NFL Player News

Zach Ertz is the Eagles' most dangerous pass-catching tight end, but he's also the least accomplished blocker, according to Philly.com. To get the running game untracked, the Eagles played tight end Brent Celek on 57 of 73 snaps in the Week 6 win over the Giants. Ertz played 30 snaps.

Celek is one of the league's best blocking tight ends. It's no coincidence LeSean McCoy broke out for 149 yards on 22 carries Sunday night.

"We were running the ball well the whole game," Ertz told the website. "That's not my strength right now. But in the end, hopefully it will be. And I'm going to keep working hard at that."

Ertz has 19 catches for 306 yards and two touchdowns. He leads the team in third-down catches (10) and third-down catches for first downs (10).

After seemingly breaking out as Tom Brady's second tight end Week 5 against Cincinnati, the Patriots' Timothy Wright did find the end zone for a second straight game Week 6 at Buffalo. But he did so in minimalist fashion, catching one pass on one target for 1 yard.

It's not like the Patriots weren't throwing the ball, either. In fact, Brady set season-highs in passing yards (361) and passing touchdowns (four). He just didn't look Wright's way much when he was on the field.

That wasn't all that often, I should add. Wright played only 23 percent of the Patriots' snaps, which was actually an improvement from the 22 percent he played in Week 5. Unless the Patriots make a concerted effort to get him the ball, he's not going to be able to do much of that.

The Patriots like to use two tight ends as much as any team in football, and Wright remains on the periphery in Fantasy for that reason alone. But he's little more than a desperation bye-week replacement in his current role.

Jets rookie tight end Jace Amaro practiced fully Tuesday after being limited Monday by  his knee injury. Amaro has 21 catches over the past four games entering Thursday's visit to New England.

The Jaguars put rookie tight end Marcel Jensen on injured reserve and signed tight end Mike Flacco, the younger brother of Ravens quarterback Joe Flacco, reports the Florida Times-Union. Mike Flacco was in training camp with the Chargers.

Lions tight end Brandon Pettigrew drew at least 100 targets in three of the previous four years, but under new coach Jim Caldwell, Pettigrew is almost strictly being used as a blocker, reports MLive.com. Pettigrew has been targeted eight times in six games, catching five passes for 40 yards.

"We're trying to do what's best for us to get in the end zone," Caldwell told the website.

The Lions are using tight ends Eric Ebron and Joseph Fauria as pass catchers.

It's official. Giants wide receiver Victor Cruz has a torn patellar tendon in his right knee and will have season-ending surgery, leaving quarterback Eli Manning without his favorite target.

Or at least one of his favorites.

Turns out Cruz wasn't even the Giants' most-targeted receiver through the first six games. Rueben Randle was and becomes the clear No. 1 with Cruz out. He again led the way in targets with nine Week 6 at Philadelphia. He had a modest 58 yards on five catches, but let's not forget Manning threw for only 151.

Odell Beckham probably gets the biggest bump with Cruz's injury. Playing only his second game after missing the first four with a hamstring injury, he was targeted four times in Week 6, catching two passes for 28 yards. But he was on the field for 88 percent of the Giants snaps and showed his playmaking ability in Week 5, even scoring a touchdown. On a day when the Giants don't face a defense playing at its best, Beckham could impress.

Tight end Larry Donnell could get back to being a bigger part of the game plan with Cruz down. After catching 25 passes for 236 yards in the Giants' first four games, he has just one catch for 6 yards in their last two. He's probably already owned in your league, as is Randle, but Cruz's injury is enough incentive to stick with him a little longer.

Jets tight end Jace Amaro received high praise after his 10-catch performance on Sunday, including from his quarterback Geno Smith, according to the Boston Globe. After Sunday's loss to the Broncos, compared his rookie tight end to Rob Gronkowski.

"We don't like to talk about the other side, but when I think about Jace, I think about Gronk," Smith said.

Amaro, the second round pick in this year's draft, caught 10 passes for 68 yards and a score against Denver. He's been thrown to 29 times this season, with 24 receptions for 212 yards and a touchdown.

In the two games since his three-touchdown breakout, Giants tight end Larry Donnell has one catch for 6 yards. That came Sunday night at Philadelphia after Donnell was blanked Week 5 by the Falcons.

Donnell had a juggling touchdown catch erased by a penalty, but otherwise it was a dull night for him. He drew just two targets and ranked third among Giants tight ends in receiving. Donnell visits the Cowboys in Week 7.

The Eagles got all three of their tight ends involved in the passing game Sunday night against the Giants. Top threat Zach Ertz caught three passes for 47 yards and a touchdown. Brent Celek hauled in four of his five targets for 45 yards, and James Casey scored on a 26-yard grab in the second quarter.

It was Casey's first touchdown since 2012 with Houston. Philly is on a bye Week 7.

Eagles tight end Zach Ertz caught three of five targets for 47 yards against the Giants, including a 15-yard touchdown in the first quarter. It was Ertz's first score since the season opener.

Ertz has failed to clear 50 yards since Week 2, but remains a dangerous red-zone threat. He's on a bye Week 7.