NFL Player News

Freiermuth is scheduled to get imaging on his hamstring Monday, Gerry Dulac of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports.

Dulac notes that while the Steelers don't yet know the full extent of the injury, the tight end is dealing with more than a minor tweak. Freiermuth's status for Week 5 against the Ravens appears to be up in the air after the hamstring injury forced him out of Sunday's loss to the Texans in the second half. Darnell Washington, a 2023 third-round pick, would likely be in line to start at tight end if Freiermuth isn't available, while Connor Heyward also could see an expanded profile on offense.

Uzomah caught his only target for a one-yard touchdown in Sunday's 23-20 loss to the Chiefs.

Zach Wilson delivered arguably the best performance of his NFL career in the narrow defeat, and a one-yard touchdown pass to Uzomah off a beautiful play fake was among the young quarterback's highlights. Tyler Conklin mustered 58 yards on six targets and second-year tight end Jeremy Ruckert got in on the action with a pair of catches, so Uzomah still lacks a path to significant volume in a crowded tight end room despite scoring his first touchdown of 2023.

Ruckert caught both of his targets for 26 yards in Sunday's 23-20 loss to the Chiefs.

Ruckert came into this game with only one career reception, so it was nice to see the 2022 third-round draft pick out of Ohio State get more involved. Tyler Conklin finished second on the team with six targets while C.J. Uzomah caught a touchdown pass, so Ruckert remains third on the tight end depth chart behind the pair of veterans.

Jordan did not record a target in Sunday's 30-6 win over Pittsburgh in Week 4.

Jordan got a look from C.J. Stroud in the red zone on Houston's opening series, but a pass interference penalty wiped out the play. The tight end is listed third on the depth chart behind Dalton Schultz and Teagan Quitoriano, but Jordan's pass-catching ability makes him a red-zone threat -- a role that resulted in a four-yard TD catch in Week 3.

Quitoriano was not targeted in Sunday's 30-6 win over the Steelers in Week 4.

Quitoriano went untargeted for the second time in four weeks but remains the No. 2 tight end ahead of Brevin Jordan, who is considered a better receiving threat.

Bryant caught his lone target for two yards and had one rushing attempt for two yards in Sunday's 28-3 loss to Baltimore.

Bryant played a season-low 12 snaps, fewer than third-string tight end Jordan Akins, but usage patterns were skewed due to the blowout nature of the game and rookie Dorian Thompson-Robinson being under center instead of Deshaun Watson (shoulder). Bryant should still be viewed as the top backup to starter David Njoku. Interestingly, the Browns dialed up a run for Bryant, the second straight week the tight end has been used a runner since Nick Chubb was lost to a season-ending knee injury. The Browns are off in Week 5.

Akins caught one of two targets for six yards in Sunday's 28-3 loss to Baltimore.

Akins has not seen much playing time through the first four weeks as the No. 3 tight end. Sunday's effort was the first time he's seen multiple targets, but the Browns were forced out of their usual offense in the blowout loss. Cleveland was also missing starting quarterback Deshaun Watson, which resulted in usage patterns being skewed and reduced production across the board. The Browns are off in Week 5.

Smythe brought in all four of his targets for 41 yards during Sunday's 48-20 loss to the Bills.

Smythe once again operated as the Dolphins' top tight end, handling 84 percent of offensive snaps. Still, Smythe has topped 40 yards just twice this season and has yet to find the end zone, so it's not as though his every-down role has come with a significant fantasy ceiling. He remains on the radar as a floor play heading into Miami's matchup against the Giants in Week 5.

Conklin caught four of his six targets for 58 yards in Sunday's 23-20 loss to Kansas City.

The veteran tight end's six targets finished behind only top wideout Garrett Wilson's 14 on Sunday, and his night would have been even bigger has C.J. Uzomah not vultured a one-yard TD in the second quarter. Conklin has alternated modest and poor receiving totals through four games, resulting in him being a low-end option for fantasy purposes. He also has yet to be targeted in the red zone, a trend that hurts his potential heading into next Sunday's matchup against Denver.

Ertz finished with six receptions on 10 targets for 53 yards in Sunday's 35-16 loss to San Francisco.

Ertz returned to form after last week's two-catch dud, recording six catches for the third time through four games to start the season. The usually sure-handed tight end could have scored his first touchdown of 2023 had he not let a well-placed pass from quarterback Joshua Dobbs slip through his hands in the end zone Sunday. Ertz will look to correct his mistake and hit pay dirt when the Cardinals face the Bengals next Sunday.