NFL Player News

Asiasi (illness) has tested positive for COVID-19 and is practicing virtually, Ryan Hannable of WEEI.com reports.

Asiasi is considered 'out indefinitely' according to Hannable, but Mike Reiss of ESPN.com reports that the second-year tight end is only experiencing mild symptoms, and that he's targeting a return to the field as soon as he's cleared all of the league's protocols related to COVID-19. David Wells is expected to handle increased reps behind Hunter Henry and Jonnu Smith until Asiasi is cleared for a return.

Hooper and QB Baker Mayfield should have better chemistry in their second season together, according to Mary Kay Cabot of The Cleveland Plain Dealer.

Hooper was disappointing for fantasy managers last season, unable to overcome the challenge of joining a new team with a new coaching staff in a year without spring practices or preseason games. He had a better year from the Browns' standpoint, with competent blocking helping the team's prolific rushing attack and a late flurry of receiving production contributing to a playoff appearance. Hooper is locked in as a starter for the second season of a four-year, $42 million contract, but there's no guarantee of improvement on his 2020 average of 5.4 targets per game, considering the Browns also have David Njoku and Harrison Bryant at tight end, not to mention WR Odell Beckham returning from an ACL tear. On the other hand, Hooper does have plenty of room to improve his efficiency after posting career lows for both catch rate (65.7 percent) and yards per target (6.2) last season. He had a 77.3 percent catch rate and 8.1 YPT in four years with the Falcons.

Hockenson is "poised for even more" this season, according to Benjamin Raven of MLive.com.

Despite having major ankle surgery at the end of his rookie season, Hockenson bounced back in Year 2 to start 16 games, handling a 73.2 percent snap share and 101 targets. The eighth overall pick from the 2019 Draft could now see even more work in his third NFL season, after the Lions traded QB Matthew Stafford for Jared Goff and then lost WRs Kenny Golladay and Marvin Jones in free agency. Touchdowns may be hard to come by on a rebuilding team, but Hockenson is one of the few tight ends in the league who is considered the favorite to lead his team in targets. The volume alone should make him a fantasy asset, and there's plenty of upside if he takes another step forward while Goff turns in a competent season.

Thomas is signing a three-year extension with Washington, Mike Garafolo of NFL Network reports.

The two-year, $6.15 million contract Thomas signed last offseason ended up being a bargain for Washington, as the tight end entered the year with 317 career receiving yards before catching 72 passes for 670 yards and six touchdowns. Thomas did it on the strength of volume, with 110 targets in 16 games, but he also improved his efficiency after a rough start, producing 3.3 YPT in Weeks 1-5 and 7.2 YPT in Weeks 6-17. He averaged 5.3 catches for 51.3 yards over those final 11 games, then added five receptions for 74 yards in the playoff loss to Tampa. In any case, Thomas turned 30 this summer, but he could still be on the upswing given that it wasn't until 2014 that he began the transition from quarterback to tight end. That said, he's unlikely to see 110 targets again, as Washington no longer has an empty cupboard behind Terry McLaurin at wide receiver. The team now has Thomas under contract through 2024, Curtis Samuel and Antonio Gibson signed through 2023, and McLaurin through 2022. It's a solid group of pass catchers for 38-year-old QB Ryan Fitzpatrick, who should be an upgrade on last year's disastrous QB room -- Dwayne Haskins, Kyle Allen, Alex Smith and Taylor Heinicke all made starts.

Mack seems like the favorite for the No. 3 tight end role in Detroit, Nick Baumgardner of The Athletic reports.

One of the first players the Lions' new regime added this offseason, Mack will primarily need to fend off Jake Hausmann and Brock Wright to secure a roster spot.

Freiermuth has performed well early in training camp, Albert Breer of TheMMQB.com reports.

Freiermuth had a strong practice Saturday and made several impressive catches while the team practiced without pads. The tight end suffered a season-ending shoulder injury after appearing in just four games at Penn State in 2020, but he still totaled 1,185 yards and 16 touchdowns across his three collegiate seasons. The 22-year-old will face another test soon when the Steelers practice in full pads, but he appears to be on track to compete for a role in Pittsburgh's offense ahead of the regular season.

James signed a one-year contract with the Bears on Sunday, Mike Garafolo of NFL Network reports.

James averaged 377.7 yards per season from 2016 to 2018 with the Steelers, but he totaled just 271 yards and two touchdowns with the Lions across the last two seasons. The 27-year-old will have to compete behind Cole Kmet and Jimmy Graham for targets in Chicago.

Hudson is considered the favorite to secure the fourth tight end job heading into the 2021 season, Greg Auman of The Athletic reports.

The 26-year-old is expected to hold off the likes of Codey McElroy and journeyman Jerell Adams for the job barring any training camp/preseason surprises. Hudson has cobbled together a 5-67 line on 12 targets over the last two seasons, and even though he's displayed some impressive athleticism down the seam in limited action, it would presumably take an injury to the top trio of Rob Gronkowski, O.J. Howard (Achilles) and Cameron Brate (undisclosed) for him to have any chance at a consistent weekly role that would afford him even modest fantasy value.

Deguara was placed on the Active/PUP-List Friday, NFL reporter Aaron Wilson reports.

No surprise here, as Deguara is returning from an ACL injury that ended his rookie campaign after just two weeks. Prior to the injury, he saw a substantial amount of first-team reps. In his absence, Robert Tonyan proceeded to enjoy a breakout season and will enter 2021as the team's No. 1 tight end. However, Deguara does not project as a traditional tight end, as he is expected to display his versatitlity in the backfield, on the line and even in the slot. Still, it remains to be seen how close he is to returning to full-contact work.

Wells signed a contract with the Patriots on Friday, Doug Kyed of Pro Football Focus reports.

Wells spent time on New England's practice squad last season, but he's still yet to actually make his NFL debut. He'll now get a chance to continue his development with the team during training camp.