NFL Player News

Derby (foot) carries the questionable tag for Sunday's matchup against the Bears, Armando Salguero of the Miami Herald reports.

Derby practiced this past week for the first time since injuring his foot against the Raiders in Week 3. The 27-year-old was able to practice in a limited capacity all three days this week. In his absence, fellow tight end Mike Gesicki has seen an increased role and would continue to fulfill that role if Derby misses time Sunday as well.

Goedert caught his lone target for seven yards in Thursday's 34-13 win over the Giants.

The rookie has seen between 31 and 35 snaps in three straight weeks with no more than two targets. He was still on the field more than any Eagles pass catcher after Zach Ertz, Alshon Jeffery and Nelson Agholor, although Jordan Matthews saw 26, just six fewer than the South Dakota State product. The rookie just isn't likely to be a major part of the offense unless something happens to Ertz and remains more of a dynasty-league target for now.

Vannett (back) didn't practice Friday and is listed as questionable for Sunday's game against the Raiders in London, Brady Henderson of ESPN.com reports.

Vannett's only participation all week was a limited practice Thursday, but coach Pete Carroll said the tight end will play in Sunday's game. While Carroll usually can't be trusted when it comes to injury information, it's telling that the Seahawks only have one other tight end (Darell Daniels) on their 53-man roster. We can start to worry about Vannett's availability if the team signs another tight end Friday or Saturday. Vannett caught three of four targets for 43 yards in last week's 33-31 loss to the Rams, handling an 83 percent snap share in the first game after Will Dissly suffered a season-ending knee injury.

Kroft (foot) has been ruled out for Sunday's game against the Steelers, Katherine Terrell of ESPN.com reports.

The news comes as no surprise, as Kroft was seen sporting a walking boot Wednesday and getting around the Bengals' locker room on a scooter. With Kroft out and Tyler Eifert (ankle) on IR, C.J. Uzomah will head the team's tight end corps Week 6 and possibly beyond if Kroft's injury lingers.

Vannett (back) won't practice Friday but is expected to play in Sunday's game at Oakland, John Boyle of the Seahawks' official site reports.

Vannett has a history of back issues that cropped up again this week, limiting his participation in practice. Coach Pete Carroll indicated it was a rest day for the 25-year-old, but the injury is worth keeping an eye on, at least until the official injury report is released later Friday.

Ertz hauled in seven of nine targets for 43 yards and a touchdown in the Eagles' 34-13 win over the Giants on Thursday.

Although Alshon Jeffery supplanted him as Carson Wentz's favorite target on the night, Ertz wasn't too far behind. The talented tight end logged the second-highest number of looks on the Eagles, and he managed to cross the goal line for the second consecutive week. Thursday marked Ertz's first game with single-digit targets -- albeit by one -- and he clearly remains a must-play each week regardless of format. He'll look to continue building on his average of eight receptions per contest when he faces the Panthers in Week 7.

Kittle (knee) was limited at Thursday's practice, Nick Wagoner of ESPN.com reports.

Coach Kyle Shanahan was of the belief Kittle wouldn't practice Thursday due to a knee injury stemming from Sunday's loss at Arizona. Clearly, Kittle bucked those expectations and may be ahead of the schedule set by the 49ers' training staff. No matter, his status should continue to be watched due to his standing as the NFL's third-leading tight end in terms of receiving yards (399 in five games).

Hurst is turning in a strong week of practice and could have an increased role Sunday against the Titans, Clifton Brown of the team's official site reports.

Offensive coordinator Marty Morhinweg told reporters Thursday that he felt Hurst was "on the rise" after another strong practice. Morhinweg noted that Hurst spent much of last week knocking off the rust after a long time on the sidelines while recovering from a foot injury. Hurst debuted in Week 5 against the Browns but was lightly used, catching one of two targets for seven yards while playing just 21 snaps. Now that Hurst has game experience and another week of practice under his belt, he could start to emerge as a go-to pass catcher in a tight end group that sorely needs one.

Smythe was limited in Thursday's practice with an ankle injury, Armando Salguero of the Miami Herald reports.

This is Smythe's first appearance on the injury report this week, so it's likely he hurt his ankle during Wednesday's practice. Being simply limited, there's a good chance he still plays Sunday versus the Bears, but Friday's practice will be more telling. The rookie fifth-round pick has suited up for all five games, but he's failed to come up with either of his two targets.

Coach Kyle Shanahan said that Kittle (knee) wouldn't participate in Thursday's practice, Cam Inman of The San Jose Mercury News reports.

Kittle picked up the knee injury at some point during the Week 5 loss to the Cardinals, but still finished with a productive stat line of five catches for 83 yards on seven targets. The tight end has been the preferred option in the passing game for quarterback C.J. Beathard since the latter took over for the injured Jimmy Garappolo (knee), but Kittle will need to put the knee issue behind him before he can be considered an elite fantasy play this weekend. Kittle would be able to allay concerns about his health by practicing in some capacity Thursday or Friday.