NFL Player News

Hooper caught both of his targets for 12 yards in the 24-21 win over the Buccaneers on Monday.

Matt Ryan only completed 17 passes on the evening, so Hooper didn't get a lot of looks. He's gone five weeks without a touchdown and would be a risky option in Week 16 against the Saints.

Vannett avoided significant damage to his shoulder in Sunday's blowout loss to the Rams, Bob Condotta of The Seattle Times reports.

Vannett exited midway through Sunday's game and underwent testing Monday to help determine the extent of the injury. No further specifics were offered on the injury, but the 24-year-old's practice participation later this week should provide a good barometer for his Week 16 availability.

Allen was on the field for 26 of 60 snaps on offense in Sunday's 27-24 win over the Steelers.

Allen caught his only target in the contest for 10 yards. Meanwhile, top tight end Rob Gronkowski returned from a one-game suspension and played every snap on offense Sunday, hauling in nine catches for 168 yards. Though Allen could conceivably see the odd red-zone target in the coming weeks, he's not a fantasy lineup option as long as Rob Gronkowski is in uniform.

Henry has been diagnosed with a minor laceration of his kidney, putting his status up in the air for the final two weeks of the season, Jack Wang of the Los Angeles Daily News reports.

While it isn't quite clear when he was injured, Henry didn't make any appearances in the box score after the opening drive of the second half in Saturday's 30-13 loss to the Chiefs. He finished the night with only three catches for 28 yards on three targets, falling shy of four catches and 50 yards for the first time since Week 11. Should Henry end up missing Sunday's game against the Jets, his usual role likely would be filled by some combination of Antonio Gates, Jeff Cumberland and Sean McGrath. The Chargers do still have a slim shot to reach the playoffs, but internal injuries aren't to be treated lightly in any scenario.

Kittle caught four passes (five targets) for 52 yards in Sunday's 25-23 win over the Titans.

This was arguably the rookie's second-best performance of the season. Fantasy owners should be wary of the production as Kittle is still clearly second on the tight end depth chart, as evidenced by his 28 snaps compared to Garrett Celek's 46. Celek also outclassed Kittle in terms of production with 63 yards and his fourth touchdown of the season. The Jaguars are the fourth-stingiest defense against opposing tight ends, so Kittle shouldn't be considered a standard-league option next week.

Bell plans to undergo surgery this week on his right shoulder, Chris Tomasson of the St. Paul Pioneer Press reports.

Bell suffered the shoulder injury in the Week 14 loss to the Panthers, and he'll need his dislocated AC joint to be repaired. The tight end caught a season-high two passes in that loss to Carolina after catching just one through the first 12 games. An update on Bell's timetable will likely come following surgery.

Niklas suffered an ankle injury in Sunday's loss to the Redskins, Josh Weinfuss of ESPN.com reports.

Niklas had his most productive game of the season Sunday, catching three of his six targets for a season-high 41 yards. The severity of the injury is currently unknown, but the Cardinals should have an update when they release their injury report later in the week.

Smith came down with a five-yard catch on his only target in Sunday's 25-23 loss to the 49ers.

Smith started strong with eight catches and two touchdowns in the season's first five weeks, but he's been a non-factor with just six catches for 57 yards and no scores since. He's no threat to Delanie Walker's production at tight end.

James caught two passes for seven yards in Pittsburgh's 27-24 loss to New England on Sunday.

Despite Vance McDonald (shoulder) being inactive, James was unable to get much going with his five targets, including what appeared to be a game-winning 10-yard touchdown with 28 seconds to play. Unfortunately, the play was overturned on review, with official Tony Corrente saying the ball did not "survive" the completion of the catch. Fantasy owners still alive in their playoffs should look elsewhere for a tight end in Week 16.

Engram was targeted 13 times and came down with eight passes for 87 yards during Sunday's 34-29 loss to the Eagles. He added a 14-yard run during the contest.

The catches, targets and total yardage all marked season highs for the 2017 first-round pick. He has now topped 90 total yards twice in his last three games after no such performances during the season's first 12 weeks. The speedy tight end figures to keep getting a steady diet of work in the season's closing weeks as the Giants look toward 2018. Engram, arguably more so than any other Giants offensive player, represents the future for the Big Blue. The only question will be whether Eli Manning or fellow rookie Davis Webb will be throwing him passes.