NFL Player News

Swaim caught his lone target for four yards in Sunday's loss to the Panthers.

The 26-year-old played 43 offensive snaps Sunday -- his highest total this season -- but the end result was his worst output through five games. Starter James O'Shaughnessy suffered a torn ACL and is out for the season, which should thrust Swaim into the starting role. Swaim should see an uptick in playing time due to the injury, but until he finds himself more involved in the passing game he shouldn't be considered as a fantasy option.

Jackson tried out for the Packers on Monday, freelance NFL writer Howard Balzer reports.

The rookie out of Buffalo failed to make his hometown Bills out of camp, but he's getting looks elsewhere. Jackson stands at a whopping 6-foot-7 and is seen as more of a developmental prospect at quarterback. The 21-year-old profiles as a practice squad candidate for the time being.

Fant was targeted once during Sunday's 20-13 win over the Chargers, converting it into a six-yard reception.

Fant hasn't necessarily set the world on fire during his first few career games, but he has been good for at least one shot downfield per game. That didn't happen Sunday as the Denver offense started hot and fluttered quickly. Playing with a multi-score lead for much of the game and facing pressure from the Chargers' front, the Broncos dropped back just 23 times compared to 32 rushing attempts. Fant has flashed tantalizing potential thus far in his career, but you should look for more consistent success from him before putting the rookie in your lineup.

Engram (knee) was projected to be a non-participant on Monday's injury report, Dan Duggan of The Athletic reports.

The Giants have a short week of preparation for Thursday's game against the Patriots and didn't actually practice Monday, but it's still an alarming sign that Engram was estimated as a non-participant. The 25-year-old caught six of 11 targets for 42 yards and played 58 of 69 snaps in Sunday's loss to the Vikings. Engram figures to have a slim chance of playing Thursday unless he can progress to limited participation within the next two days.

Coach John Harbaugh said Monday that Andrews will have to keep managing his nagging foot injury, Jonas Shaffer of The Baltimore Sun reports.

Andrews avoided an injury designation for Sunday's game but only played 43 of 81 offensive snaps as he was forced to leave the game, though the injury was never officially announced and he returned to the contest. It doesn't appear the 23-year-old will be fully recovered from the injury in the near future and seems likely to be limited at practice again this week.

Lewis caught two passes for 17 yards in Sunday's victory over the Cowboys.

Lewis continues to make far more impact than he made in 2018, and is now up to seven receptions -- four more than he had all of last year. Lewis played nearly as many snaps as fellow tight end Jimmy Graham over the first three weeks of the season, but Graham has picked up the pace in both the snap count and production departments the last couple weeks, pushing Lewis clearly back into a reserve role.

Akins caught his lone target for 21 yards in Sunday's 53-32 win over Atlanta.

Akins extended a drive with a third-down catch that led to Houston's first score, tying the game at 7-7. He also had a red-zone target that was nullified by offsetting penalties. For the season, he's been targeted inside the 20 four times, which ranks second on the team behind wideout Will Fuller. Despite their overall limited usage, Houston's tight ends have seven red-zone targets, tied with the wide receivers. Akins has at least one catch in every game, has scored twice, and is averaging 15.7 YPC.

Smith hauled in one of two targets for 57 yards in Week 5 against Buffalo.

Smith managed to make his lone reception count, catching a screen pass behind the line of scrimmage before weaving between defenders for a 57-yard gain. That was enough to lead the team in receiving yards, despite the fact that he wasn't heard from for the remainder of the game. Given both the presence of Delanie Walker and the Titans' meager passing attack, Smith is hardly a reliable option as he's failed to haul in multiple passes in four of five games this season.

Kelce caught four of 10 targets for 70 yards in Sunday's 19-13 loss to the Colts.

Patrick Mahomes and Kelce generally produce strong target conversion rates (72.7 percent prior to Sunday's loss), but the star duo was only able to hook up four times on 10 attempts. Two of those missed targets were the result of uncharacteristic drops from the usually sure-handed tight end. Kelce's receiving yards marked a season low through five games, highlighting his consistently high floor at a shallow fantasy position. The Chiefs' passing attack suffered another injured receiver in Sammy Watkins (hamstring), so Kelce could be ask to absorb even more targets against the Texans in Week 6.

Graham caught all three of his targets for 41 yards in Sunday's 34-24 win over the Cowboys.

The 41 yards actually led the Packers' wide receivers and tight ends on the afternoon, as the passing game took a back seat to a massive performance from Aaron Jones both on the ground and through the air. Graham only has 19 targets through five games, far below his usual pace, but if Davante Adams (toe) remains sidelined, the veteran tight end should see more volume as one of Aaron Rodgers' most reliable options.