NFL Player News

Gregg Rosenthal’s favorite no-name tight end was just getting back from a high ankle sprain. The move leaves Indianapolis with three TEs on the roster: starter Dallas Clark, backup Jacob Tamme, and H-back Gijon Robinson.

Barrows adds that Guerendo will undergo more testing on Monday. Guerendo was dragged down by a defender on his left side, causing Guerendo’s left knee to buckle inward. Tomorrow’s tests should provide clarity as to the full diagnosis, as well as Guerendo’s expected recovery timeline.

Mayer was fated for a quiet season after the Raiders drafted generational tight end Brock Bowers in the first round. Things went from bad to worse when he was placed on the reserve/NFI list early in the year for personal reasons. Mayer missed six games and returned to a backup role later in the season. He strangely erupted for seven catches and 68 yards in Week 14 but did little aside from that game. It was his only contest with more than two catches or 14 yards until Week 18. The Raiders could view Mayer as a strong backup option to Mayer, but the former second-round would still fetch a strong return in a trade. His name will undoubtedly come up in trade talks, giving dynasty managers something to cling to heading into 2025.

Laube’s first offensive snaps in the NFL came in Week 6. He got two reps on offense, fumbled his first carry, and was never heard from again. The Raiders put him in timeout as a healthy scratch for a few weeks before bringing him back in the fold as a high-volume special teams player. Laube did not log any more snaps on offense after Week 6, let alone touches. Having been exiled from the offense entirely, it’s fair to wonder how Laube fits on the team’s roster in 2025.

After going 14 games without a score, McBride heads into the offseason with a touchdown in back-to-back contests. The lack of scoring was legendary, but so was the compiling. His 111 receptions (in 16 games) finish just seven short of the all time record for a tight end, while his 1,146 yards are a sky-scraping number for a seam stretcher. Still only 25 with increased compiling and efficiency (he entered Week 18 second in yards per route run amongst tight ends) each of the past two seasons, McBride has a claim to TE1 overall status in dynasty leagues even with Brock Bowers in the picture. McBride is eligible for a monster extension this offseason.

Tucker made a name for himself as a rookie with the occasional splash play while averaging 17.4 yards per catch. The Raiders rolled him out as their No. 3 receiver from the jump this year and eventually moved him up the ladder to No. 2 duties after trading Davante Adams. Though his production was highly inconsistent, Tucker managed to up his yardage total from 331 to 539. He caught 47 passes and scored three times through the air plus once more on the ground. Tucker isn’t a target-commander but provides enough value as a deep threat to stay in the mix for opportunities next year. Depending on how Las Vegas approaches their receiving room in the offseason, Tucker could draw some sleeper hype heading into his third season.

Harrison’s eighth touchdown of the season was his first in five weeks. The five-catch outing was his second straight, while he heads into the offseason having cleared 60 yards in back-to-back games for the first time since Weeks 2 and 3. His 12-yard touchdown in the fourth quarter featured one of his crisper routes of the year. MHJ’s lack of a consistent connection with Kyler Murray will go down as the story of his up-and-down rookie campaign, but the 22-year-old was far from a bust. He was also far from a can’t miss star, with his yards per route run entering Week 18 at a less than stellar 1.63. Increased efficiency and target commanding will be a must for 2025, but that has as much to do with Murray as Harrison. MHJ still has extreme youth — he doesn’t turn 23 until August — on his side, but he has lost his claim to being the top wideout in the 2024 draft class. He can still get it back, but that is no longer the most likely outcome. Neither an obvious buy nor sell in dynasty leagues, Harrison is a player where we simply need more data points.

Whittington had a 50-yard catch and run in the fourth quarter — the biggest play of the day for the Rams offense. He played a full time role in Week 18 with Puka Nacua and Cooper Kupp resting in anticipation of the postseason. A preseason stud, Whittington would only see playing time if Kupp or Nacua were to miss time in the playoffs.

Justin Hebert also tried to find Johnston in the end zone, but the Raiders stopped him from punctuating the day with a touchdown... by committing pass interference. Lack of a touchdown aside, the Chargers and fantasy managers alike couldn’t ask for more from the second-year wideout. He capped a career-save second season with high-water marks in catches and yards. Herbert was forced to lean on him with fellow deep threat Josh Palmer out and he didn’t disappoint. Palmer looks unlikely to play in the Wild Card Round, putting Johnston in line for another high-volume outing to open the playoffs.

The four-score start was Murray’s first of the year, and helped him sneak past 20 through the air on the season. An every-week starter for the first time since 2020, Murray appeared fully healthy after that was not the case during his eight-game post-ACL cameo last season. Unfortunately, the better health was not accompanied by another step forward as a player. It was more of the same for a quarterback who rips chunk gains on the ground, but not as often as fellow dual-threats Lamar Jackson and Josh Allen. Murray also again disappointed as a down-field passer despite the addition of first-round boundary man Marvin Harrison Jr. He entered Week 18 in the bottom half of Pro Football Focus’ deep passing grade, for instance. Bryce Young and dead-armed Kirk Cousins both generated more yardage on attempts of 20-plus yards. On the whole, Murray’s touchdown rate was a new career low, unacceptably so. No longer a spring chicken going on age 28, Murray seems unlikely to find a new career gear absent pairing up with an offensive Svengali. That is not on the horizon in Arizona.

JSN saved his worst game for last in an otherwise excellent sophomore campaign. After major struggles as a rookie, Smith-Njigba took over as Seattle’s clear-cut No. 1 receiver and caught 100 of 137 targets for 1,130 yards and six touchdowns in a Seahawks offense that was among the NFL’s pass heaviest for most of the year. After playing from the slot on 69 percent of his routes in 2023, Smith-Njigba operated from the slot on 84 percent of his routes in 2024. His average depth of target jumped from 6.4 in 2023 to 9.2 this season. He earned Geno Smith’s trust early on and overtook DK Metcalf as the top target in the Seattle offense while the aged Tyler Lockett became totally irrelevant both in real and fantasy football. No matter who the Seahawks QB is in 2025, JSN should be considered a top-20 fantasy option at worst.