NFL Player News

Sample secured 11 of 15 targets for 81 yards across 17 appearances in 2021.

Sample was targeted 53 times across 16 regular-season appearances in 2020, but the third year of his NFL career has seen him take a clear back seat to C.J. Uzomah. The 2019 second-round pick has one more year on his rookie deal with Cincinnati, but his opportunities on offense could be slim again in the 2022 campaign.

Kelce corralled five of seven targets for 108 yards and a touchdown Sunday, adding a two-yard passing touchdown on his lone pass attempt in a 42-21 win over the Steelers.

Patrick Mahomes and Kelce were in sync as usual, and the latter even vultured a passing touchdown. The star tight end will face a stiff test in the AFC divisional round, as the Bills have surrendered the fourth-fewest fantasy points to opposing tight ends all season. However, Kelce did relatively well in a Week 5 matchup between the clubs, going for six catches on 10 targets for 57 yards and a touchdown. He should, rightfully, register as the priciest tight end to roster in DFS formats next week.

Schultz caught seven of eight targets for 89 yards in Sunday's 23-17 loss to the 49ers in the wild-card round.

The tight end was once again Dak Prescott's most reliable option, leading the Cowboys in catches and yards as their season came to a disappointing finish. Schultz proved his 2020 performance was no fluke, setting career highs across the board by hauling in 78 passes on 104 targets for 808 yards and eight touchdowns across 17 regular-season games. He'll head into the offseason an unrestricted free agent, and Schultz has set himself up for a big payday, either from Dallas or from another club.

Kittle caught one of three targets for 18 yards in Sunday's 23-17 win over the Cowboys in the wild-card round.

The tight end continues to pay the price for Jimmy Garoppolo's thumb injury. With the quarterback's ability to throw impaired, the 49ers offense has been even more ground-heavy than usual, requiring Kittle to block more and run fewer routes. He hasn't reached 30 receiving yards in four straight games, managing only a 9-78-0 line on 15 targets over that stretch, and Kittle will likely need a touchdown to make a significant fantasy impact next weekend against the Packers in the divisional round.

Goedert recorded six catches on 12 targets for 92 yards in Sunday's 31-15 wild-card round loss to the Buccaneers.

Goedert was one of the few Eagles who produced consistently throughout the game, and he led the team in most receiving stats. He found holes in the Tampa Bay secondary for several big plays, including catches that went for 28, 17 and 16 yards. The only thing missing from his performance was a trip to the end zone, with Kenneth Gainwell and Boston Scott instead tallying the team's touchdowns. Heading into 2022, Goedert figures to pair with DeVonta Smith as key members of Philadelphia's passing attack after he produced a career-high 830 receiving yards across 15 games during the 2021 campaign.

Trautman caught 27 of 43 targets for 263 yards and two touchdowns over 13 games in 2021.

Expectations were relatively high for Trautman entering the season with the No. 1 role at tight end seemingly all to himself. While he logged a majority of the snaps whenever he was available, Trautman ran a route on just over a third of his snaps, and his lone productive fantasy outing came against the Eagles' league-worst defense versus tight ends. Otherwise, he mainly provided value as a blocker as the Saints revolving door at quarterback made it hard for any New Orleans pass catcher to generate consistent production. Even though Trautman should again see plenty of playing time entering his third season in 2022, the 24-year-old will need to see heightened usage as a receiver in order to become a dependable fantasy option.

Knox secured all five targets for 89 yards and two touchdowns during the Bills' 47-17 win over the Patriots in an AFC wild-card matchup Saturday night.

The athletic tight end finished with team-leading receptions, receiving yardage and target totals on what was a stellar fantasy night overall. Knox recorded scoring grabs of eight and 11 yards in the first quarter to get the Bills' offense off to a fast start, and he subsequently contributed a 38-yard catch as well. Knox's field-stretching prowess could well play a key role again in a divisional-round matchup versus either the Chiefs or Bengals next weekend.

Waller caught seven passes for 76 yards on 12 targets against Cincinnati on Saturday.

The season is over for the Raiders in light of this 26-19 loss, but Waller played well for his own part and served as the main engine of the Raiders passing game. Waller is under contract for two more years but is majorly underpaid, so it will be interesting to see if he and the Raiders revisit the terms of his compensation, but Waller in any case projects for another big season in 2022.

Uzomah caught six passes for 64 yards and one touchdown on six targets against Las Vegas on Saturday.

Uzomah came through with big fantasy production even against a Raiders defense with an imposing edge rush, proving he can post numbers even when he might otherwise seem at risk of an increased blocking assignment. Uzomah is a big, athletic player in one of the league's most productive passing games, so he should continue to have games like this on occasion, particularly when one of Ja'Marr Chase or Tee Higgins sees a lag in his production. Higgins was unusually quiet in this one (one 10-yard catch on four targets), affording more room for Uzomah to draw targets.

Okwuegbunam finished the 2021 season with 33 catches for 330 yards and two touchdowns.

Okwuegbunam operated as the Broncos' No. 2 tight end in 2021, and he saw his role increase in his second year with the team. The 23-year-old played in 14 games this season, a big jump from the four games played in his rookie season. Though Noah Fant is the team's starter at the position, it's clear the team trusted Okwuegbunam to take a step forward based on his usage on 47 percent of Denver's offensive snaps this season. Both Okwuegbunam and Fant are still on their rookie contracts, so both tight ends will likely be with the team in 2022. The former has two more years on his deal, so it would not be surprising to see Okwuegbunam's role grow even more in 2022 with Fant set to become a free agent at the end of next season. The team may want to evaluate what it has in Okwuegbunam even further before determining if it will re-sign Fant in 2023. Nonetheless, the 6-foot-5, 258-pound Okwuegbunam would benefit from an upgrade at quarterback to give the entire passing game a boost for the upcoming season.