Erick All Jr. Goes on IR With a Feared Torn ACL, and Mike Gesicki Becomes the Bengals Tight End to Start Against the Titans

The Cincinnati Bengals placed tight end Erick All Jr. on injured reserve Tuesday after he hurt his knee in Sunday's 35-13 win over the Baltimore Ravens. NFL Network's Ian Rapoport reported that All is believed to have torn his ACL, which would end his season. It is a cruel blow for a player who had already worked back from a torn ACL suffered during his 2024 rookie season and a college tear before that.

The injury thins out a tight end room that had already lost Tanner Hudson to a season-ending pectoral injury. With the Tennessee Titans visiting Cincinnati on Sunday at 1 p.m. ET, Mike Gesicki is now the only Bengals tight end with a dependable fantasy role, and Cincinnati's roster moves this week show how short the depth has become.

The roster moves

Alongside the All move, the Bengals signed tight end Cam Grandy off the Minnesota Vikings' practice squad and added Caden Prieskorn to their own practice squad. The room now looks like this:

That is a group built around one receiving tight end, one blocker, and depth. There has also been chatter about whether Cincinnati adds a tight end before the trade deadline, but nothing concrete has been reported.

Why All mattered

All had carved out a real role in the Cincinnati offense as a short-area target with the ability to make defenders miss after the catch. He was not a weekly fantasy starter, but his presence meant the Bengals could run two-tight-end sets that did not telegraph run or pass. Without him and Hudson, those packages either disappear or feature Sample, which makes them more predictable.

Fantasy fallout: Mike Gesicki

Gesicki is the clear winner. He was already the most productive receiving tight end on the roster, and the competition for snaps and routes just evaporated. In an offense led by Joe Burrow, who threw four second-half touchdowns against Baltimore on Sunday, a tight end running a full route tree has a weekly path to fantasy relevance.

Gesicki's profile is a big slot receiver more than a traditional in-line tight end. He wins up the seam and in the red zone with his size, and that skill set fits what Burrow likes to do when Ja'Marr Chase and Tee Higgins draw coverage outside. Expect his route participation to climb toward every-down levels.

Verdict: Gesicki moves into the low-end TE1 conversation for Week 8 and is a priority pickup in leagues where he is available. Tight end is the shallowest fantasy position, and a starter attached to an elite quarterback with a clear path to volume is worth a waiver claim.

What it means for Chase and Higgins

The concentration effect matters here too. With fewer viable receiving options at tight end, Cincinnati's target tree narrows. Chase and Higgins were already the primary beneficiaries in this offense, and the loss of a secondary short-area option nudges a few more looks their way, particularly on third downs. Both remain locked-in starters.

The running backs could also see a slight bump in passing-down work if the Bengals lean on them to replace the checkdown role All filled.

The Titans matchup

Tennessee is a favorable opponent for an offense coming off a 35-point game. The Titans, led by quarterback Cam Ward, arrive with far less offensive firepower, and the game script that usually follows (Cincinnati ahead, Tennessee chasing) sets up well for the Bengals' passing game.

Cincinnati opened as the biggest favorite on the Week 8 board. Verdexed's model view on the game, along with every other Week 8 matchup, is on the NFL predictions page at /nfl/predictions and in the weekly picks piece at /blog/nfl-week-8-picks-2026.

Betting angle

Player props are where this news shows up first. Gesicki's receiving yards and receptions lines will be set with All's absence partly priced in, but books tend to anchor on season averages that include games where the target share was split. If his line opens near his season average, the role change argues for the over. Monitor Thursday and Friday practice reports to confirm Gesicki is healthy, and check for any late addition at tight end before Sunday.

What to do in your league

Add Gesicki if he is available, and start him in Week 8 over most streaming tight ends.

Keep Chase and Higgins locked into lineups; the target tree just got narrower.

Drop All in redraft leagues. A feared torn ACL with an IR placement ends his 2026 fantasy relevance.

Dynasty managers holding All should be patient but realistic. Multiple ACL injuries in the same knee complicate any projection for 2027.

What's next

Cincinnati's offense is rolling after the win in Baltimore, and the Titans game is a chance to keep it going. The tight end room is thin, but the Bengals do not need a tight end to be a star; they need one to be reliable. Gesicki fits that description, and for fantasy managers he is the most actionable name in this story.