NFL Player News

Hendershot (ankle) said he hopes to return from injured reserve ahead of Thursday's game against the Commanders, but the Cowboys may wait one more week before activating him, Calvin Watkins of The Dallas Morning News reports.

Hendershot was designated to return from IR on Wednesday, with the move opening up a 21-day window for him to practice with the team before he would need to be activated. He was able to log full practices last week before being held out ahead of Sunday's win over the Panthers. With Dallas facing a quick turnaround for Week 12, the team may opt to be patient and wait for Week 13 to bring Hendershot back into the fold as a depth option at tight end.

Oliver had four receptions for 47 yards on four targets, including a three-yard touchdown, in Sunday's loss at Denver.

It was a rare offensive outburst from Oliver, who is mostly used as a blocker. It was his second touchdown of the season, and his reception and yard marks were season highs. While this could be a sign he'll have a greater receiving role in an offense with Joshua Dobbs fully integrated at quarterback, Oliver had just two targets in his first two games with Dobbs behind center.

Schoonmaker caught both his targets for 23 yards and a touchdown in Sunday's win over the Panthers.

The rookie tight end opened the scoring late in the first quarter on an 18-yard TD toss from Dak Prescott, setting the tone in a 33-10 victory. Schoonmaker has hauled in only five passes on 11 targets through his first 10 NFL games, but two of them have turned into touchdowns. He remains behind Jake Ferguson on the depth chart, but Schhonmaker is teasing the upside that made him a second-round pick in a 2023 draft class that is already living up to its billing as one of the most talented TE groups in history.

Sample had two catches for 19 yards while playing only 17 offensive snaps in Thursday's loss to the Ravens.

Tanner Hudson's emergence has taken snaps away from both Sample and Irv Smith, and the 17 snaps on Thursday were Sample's lowest since Week 4.

Smith had just one target and zero catches in Thursday's loss to the Ravens.

With Tanner Hudson taking on a bigger role, Smith's snap share was under 40 percent for the third consecutive week. The Bengals' tight end position is now a three-headed monster between Smith, Hudson and Drew Sample.

Hudson had four catches for 49 yards on four targets in Thursday's loss to the Ravens.

Hudson played 21 snaps as his workload continues to increase, despite both Irv Smith and Drew Sample being healthy.

Washington secured his lone target for eight yards during the Steelers' 13-10 loss to Cleveland on Sunday.

Although Pat Freiermuth returned to action Sunday, Washington continued to see his fair share of playing time, as he was on the field for 47 percent of the Steelers' offensive snaps compared to Freiermuth's mark of 53 percent. However, neither tight end was able to generate much production in the low-scoring matchup. It wouldn't be surprising to see Freiermuth's snap count continue to rise as he regains his conditioning, so Washington's fantasy potential could diminish over the next few weeks.

Kraft caught both his targets for 32 yards in Sunday's 23-20 victory over the Chargers.

Kraft did not spend quite as much time on the field as he did in Week 10, but he tied his career high for receptions, set a new career best in the yardage department and was a toe on the chalk away from a long touchdown that would have been the first score of his career. Expect him to continue working as Green Bay's No. 2 tight end behind fellow rookie Luke Musgrave when the Packers face the Lions on Thanksgiving.

Musgrave was targeted six times and caught four passes for 28 yards in Sunday's 23-20 victory over the Chargers.

A quiet afternoon in the box score could have been a rather loud one had quarterback Jordan Love connected with a streaking Musgrave on a likely long gain in the third quarter, but alas it was not meant to be. On the bright side, Musgrave drew his most targets in a game since Week 5, and Love set a career high for passing yards for the second week in a row. Musgrave caught just one pass when the Packers faced their next opponent, the Lions, in their first meeting of the year in Week 4, but he also left that game in the second quarter with a concussion. The rookie tight end is hardly a must-start in shallower fantasy leagues, but with Green Bay's passing offense trending upward and Musgrave drawing 14 targets over the last three games, his value is trending upward.

Conklin caught two of three targets for 18 yards in Sunday's 32-6 loss to the Bills.

Conklin was outproduced by fellow tight end Jeremy Ruckert, who caught three of four targets for 25 yards. New York's coaching staff wants to get the 23-year-old Ruckert more involved, which could cut into the 28-year-old Conklin's volume the rest of the season. Conklin finished with fewer than three receptions for just the third time in 10 games this season. Regardless of whether the Jets name Zach Wilson or Tim Boyle as their starting quarterback for Week 12 against the Dolphins, Conklin should serve as a security blanket on Black Friday.