson: Catches seventh touchdown
Ferguson recorded four receptions (on five targets) for 16 yards and a touchdown in Monday's 33-16 win over the Raiders.
George Pickens and CeeDee Lamb dominated targets, leaving Ferguson with limited opportunity that came exclusively in short areas of the field. That led to Ferguson's second-lowest yardage output of the season, and he now has fewer than 30 receiving yards in three of four games since Lamb returned from an ankle sprain. Positively, Ferguson did find the end zone on a five-yard reception to save his fantasy performance, which marked his seventh touchdown of the season.
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Brock Bowers TE | LV
Raiders' Brock Bowers: Leading receiver on 12 targets
Bowers finished with seven receptions (on 12 targets) for 72 yards in Monday's 33-16 loss to the Cowboys.
Bowers was able to get back on track following last week's one-catch dud, finishing Monday's loss as the Raiders' leading receiver on a team-high 12 targets. The 22-year-old phenom did suffer a couple of uncharacteristic drops, but the seven receptions still checked in as his second-highest total through seven starts. A healthy Bowers will attempt to make up for time lost to a knee injury earlier in the campaign with a strong run in the second half. His next opportunity to build on a 39-455-3 receiving line will come in a home matchup against the Browns on Sunday.
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Marcedes Lewis TE | DEN
Marcedes Lewis: Lands back on practice squad
Lewis reverted to Denver's practice squad Monday, per the NFL's transaction log.
Lewis got his third straight elevation for Sunday's Week 12 win over the Chiefs. He played 12 of the Broncos' 62 offensive snaps, working as the team's No. 3 tight end. Lewis didn't see any targets in the victory, which isn't a surprise since he's used mainly as a blocker. Denver would need to sign Lewis to the active roster for him to suit up again, as he's reached the maximum number of elevations for the campaign.
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Keleki Latu TE | BUF
Keleki Latu: Reverts to practice squad
The Bills reverted Latu to their practice squad Monday, per the NFL's transaction log.
Latu was elevated for the first time this season ahead of Sunday's win over Tampa Bay. He logged six snaps on offense, catching his lone target for four yards. Latu also played 14 snaps on special teams and made two tackles (one following a Josh Allen interception and another on kick coverage) in the victory. The appearance was Latu's NFL debut after he signed with Buffalo as an undrafted free agent in late April.
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Pharaoh Brown TE | ARI
Pharaoh Brown: Moved back to practice squad
The Cardinals reverted Brown to their practice squad Monday, per the NFL's transaction log.
Brown got his first elevation of the campaign for Sunday's Week 11 loss to San Francisco. He logged 11 of Arizona's 79 offensive snaps, finishing third among the team's tight ends behind Trey McBride (70) and Elijah Higgins (28). Brown also played 10 snaps on special teams. He didn't record any other stats and drew two penalties on offense, including a holding penalty that wiped out a 60-yard Bam Knight touchdown in the third quarter.
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Josh Whyle TE | GB
Packers' Josh Whyle: Finds end zone in win
Whyle caught a two-yard touchdown on his only target in Sunday's 27-20 victory over the Giants.
Whyle appeared in only his second game as a Packer, playing roughly four times as many snaps as he did in his Week 10 debut while also finding the end zone for the first time. Whyle had several semi-productive appearances with the Titans last season, and the Packers appear to be evaluating their options at the tight-end position with Tucker Kraft (knee) out for the season, so Whyle is now at least back on the fringes of the fantasy radar.