Chris Herndon is back from suspension, but Adam Gase said last week he'd need to see how he looked in practice to see how he'd work for the offense. That look won't go so well; Herndon is hurt. Detroit's T.J. Hockenson is also up in the air.
Hockenson landed on hard on his head and shoulder in Detroit's last game before the bye. He's in the concussion protocol, so he might not be available. He's been hit or miss anyway, but scored in his last game. Green Bay won't have safety Darnell Savage, which might have helped Hockenson's chances of having a good game. But he needs to be cleared.
Herndon pulled a hamstring running routes on his own last week. According to Gase. With Sam Darnold back, Herndon might have been worth a dice roll at tight end in a passing offense that can only be better than it was with Luke Falk. But looks like we may need to wait at least another week.
Should you be desperate for a tight end this week, maybe see if Greg Olsen was dropped after getting shut out last week? He faces Tampa Bay, and only four teams have allowed more touchdowns to tight ends so far. One of those teams is on bye, and two others face players (Austin Hooper, Will Dissly) who are rostered everywhere.
The other possibility is Denver's Noah Fant, facing Tennessee. They've allowed 4 TDs to the position so far, tied for 2nd-most.
| TE TDS ALLOWED | |
|---|---|
| Defense | TE |
| Arizona | 6 |
| Tennessee | 4 |
| Cleveland | 4 |
| Indianapolis | 4 |
| Tampa Bay | 3 |
| LA Chargers | 3 |
| Oakland | 3 |
| Atlanta | 2 |
| LA Rams | 2 |
| NY Giants | 2 |
| Philadelphia | 2 |
| Pittsburgh | 2 |
| Seattle | 2 |
| Washington | 2 |
| Baltimore | 1 |
| Carolina | 1 |
| Chicago | 1 |
| Cincinnati | 1 |
| Dallas | 1 |
| Denver | 1 |
| Green Bay | 1 |
| Jacksonville | 1 |
| Kansas City | 1 |
| Miami | 1 |
| New Orleans | 1 |
| NY Jets | 1 |
| San Francisco | 1 |
| Buffalo | 0 |
| Detroit | 0 |
| Houston | 0 |
| Minnesota | 0 |
| New England | 0 |
Regardless, if you were hoping to use Herndon or Hockenson, you may be out of luck.
--Andy Richardson