NFL Player News
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Pat Freiermuth TE | PIT
Steelers' Pat Freiermuth: Manages 11 yards in victory
Freiermuth secured his lone target for 11 yards during Sunday's 23-9 win over the Browns.
Although Freiermuth recorded a catch Sunday after being held without a target during the Steelers' Week 4 win over Minnesota, he was on the field for just 36 percent of Pittsburgh's offensive snaps against Cleveland, which ranked third among the team's tight ends. Darnell Washington has taken on a larger role over the last two games, and Freiermuth seems to be behind Jonnu Smith as well following Pittsburgh's Week 5 bye. Over his last three games, Freiermuth has secured two of four targets for 17 yards.
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Jonnu Smith TE | PIT
Steelers' Jonnu Smith: Four touches in Week 6 win
Smith secured three of four targets for 18 yards while rushing once for 10 yards during Sunday's 23-9 win over Cleveland.
Smith was on the field for just 25 percent of the Steelers' offensive snaps in Week 4, but he saw a much larger workload following the team's Week 5 bye. He played 69 percent of the team's offensive snaps against Cleveland, which still lagged behind Darnell Washington's 80 percent, but it signaled that Smith appears to have moved past the hip injury that plagued him before the bye. Over Smith's first five appearances of the season, he's secured 17 of 20 targets for 89 yards and a touchdown.
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Austin Hooper TE | NE
Patriots' Austin Hooper: One catch versus New Orleans
Hooper, who logged 41 of 64 snaps on offense in Sunday's 25-19 win over the Saints per Mike Reiss of ESPN.com, caught his only target for five yards.
With just two catches on as many targets for 29 yards over his last three games, Hooper is off the fantasy radar as long as fellow TE Hunter Henry remains in the Patriots' lineup.
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Hunter Henry TE | NE
Patriots' Hunter Henry: Three catches in Week 6
Henry was on the field for 53 of 64 snaps on offense in Sunday's 25-19 win over the Saints per Mike Reiss of ESPN.com, en route to catching all three of his targets for 27 yards.
Through six games, Henry has maintained steady playing time while recording a 20-277-3 receiving line on 31 targets. Though his volume has tapered off over his last three outings, the tight end remains a viable red-zone option for QB Drake Maye and a candidate to see increased targets on any given week, when game script and/or game flow dictate.
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Darnell Washington TE | PIT
Steelers' Darnell Washington: Best yardage total of career
Washington recorded three receptions on five targets for 62 yards in Sunday's 23-9 win over the Browns. He also fumbled, but the ball went out of bounds.
Washington continues to emerge in the Pittsburgh offense, as he led the tight end corps in targets and receiving yards. His involvement began immediately, as he recorded a 36-yard reception on the first play from scrimmage. Washington later chipped in gains of 12 and 14 yards, both of which came primarily after the catch. The end result was Washington's best yardage total of his career, and he seems to have surpassed Jonnu Smith and Pat Freiermuth for targets in the Pittsburgh offense.
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Tyler Higbee TE | LAR
Rams' Tyler Higbee: First touchdown of 2025
Higbee recorded four receptions on four targets for 40 yards and a touchdown in Sunday's 17-3 win over the Ravens.
The Rams had a disjointed offensive showing, as they were out-possessed by a wide margin by the Ravens and were also dealing with a hobbled Puka Nacua (ankle). Higbee stepped up to lead the team in receiving yards while tallying the game-clinching score early in the third quarter on an eight-yard reception. That was Higbee's first touchdown of the season, and Sunday marked only the third time he's recorded multiple catches in a game.
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Mark Andrews TE | BAL
Ravens' Mark Andrews: Four catches in loss
Andrews recorded four catches on six targets for 24 yards in Sunday's 17-3 loss to the Rams.
The positive for Andrews was that he remained involved in the Baltimore offense, finishing tied for second on the team in targets. He was unable to convert that into much production while catching passes from the combination of Cooper Rush and Tyler Huntley, with his longest gain going for only nine yards. The outlook for all Ravens pass catchers should improve with the anticipated return of Lamar Jackson (hamstring) in Week 8 following the team's bye, though Andrews could lose out on opportunity to more explosive options such as Rashod Bateman and Isaiah Likely.
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Harold Fannin Jr. TE | CLE
Browns' Harold Fannin: Bright spot in Cleveland offense
Fannin recorded seven receptions on 10 targets for 81 yards in Sunday's 23-9 loss to the Steelers.
Fannin continued to showcase rapport with Dillon Gabriel, as he led the Browns in receptions and yards. He did do the majority of his damage with the Steelers playing conservative defense in the fourth quarter, with 56 of Fannin's yards coming with the Browns down multiple scores. Even with that context, the rapport between Fannin and Gabriel is clear, as Fannin has 11 catches for 94 yards and a touchdown combined between the last two games.
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Sam LaPorta TE | DET
Lions' Sam LaPorta: Impressive touchdown grab
LaPorta recorded five receptions on six targets for 55 yards and a touchdown in Sunday's 30-17 loss to the Chiefs.
LaPorta was one of the more effective pass catchers in the Detroit offense, delivering two key receptions. The first was a 26-yard catch and run to end the first quarter, which ultimately helped set up a touchdown. LaPorta caught a touchdown of his own early in the fourth quarter on an impressive one-handed, toe-tapping grab in the back of the end zone from four yards away. LaPorta has put together consecutive strong showings, combining to record 10 receptions for 147 yards and two touchdowns in his last two contests.
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Juwan Johnson TE | NO
Saints' Juwan Johnson: Fumbles in Week 6 defeat
Johnson reeled in both of his targets for 15 yards during Sunday's 25-19 defeat against the Patriots. He also lost a fumble.
Johnson suited up after dealing with an ankle issue during practice for the second week in a row. The 29-year-old also logged exactly two catches for the second straight contest, as he recorded season lows in targets and receiving yards. The lowlight of Johnson's performance came on his second catch when he coughed up a fumble in the fourth quarter. Johnson went from averaging 9.7 targets per game over the first three weeks to averaging 3.0 over the last three weeks. This downturn in opportunities has coincided with the overall decrease in passing attempts for the Saints across the last three games, so it appears his dropoff in production may continue so long as the New Orleans offense eases its reliance on Spencer Rattler's arm. Johnson will look to grab more passes during the Week 7 contest versus Chicago on Sunday, Sept. 19.