NFL Player News

Graham (thumb) is active for Sunday's game at Minnesota, Jason Wahlers of the Packers' official site reports.

A week and a half removed from suffering a broken left thumb, Graham will slot in as the Packers' starting tight end, per usual, albeit with the appendage in question heavily wrapped. During Week 12 prep, coach Mike McCarthy told Jim Owczarski of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel on Thursday that the extra padding on Graham's left hand didn't affect his ability as a receiver. No matter, but owners may want to adjust their expectations for the veteran TE.

Uzomah turned 13 targets into six catches for 39 yards in Sunday's 35-20 loss to the Browns.

Uzomah was heavily involved in the offensive game plan, but the tight end was only able to muster an average of three yards per target. Quarterback Andy Dalton exited this one with a thumb injury but backup Jeff Driskel was able to command the offense effectively, so Uzomah's outlook against the Broncos in Week 13 should remain stable regardless of who's under center.

Vannett caught both targets for 22 yards in Sunday's win over the Panthers.

Both of Vannett's receptions brought the team within 21 yards of the end zone, but he failed to score for the second straight week. Fellow tight end Ed Dickson also saw two targets. Vannett has a tough Week 13 matchup on the horizon, as the 49ers have allowed just five touchdowns in 11 games to tight ends this year.

Njoku (knee) caught all five of his targets for 63 yards and a touchdown in Sunday's 35-20 win over the Bengals.

Njoku scored from six yards out on a wild play, as he attempted to hurdle a defender, got stuffed, but somehow managed to stay on his feet before getting pushed into the end zone. Cleveland's passing game powered down after the team took a 28-0 lead, so Njoku finished as the Browns' leading receiver, nudging out Antonio Callaway by one yard. The athletic tight end looks to be over the injury issues that had been slowing him down recently, so Njoku's stock is trending up ahead of a Week 13 meeting with Houston.

Kittle brought in six of 12 targets for 48 yards in the 49ers' 27-9 loss to the Buccaneers on Sunday.

Kittle padded his line some in the second half, but his overall production had to be considered somewhat of a disappointment considering the 49ers were missing both Marquise Goodwin (personal) and Pierre Garcon (knee). The second-year tight end's reception total did lead the team on the afternoon, and it equaled his second-highest tally of the season. Kittle will look to up his numbers in a Week 13 matchup against the Seahawks.

Ertz caught seven of eight targets for 91 yards in Sunday's 25-22 win over the Giants.

Ertz tied the Eagles' single-season record for catches by a tight end with his 81st of the season in the second quarter, finding the end zone from 15 yards out on the play. He went on to shatter that mark as the game went on, bringing his season totals up to 84 catches, 895 yards and six touchdowns. Ertz is putting together one of the greatest tight end campaigns of all time, and his dominance should continue in Week 13 against the Redskins on Monday Night Football.

Engram didn't play in Sunday's 25-22 loss at Philadelphia due to a hamstring injury, Art Stapleton of The Bergen Record reports.

Per Stapleton, Engram hurt the hamstring in pregame warmups. In Engram's place, Rhett Ellison held down the fort at tight end, hauling in four of six passes for 77 yards. Engram's status will be worth monitoring in advance of next Sunday's game against the Bears.

Derby (knee) is inactive for Sunday's contest against the Colts.

Derby has missed a hefty chunk of the season with lower-body injuries this year, and now his knee will cost him Week 12. Nick O'Leary and Mike Gesicki will absorb the 27-year-old's snaps.

Njoku (knee) is listed as active for Sunday's game against the Bengals.

Njoku has been a hit-or-miss fantasy option of late, but he's a bounce-back candidate in Week 12 versus a Cincinnati defense that overall hasn't had great success containing tight ends.

Graham (thumb/knee) is listed as questionable for Sunday's game against the Vikings but is "on track to play" in the contest, barring any complications in warmups, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reports.

Graham has been managing the knee issue for several weeks, but it's the broken left thumb he sustained in the Week 11 loss to the Seahawks that is more seriously threatening his availability for Sunday's contest. Fortunately for the Packers, their top tight end is apparently trending toward suiting up after returning to practice Thursday without major issues while donning extra padding around the injured thumb. "[Graham] caught the ball fine [in practice]," coach Mike McCarthy told Jim Owczarski of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, adding that he has "no reason to believe" Graham will face restrictions in Week 13. With that in mind, Graham should be in store for his usual allotment of snaps if he avoids aggravating the thumb in warmups or during the contest.