NFL Player News

Thomas caught five of 10 targets for 57 yards and a touchdown during Sunday's 40-20 loss to the Falcons.

With Greg Olsen (concussion) inactive, Thomas' Week 14 output proved to be better than that of his preceding 12 combined, as he tied or surpassed his previous season totals in targets (nine), receptions (five) and yards (28) in a matchup against Atlanta's bottom-10 pass defense. Should Olsen be forced to miss a second consecutive outing Week 15 against Seattle, Thomas is a worthwhile consideration facing off against a Seahawks defense that enters Sunday Night Football as a bottom-five unit in terms of catches (77), receiving yards (802) and touchdowns (six) allowed to opposing tight ends this season.

Kittle (knee/ankle) had six receptions (eight targets) for 67 yards and a touchdown in Sunday's 48-46 win over New Orleans.

Kittle was a limited participant in practice all week while dealing with lower body injuries, but his status for this important NFC showdown was never in doubt. The well-rounded tight end was asked to stay back and block for the majority of last week's contest against the Ravens -- who blitz more than any defense in the league -- but coach Kyle Shanahan allowed him to eat again on offense this week. The 26-year-old had another signature catch-and-run during the 49ers' final drive where he dragged three defenders (while also baiting a facemask penalty) well into field-goal territory to help clinch the battle of NFC titans. Excluding last week's anomaly, Kittle is averaging six receptions and 90.3 yards per game over his last four, which keeps him firmly in the top three of tight end options heading into a Week 15 matchup with Atlanta.

The injury that forced Andrews out of Sunday's win over the Bills is being described as a thigh bruise, Jeff Zrebiec of The Athletic reports.

Zrebiec adds that coach John Harbaugh indicated the tight end's injury isn't serious, noting that Andrews expects to play this coming Thursday against the Jets.

Fant exited Sunday's 38-24 win over the Texans after his foot was stepped on, Nicki Jhabvala of The Athletic reports.

On the plus side, the tight end's X-rays came up negative, which suggests that Fant has a chance to play next weekend against the Chiefs. Prior to his exit from Sunday's game, he caught all four of his targets for 113 yards and a TD.

Fant left Sunday's game against the Texans after suffering a foot injury, Zac Stevens of TheDNVR.com reports.

Prior to being carted off the field Sunday, Fant made his mark in the Broncos' strong effort against Houston, hauling in all four of his targets for 113 yards and a TD.

Andrews was forced out of Sunday's game against the Bills with a knee injury, Jeff Zrebiec of The Athletic reports.

Prior to his exit, Andrews had caught one of his three targets for 14 yards. Next up for the Ravens' tight end looks in his absence are Hayden Hurst and Nick Boyle.

Njoku will start at tight end for the Browns in their Week 14 matchup against the Bengals.

Njoku has seen just 76 total snaps this season, as he's been sidelined since Week 2 against the Jets due to a broken wrist. The third-year player was activated from IR on Saturday, however, and Cleveland will waste no time getting him back into action. Njoku has favorable fantasy matchups both this week and next, but it's unclear if there will be any rust to shake off after this much time on the sidelines. Working in his favor against the Bengals is the fact that fellow tight end Demetrius Harris will be inactive with a shoulder injury, leaving Njoku to lead the way if he's able, though Ricky Seals-Jones and Stephen Carlson still are on hand to provide depth.

Engram (foot), who has been ruled out for Monday's game against the Eagles, expressed uncertainty about his ability to play again in 2019, Jordan Raanan of ESPN.com reports. "I'm going to try my best [to return] in the final three weeks [of the season]," Engram said.

After Engram opened this week as a limited participant in practice, initial reports suggested the tight end was on track to put an end to his three-game absence, but his condition apparently took a turn for the worse Saturday. Engram was a spectator for the Giants' final practice of Week 14, ensuring he would be sidelined for yet another game. While Engram indicated that he didn't experience a setback, it's clear the foot injury isn't allowing him to move around at full speed just yet. With little on the line at this point in the season for the 2-10 Giants, Engram may not be pushed to play unless both he and the organization are confident that he's 100 percent healthy.

Sample (ankle) was placed on injured reserve by the Bengals on Saturday, Tyler Dragon of The Cincinnati Enquirer reports.

Sample suffered a high-ankle sprain Nov. 11 in a matchup with the Ravens. The severity of the injury will keep him out for the remainder of the year. Drafted in the second round, the rookie tight end will finish his season with five receptions for 30 yards in nine games.

Smith is expected to fill in as the Giants' primary pass-catching tight end Monday against the Eagles after Evan Engram (foot) and Rhett Ellison (concussion) were both ruled out for the contest, Jordan Raanan of ESPN.com reports.

Smith capitalized in garbage time during the Giants' Week 13 loss to the Packers, tallying most of his 70 receiving yards with New York trailing by multiple scores. Still, it was a positive performance for the rookie tight end, who'll get an opportunity to take advantage of an inconsistent Eagles secondary which just allowed Dolphins tight end Mike Gesicki to post a 5-79-1 line. Smith will be catching passes from a new starting quarterback in Eli Manning, who will replaced the injured Daniel Jones (ankle) in Week 14.