NFL Player News

Kroft caught his only target for a 14-yard touchdown during Sunday's win over Pittsburgh.

Kroft certainly picks his spots for Bills fans, as his last two touchdowns came with the Bengals in 2017 in an upset win at Baltimore that allowed the Bills to sneak into the playoffs. Sunday against the Steelers, his TD provided the winning points in a win that pushed the 2019 Bills into the postseason. That's about the extent of it for Kroft. While he may be a nice red-zone threat now that he finally seems healthy, he's caught more than one pass or seen more than 50 percent of the offensive snap share in just one game this season. Even with Sunday's big catch, Kroft only saw 29 percent of the Week 15 action compared to Dawson Knox's 48 percent.

Smith hauled in all three of his targets for 38 yards during Sunday's 36-20 win over the Dolphins.

Smith once again served as New York's top tight end with Evan Engram (foot) and Rhett Ellison (concussion) both sidelined. As long as the Giants' top options are unable to go, Smith will continue to handle the bulk of pass catching work while Scott Simonson works in as a blocking specialist.

Graham was targeted four times and had one reception for zero yards in Sunday's victory over the Bears.

Graham has battled all of wrist, groin and calf injuries the last several weeks, and that has resulted in him playing well below 50 percent of the offensive snaps since the Packers' Week 11 bye. As a result, he was targeted only 12 times and tallied just six receptions for 72 yards -- with most of that coming Week 14 -- over the last four games. He'll be tough to trust in important Week 16 fantasy matchups facing a Vikings defense that shut him out entirely Week 2 and has ceded just one touchdown to opposing tight ends all season.

Knox caught his only target for 11 yards during Sunday's win over the Steelers.

Veteran Tyler Kroft had the big tight end catch, a go-ahead touchdown that in essence vaulted the Bills into the playoffs, while Knox's role was modest all evening. Knox was on the field for 48 percent of the offensive snaps (his lowest since Week 8) to Kroft's 29 percent, but the Bills and their up-and-down offense continue to spread it around too much for the rookie to offer any kind of consistent production.

Hollister hauled in all three of his targets for 23 yards in Sunday's 30-24 win over the Panthers.

After recording 12 receptions and three touchdowns between Weeks 9 and 10, Hollister has regressed, failing to exceed six catches or 44 yards in a game while staying out of the end zone in four straight games. The 26-year-old is a touchdown-dependant fantasy asset, but he's a solid option in Week 16 against the Cardinals, who allowed two scores to tight ends in Sunday's win over the Browns.

Gentry caught his lone target for four yards in Sunday's 17-10 loss to the Bills.

The rookie out of Michigan finally had an opportunity to take the field and caught a short pass over the middle from Devlin Hodges on the opening possession of the second half. That drive resulted in Pittsburgh's only touchdown of the game and was Gentry's only target. Considering that the tight end position has accounted for just 16.7 percent of Pittsburgh's receptions this season, there is no reason to expect Gentry's role to increase in Week 16 against the Jets even if Vance McDonald (concussion) misses his second straight game.

Vannett caught five of six targets for 40 yards in Pittsburgh's 17-10 loss to Buffalo on Sunday night.

Coming into the night, Vannett had caught no more than two passes in a game all season with a high of just 28 yards. The loss of Vance McDonald (concussion) provided an opportunity, and Vannett made the most of it by matching James Washington and Dionate Johnson with a team-high five catches. Even if McDonald is unavailable in Week 16, Vannett is a dicey option against a Jets defense that allows the third and fifth fewest fantasy points to opposing tight ends in standard and PPR formats, respectively.

Akins caught both of his targets for seven yards in Sunday's 24-21 win over Tennessee.

One week after being targeted nine times, the tight end dropped back to two targets in Week 15, as quarterback Deshaun Watson primary looked to his wide receivers. Akins and Darren Fells were targeted just four times combined, and none of those looks came in the red zone. Akins leads the position group with 46 targets and 364 yards and is tied with Fells with 31 receptions.

Firkser hauled in just one of his four targets for seven yards in the team's Week 15 loss to the Texans.

Firkser saw four targets for the third time in his past four games, but was unable to repeat his usual efficiency. Instead, his lone reception came early in the second quarter, when he hauled in a short reception over the middle. With the steady emergence of A.J. Brown and the continued involvement of Jonnu Smith, Firkser isn't likely to be heavily involved in the team's final two contests of the regular season.

Hooper caught three of six targets for 20 receiving yards during Sunday's 29-22 win against San Francisco.

The 2018 Pro Bowl tight end found himself on pace for 100 receptions, 1,080 receiving yards and 11 touchdowns through the first 10 weeks of the season, but since suffering a sprained MCL against New Orleans on Nov. 10 he has compiled just five catches for 52 yards in appearances over the past two weeks. Though he is an electrifying receiving threat when healthy and did almost reel in a fourth-quarter touchdown grab, Hooper's limited production in his first two games back from injury devalue his outlook. Hooper will have a prime opportunity to rebound against Jacksonville in Week 16 as the Jaguars' defense has surrendered the third-most TE touchdowns thus far in 2019.