NFL Player News

Vannett (back) is inactive for Sunday's game against the Cardinals.

Vannett popped up on the injury report Friday after the back issue limited his participation in practice. While it's not believed to be a major concern for Vannett, he was evidently hurting too much to give it a go for the regular-season finale. Tyrone Swoopes will dress as the Seahawks' No. 3 tight end as a result.

Gray (hip) is active for Sunday's game against the Bills.

Gray has just one reception for 10 yards through 15 games this season, so his return will help mainly in the run-blocking department in Sunday's divisional matchup.

Kelce (coach's decision) is inactive for Sunday's Week 17 tilt against the Broncos.

As expected, Kelce will join Tyreek Hill as a healthy scratch for Sunday's finale, with Kansas City set to enter the postseason as the AFC's No. 4 seed. The star tight end's absence will afford Demetrius Harris the start against Denver.

O'Malley signed a contract to join the Giants' 53-man roster Saturday, Art Stapleton of The Bergen Record reports.

O'Malley spent less than a month on the Bills' practice squad earlier this season and was waived by the Raiders at roster cutdowns in September. Starting tight end Evan Engram (ribs) won't play Sunday against the Redskins, but O'Malley is unlikely to serve as more than a depth option.

The Cardinals have listed Niklas (ankle) as questionable for Sunday's season finale versus the Seahawks, Bob Condotta of The Seattle Times reports.

NIklas was sidelined for last week's win over the Giants. He has seen his workload increase every day at practice throughout the week, so he appears to be trending in the right direction. Still, final confirmation on his status is unlikely to be determined until he tests his ankle out in warmups.

Vannett (back) is listed as questionable for Sunday's game against the Cardinals, John Boyle of the Seahawks' official site reports.

Vannett's only practice participation of the week came in a limited session Friday. The 24-year-old would serve his usual role as the Seahawks' No. 3 tight end with second-stringer Luke Willson (ankle) expected to play Sunday.

Ertz's head coach, Doug Pederson, said some of the Eagles' key players won't play all of Sunday's game against the Cowboys, ESPN.com's Tim McManus reports.

Ertz obviously falls into that category, along with Nick Foles, Alshon Jeffery, Jay Ajayi and Nelson Agholor. Pederson doesn't seem inclined to hold any healthy players out entirely, but it won't come as any surprise if Ertz is limited to a first-quarter cameo. A full half is probably the best that can be hoped for.

Kelce is expected to take a seat Sunday at Denver, Adam Teicher of ESPN.com reports.

On Wednesday, head coach Andy Reid made the decision to give Patrick Mahomes an opportunity as the starting quarterback Week 17. With Alex Smith getting some rest in advance of the playoffs, the writing was on the wall for the Chiefs' other skill-position players, namely Kelce, Tyreek Hill and Kareem Hunt. Per BJ Kissel of the team's official site, Hill already has been ruled out for Sunday's game, but the decision on Kelce and Hunt evidently will have to wait until the inactive list is posted. In Kelce's place, expect Demetrius Harris to handle most of the reps at tight end this weekend.

Gray (hip) is listed as questionable for Sunday's game against the Bills.

Gray injured his hip last week against the Chiefs, but he returned to practice Thursday and logged a full Friday session. Consequently, he seems more likely than not to suit up. If he doesn't, Thomas Duarte could see additional reps.

Lewis (ankle) doesn't have a designation for Sunday's game in Tennessee.

Lewis has dealt with injuries at various points this season but hasn't missed a game to date. He won't break the streak this weekend, either, despite following a limited/DNP/limited practice regimen this week. Nonetheless, there's a chance Lewis gets some rest Sunday with the Jaguars locked into the No. 3 seed in the AFC playoffs, which would allow James O'Shaughnessy and Ben Koyack to get some run.