NFL Player News

Coach Kevin Stefanski said Monday he doesn't know whether Hooper (appendix) will be available for Sunday's game against the Raiders, Scott Petrak of the Elyria Chronicle-Telegram reports.

Hooper sat out Cleveland's divisional win over the Bengals in Week 6 while recovering from an appendectomy, and it looks possible that he could be out until the team's bye in Week 9. Harrison Bryant (5-56-2) and David Njoku (2-20-1) both performed well with Hooper out, which could provide the Browns reason to be confident in letting the top tight end sit and get healthy.

Coach Romeo Crennel said Monday that he expects Akins (concussion/ankle) to be available against Jacksonville in Week 9, Drew Dougherty of the Texans' official site reports.

Akins has missed three straight games while dealing with a concussion as well as an ankle injury, but it appears as though he's set to return to action after the Texans' bye. The 28-year-old served as Houston's clear top tight end during the first three games of the season, so if he's indeed able to fully clear the concussion protocol for Week 9, he'll stand to resume handling No.1 reps.

Thomas caught his only target for 11 yards in Sunday's 27-24 loss to the Saints.

Thomas' output from Sunday was right in line with his prior outings this season, as he's not yet topped two catches or 20 yards through any of Carolina's seven games. As a result, fantasy expectations for Thomas should remain low despite a favorable matchup against the Falcons in Week 8.

Njoku caught two of three targets for 20 yards and a touchdown in Sunday's 37-34 win over the Bengals.

With Austin Hooper (appendectomy) sidelined, both Njoku and Harrison Bryant were in the starting lineup and each had an impact. Njoku caught the first of three go-ahead scores during a wild, fourth-quarter shootout in Cincinnati, while Bryant scored twice earlier in the game. Njoku, who requested a trade by the Nov. 3 deadline, wants to be a lead tight end somewhere, but the Browns want him around for depth and to be part of an offense that often deploys multiple tight ends. At this point, the team is unwilling to part with him. The Browns have one more game before the trade deadline -- Week 8 against the Raiders -- so they will at least hold onto him through that game. With Hooper expected to return Week 10 after Cleveland's bye, Njoku would return to a backup role, competing with Bryant for snaps behind Hooper.

Trautman failed to bring in his only target in the Saints' 27-24 win over the Panthers on Sunday.

After serving as a healthy scratch in Week 5, Trautman got some work in Sunday's win with Michael Thomas (hamstring) and Emmanuel Sanders (COVID) out of action, though he was unable to capitalize on the playing time. With Jared Cook healthy, Trautman isn't on the fantasy radar in even the deepest of leagues.

Brown was not targeted in Sunday's 35-20 loss to Green Bay.

Brown lined up as the No. 2 tight end for a third straight game but was given little attention. Since Jordan Akins (ankle) has been sidelined, Brown has three catches on three targets over the last three weeks. Once Akins returns, Brown will be relegated to third string.

Hill completed his only pass attempt for no gain and added a six-yard carry in the Saints' 27-24 win over the Panthers on Sunday.

Even with Michael Thomas (hamstring) and Emmanuel Sanders (COVID) out of action, Hill didn't see an expanded role in the offense. Hill's weekly sprinkling of touches has yet to yield meaningful fantasy value this season, and that's likely to continue in Week 8 against a strong Chicago defense.

Firkser recorded two receptions on two targets for seven yards in Week 7 against the Steelers.

Coming off the best game in his career, Firkser predictably lost targets due to the return of Jonnu Smith (ankle). In addition to Smith, the Titans also welcomed back Corey Davis (COVID-19), further burying Firkser as a priority for targets. So long as the team's pass-catching corps remains healthy, it will be difficult to trust Firkser to see consistent volume moving forward.

Fant caught three of his seven targets for 38 receiving yards during Sunday's 43-16 loss to Kansas City.

The second-year tight end returned from a one-game absence and tied Albert Okwuegbunam for the team high in targets, though less than half of Fant's looks went for completions. Despite a quiet day for Fant on Sunday, he has garnered a healthy workload of 6.8 targets per game. Fant has also remained a high-floor option, collecting 4.4 catches and 51.4 receiving yards per game with two total TDs. He heads into a Week 8 matchup against a Chargers defense that entered Sunday allowing the 12th-fewest receptions to opposing tight ends (23).

Okwuegbunam corralled all seven of his targets for 60 receiving yards during Sunday's 43-16 loss to Kansas City.

The fourth-round rookie didn't make his first contribution on the stat sheet until the 6:43 mark of the second quarter, but he concluded the afternoon with more than double the receptions of Denver's No. 2 option. Starting tight end Noah Fant was unable to play last week against New England because of an ankle injury, paving the way for Okwuegbunam to attract six targets in that game. Fant was active against the Chiefs on Sunday, but Okwuegbunam equaled his seven targets. Both young tight ends shift focus to a Week 8 matchup against the Chargers and a defense that has surrendered four TE touchdowns on the season.