NFL Player News

Coach Kyle Shanahan ruled out Kittle (knee/ankle) for Sunday's game against the Cardinals, Darren Urban of the team's official site reports.

Shortly after noting Kittle didn't practice Wednesday, Shanahan made the decision on the tight end's Week 11 availability. Kittle thus will focus on getting his left knee and ankle right while the 49ers turn to Ross Dwelley as their primary tight end. Dwelley aside, Garrett Celek and Levine Toilolo also should play bit parts in the offense.

Kittle (knee/ankle) didn't participate in Wednesday's practice, Cam Inman of The San Jose Mercury News reports.

On Tuesday, coach Kyle Shanahan expressed "hope" regarding Kittle's odds to return for the 49ers' Week 11 matchup with the Cardinals. One day later, Kittle was unable to practice for the first time since injuring his left knee Oct. 31, which interestingly enough happened in Arizona. The team will release two more injury reports this week, at which point he'll get a designation for Sunday's game.

Smythe (knee/elbow) was a limited participant in Wednesday's practice, Armando Salguero of the Miami Herald reports.

It's never good to have multiple injuries in tow, but it's a positive sign that Smythe still got on the practice field. The second-year tight end is used mainly in a blocking role, as he has run a route on 46.3 percent of his snaps. His status for Sunday's game against the Bills doesn't appear to be in jeopardy yet, but Chandler Cox and Clive Walford are waiting in the wings in case Smythe can't go.

Alie-Cox (hip) didn't participate in Wednesday's practice.

Alie-Cox has averaged 22.4 offensive snaps per game, and he mainly works in a blocking role, posting just five receptions for 49 scoreless yards. Jack Doyle (shoulder) also sat out of practice, so the Colts only have one healthy tight end -- Eric Ebron -- remaining. If both Alie-Cox and Doyle can't play Sunday against the Jaguars, the team may promote Ian Bunting from the practice squad to provide depth.

Seals-Jones (knee) is listed as questionable for Thursday's game against the Steelers.

Seals-Jones, who was listed as a full participant in Wednesday's walk-through after being limited at practice earlier this week, profiles as a game-time decision for Thursday's contest. If he ends up limited or is inactive, Demetrius Harris would continue to see added tight end snaps for the Browns in Week 11. Stephen Carlson and Pharaoh Brown are the other tight ends on the roster.

Coach Dan Quinn called Hooper (knee) a "longshot" to play Sunday at Carolina, Will McFadden of the Falcons' official site reports.

Hooper emerged from the Week 10 win at New Orleans with a sprained MCL, but his timetable for a return remains undetermined. On Wednesday, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reported Hooper is expected to be out approximately one month. When informed of Rapoport's report, Quinn refuted it, stating "sometimes with injuries [the recovery] can be faster, so you don't want to pigeonhole a player into a [timeline to return]." Considering the nature of his injury, Hooper seems unlikely to practice this week, but his status bears watching until he's officially ruled out for game action.

Hooper (knee) is expected to remain sidelined roughly a month due to a sprained MCL, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reports.

Hooper's absence will be a notable blow to Atlanta's offense, given that he's tied with Travis Kelce for the NFL lead in catches among tight ends (56) and ranks second on the team in receiving yards (608), trailing only Julio Jones. Based on the expected four-week recovery timetable, Hooper is likely targeting the Dec. 15 game against the 49ers for his return to action. Luke Stocker and Jaeden Graham are the lone healthy tight ends on the roster, with the latter representing the greater pass-catching threat.

Thomas was not targeted during Sunday's 24-16 loss to Green Bay.

Thomas ended 2018 with 25 catches in his final five games, but the Indiana product has suffered through an intense sophomore slump. With Greg Olsen, who was out for the final month of 2018, back in the fold, Thomas has just two targets this season -- neither of them coming in the red zone. He's topped five offensive snaps just once in his last four games. With that kind of usage, Thomas should not be on your radar Sunday, even against Atlanta's 25th-ranked pass defense.

Alie-Cox was unable to bring in his only target of Sunday's 16-12 loss to Miami.

The Colts were shocked by the Dolphins as Brian Hoyer got the start over Jacoby Brissett (knee). Brissett's status for Sunday against the Jaguars is undetermined, but it's unlikely that Alie-Cox will not get enough targets for it to matter much either way. The sophomore tight end has been targeted multiple times just twice this season and only twice since Week 5. Keep him on the shelf.

James was unable to bring in his only target of Sunday's 20-13 loss to Chicago.

The whole Lions offense was off-kilter as Jeff Driskel started in place of Matthew Stafford (back). It would be unfair to blame Driskel for James' poor performance, however, as the veteran tight end hasn't really been a factor in Detroit's attack all season. He has just one game with multiple receptions, back in Week 2 against the Chargers. Stafford's status is unclear for Sunday, but no matter the quarterback, James figures to play a minor role against Dallas' sixth-ranked pass defense.