Bengals TE Tyler Eifert practiced on Wednesday for the 1st time since May ankle surgery. He was limited and remains a long shot for Sunday's game against the Broncos. But a Week 4 return is now a possibility. Eifert is worth a grab-and-stash if he's available in your league.

Bengals TE Tyler Eifert (ankle) is still expected to be out "a few weeks," according to ESPN's Bob Holtzman. Eifert admitted that he's still only at "half speed." We probably won't see him until October, and it'll be at least another week beyond that before he'll be a comfortable fantasy option.

Bengals insider Paul Dehner confirms that TE Tyler Eifert (ankle) won't play against the Steelers this weekend. He's yet to practice since undergoing surgery in May, so fantasy owners should be preparing to be without him even beyond Week 2. C.J. Uzomah led Bengals TEs in snaps (52) and targets (5) in the opener, but you can do much better in your fantasy lineup.

Bengals TE Tyler Eifert (ankle) is out for Sunday’s opener against the Jets. He didn’t practice all week and doesn’t look particularly close to returning. TE Tyler Kroft (knee) put in a full week of practice and figures to serve as Cincinnati’s lead pass-catching TE. You should be able to do better for your fantasy lineup, though.

Bengals HC Marvin Lewis said Monday that TE Tyler Eifert (ankle) won't practice this week. That means he won't play in Sunday's opener against the Jets. Eifert avoided the regular-season PUP list, so Cincinnati clearly believes he'll be back before Week 7. But his return doesn't look particularly close.

Bengals TE Tyler Eifert (ankle) is targeting a return sometime between Weeks 4 and 6, according to NFL Network's Ian Rapoport. That timeline makes more sense than the potential Week 1 return we heard from the Cincinnati Enquirer's Paul Dehner earlier today. Eifert's "hope" is to debut in Week 4, per Rapoport. But the Bengals will need to decide if they want to carry him on their roster during that time. They might opt to stick him on the reserve/PUP, which would knock him out for the first 6 games. We currently have Eifert projected to play 10 games, so we're not moving him in the TE rankings. We'll continue to monitor his progress.

Bengals insider Paul Dehner expects TE Tyler Eifert to be "healthy the first few weeks of the season -- if not the opener in New York." That's the most optimistic take we've heard on Eifert in a while. A report earlier this month suggested that he could be sidelined until October. Eifert just resumed jogging this week. That doesn't sound like a player who will be ready for Week 1. We'll continue to monitor his progress but still aren't buying at his 7th-round price tag.

Bengals TE Tyler Eifert (ankle) told reporters on Monday that he plans to resume jogging. He's been running on the treadmill in a pool and has avoided setbacks, he added. It doesn't sound like Eifert is anywhere near being ready for game action, though. We'd be surprised if he's ready come Week 1. And the reserve/PUP list remains a possibility (which would cost him the first 6 games). We're not buying Eifert at his 7th-round price tag.

Bengals TE Tyler Kroft is expected to miss 4-6 weeks with the sprained knee he suffered in Tuesday's practice, according to insider Jim Owczarski. No word on which ligament Kroft injured. HC Marvin Lewis expects Kroft to be available for the season opener, although the longer end of the timetable would keep him out through Week 1. We'll keep an eye on his progress, but Kroft isn't worth rostering in redraft leagues. If both he and Tyler Eifert (ankle) are out, Cincinnati would be down to TE C.J. Uzomah.

Bengals TE Tyler Kroft suffered a hyperextended knee in Tuesday's training camp practice, per NFL Network's Ian Rapoport. He's scheduled for an MRI tomorrow to determine the extent of the damage and how long he'll be sidelined. Kroft was slated to serve as Cincinnati's primary pass-catching TE for however long Tyler Eifert (ankle) is out. C.J. Uzomah is next up on the depth chart.

Bengals TE Tyler Eifert showed reporters the scar from his offseason ankle surgery, and it was on the inside of his ankle. According to Football Guys' Jene Bramel, a pediatrician and high school team physician, that means Eifert's injury was to the deltoid ligament. "The ligament that I tore, it’s hard to tear, so kind of a freak thing," Eifert admitted. The surgery generally comes with a 5-6 month recovery timetable. Eifert's happened on May 25, so the short end of that timeline would have him out until late October. That could cost him 7 games. Eifert's timeline could be different, of course, and we can't know for sure when he'll be back. But there's obviously more risk than we initially believed. We just bumped Eifert down our TE rankings.

Bengals TE Tyler Eifert (ankle) told the media on Friday that his walking boot comes off in a week. From there, he'll have about 1 month to get ready for the start of the season. Eifert admitted, though, that there's no set timetable for his return. We'd consider him a bit worse than 50/50 to be out there come Week 1.

A source tells Bengals insider Jim Owczarski that TE Tyler Eifert's rehab from May ankle surgery is "on schedule." That's a fairly cookie-cutter response that doesn't tell us a whole lot. But it's better than hearing of a setback. Prior reports had Eifert returning sometime right around the season opener -- maybe a week or 2 before, maybe a week or 2 after. We'll be keeping a close eye on his progress. His MFL10 ADP has dropped into the 8th round.

In a recent Q&A with the team website, Bengals director of player personnel Duke Tobin intimated that the team expects to miss TE Tyler Eifert for some part of the regular season. In answering a question pertaining to the WR corps, Tobin said, "It’s a position group that’s going to have to step up – particularly with Eifert out early in the year." The article includes no further question or comment on Eifert's status, so we'll probably have to wait until at least training camp to get a more specific timeline for Eifert's return. For now, approach your fantasy football draft as though Eifert will not be ready for Week 1. If he's out, Tyler Kroft would figure to step in at TE. Gio Bernard and the WRs might find a few more targets available as well. This will be a key situation to watch through the summer.

ESPN's Adam Schefter hears that Bengals TE Tyler Eifert "could miss the first couple of games of the season" after undergoing ankle surgery today.  That conflicts with the original report from the Cincinnati Enquirer that had Eifert's rehab timetable at 3 months.  NFL Network's Ian Rapoport, meanwhile, says the "hope" is for Eifert to be ready for the start of the season, although the "worst-case scenario" has him missing "the first few games."  This is obviously a fluid situation for now.  The ankle issue will certainly impact where Eifert lands in our initial 2016 TE Rankings.  He'll move up or down in August when we have a better idea of his return date.

Bengals TE Tyler Eifert is set to undergo ankle surgery, according to the Cincinnati Enquirer's Jim Owczarski.  The procedure will address the injury Eifert suffered in last year's Pro Bowl, which reportedly hasn't responded as hoped.  Sources deemed it a "minimal procedure," but it's expected to sideline Eifert 3 months.  That'd put him back on the field near the end of August, just a couple of weeks before Week 1.  Durability continues to be a problem for Eifert, who dealt with shoulder, elbow, neck and head injuries before this ankle issue.  We'll track his status throughout the summer.

Bengals TE Tyler Eifert sprained his ankle in the Pro Bowl, according to insider Paul Dehner.  It's excellent news after what looked like a potentially serious injury.  Eifert is expected to be available for all offseason workouts, so his 2016 fantasy outlook is unaffected.  The 25-year-old could play an even bigger role this coming season if Cincinnati loses WRs Marvin Jones and Mohamed Sanu in free agency.