NFL Player News

Jackson (knee) is out for Saturday's game against the Cowboys.

Jackson sat out the first nine games of the season while on the reserve/PUP list with a knee injury, and he has yet to record a catch since being activated ahead of Week 11. While the nature of this new knee issue is unclear, it's likely the 25-year-old would have been ruled inactive Week 16 anyways after No. 1 tight end Dallas Goedert was activated from IR on Tuesday. Expect Jackson to provide depth behind Jack Stoll and Grant Calcaterra when healthy moving forward.

Fortson (elbow) will not play in Saturday's game against the Seahawks.

Fortson did not participate during Week 16 prep while dealing with a subluxed elbow, which could keep him sidelined for multiple games. While there's still no timeline for the 27-year-old's return, his next opportunity to play will come versus Denver on Sunday, Jan. 1. With Fortson sidelined, Kansas City could be left short handed behind Travis Kelce and Noah Gray if veteran tight end Blake Bell (hip) is not activated from IR before Saturday.

Granson didn't practice Thursday due to an ankle injury.

According to Kevin Bowen of 107.5 The Fan Indianapolis, Granson was also a spectator Wednesday, when the Colts held an unofficial workout following last Saturday's 39-36 overtime loss to the Vikings. Despite the lengthier turnaround for Week 16, Granson hasn't yet moved past the ankle issue, but he'll have two more opportunities to practice leading up to Monday's game against the Chargers. If he's available to play Monday, Granson will be catching passes from his third different quarterback of the season, as interim head coach Jeff Saturday named Nick Foles the team's new starting signal-caller earlier this week.

Chiefs coach Andy Reid said Thursday that he feels "pretty good" that Bell (hip) will be activated from IR ahead of Saturday's game against the Seahawks, Herbie Teope of The Kansas City Star reports.

Bell was placed on IR after undergoing surgery to address a hip flexor injury in late August. The 31-year-old was designated to return from injured reserve Tuesday, and it appears he could be ready to suit up again at the earliest possible opportunity Week 16. Bell caught nine passes for 87 yards over 16 regular-season games last season, With Jody Fortson (elbow) already ruled out against Seattle, Bell could immediately step back in as the Chiefs' No. 3 tight end behind Travis Kelce and Noah Gray.

Fant (knee) is listed as questionable for Saturday's contest at Kansas City, John Boyle of the Seahawks' official site reports.

Fant didn't practice Tuesday or Wednesday before Seattle handed him a designation for Week 16 action, the result of a knee issue. For the season, he's handled at least 50 percent of the snaps in all 14 games, with a modest 42-414-3 line on 53 targets to show for his efforts in his first year with the team. If Saturday reveals Fant to be inactive for the first time on the campaign, Will Dissly and Colby Parkinson will handle tight end reps for the Seahawks.

Wesco (calf) is listed as out for Saturday's game versus Buffalo.

Wesco will miss his second consecutive game as he works to recover from a calf injury he sustained in Week 13 versus Green Bay. In his absence, Ryan Griffin should see more snaps as a blocker.

The Saints list Trautman (ankle) as questionable for Saturday's game at Cleveland, Terrin Waack of The New Orleans Times-Picayune reports.

Trautman was listed as a limited participant on practice reports issued Tuesday through Thursday, with his lack of full participation presumably standing in the way of him entering the weekend minus an injury designation. If he ends up active for the Week 16 contest, Trautman will be the Saints' No. 2 option at tight end behind Juwan Johnson, but there could be an uptick in targets headed in both players' direction while New Orleans is without two of its starting receivers in Chris Olave (hamstring) and Jarvis Landry (ankle).

Njoku (knee) doesn't carry an injury designation for Saturday's game against the Saints after logging a full practice listing Thursday, Scott Petrak of the Elyria Chronicle-Telegram reports.

Njoku's practice reps were limited Tuesday and Wednesday, but the tight end's return to a full session Thursday has him ready to go for Saturday's contest. Through 11 games to date, Njoku has recorded a 51/551/3 stat line on 67 targets, a pace that keeps the 2017 first-rounder on the fantasy lineup radar this weekend while facing a New Orleans defense that has allowed an average of 195.1 passing yards thus far.

Vannett (shoulder) was not listed with a game status ahead of Saturday's tilt against the Vikings.

Vannett popped up with a shoulder injury on Tuesday's injury report, though it's unclear when or how this issue first arose. However, the 29-year-old should be ready to suit up again despite remaining limited in each practice ahead of Saturday's game versus Minnesota. Vannett has caught two of his three targets for 24 yards over the past two games, and he should continue to serve as the Giants' No. 2 tight end behind Daniel Bellinger.

Thomas (thigh) was a full participant during practice Thursday and does not carry an injury designation ahead of Saturday versus Detroit.

Thomas popped up with a thigh injury and logged back-to-back limited sessions to begin Week 16 prep. However, the 26-year-old is still in line to play his 14th game in a row this season. Thomas has caught 19 passes on 26 targets for 176 yards in 2022, and he should reprise his role as the Panthers' No. 2 tight end Tommy Tremble.