NFL Player News

Vannett suffered a shoulder injury in Sunday's game against the Rams and is doubtful to return, Bob Condotta of The Seattle Times reports.

Vannett is mostly a run-blocking tight end, so his absence shouldn't affect the Seahawks' offense significantly, especially with a pass-heavy approach in place with the team trailing the Rams by a large margin. Jimmy Graham and Luke Willson are the only healthy tight ends remaining on Seattle's roster.

Ertz snagged six of nine targets for 56 yards and a touchdown during Sunday's 34-29 win over the Giants.

Ertz boxed out his defender on a 10-yard crosser in the second quarter for his eighth touchdown of the season. The talented tight end had a streak of six touchdowns in six games earlier in the season, but has run hot and cold in recent weeks. Sunday showed he can still be effective with Nick Foles throwing the ball, and he gets favorable matchups to close the season against Oakland in Week 16 and Dallas in Week 17, but watch out. Dallas, for all its pass defense's struggles, held Ertz to a season-low eight yards in Week 12.

Njoku was held without a catch on three targets during Sunday's 27-10 loss to the Ravens.

For the first time in his NFL career, Njoku finished a game without at least one reception, ending a remarkable streak of 13 consecutive matchups with a catch. The rookie tight end out of Miami has been quiet during the last two weeks, with just one reception on five targets. Josh Gordon's presence has eaten into Njoku's targets, but because Cleveland is usually playing from behind, there still should be plenty of opportunities for the 21-year-old to finish the season strong.

Supernaw (ankle) is active for Sunday's game against the 49ers, Jim Wyatt of the Titans' official site reports.

Though Supernaw is available Sunday, the Titans are dressing four tight ends for the contest, an indication the 27-year-old isn't fully healthy. With just four receptions on the season, Supernaw doesn't have much of a role in the passing game even in times of better health.

Pruitt (calf) is listed as inactive for Sunday's game against the Jaguars.

Pruitt was looking to play his second game of the season, but Stephen Anderson will once again be the sole tight end on Houston's roster. Regardless, Pruitt likely wouldn't have had much of a ceiling against the Jags, who have been the fifth-stingiest against tight ends this season.

Henry suffered an undisclosed injury during Saturday's loss to the Chiefs, Chris Wesseling of NFL.com reports.

Henry did catch all three of his targets, but they ended up being for an empty 28 yards, and Antonio Gates ended up with the Chargers' only receiving score. More to follow on Henry's status for next week's must-win game against the Jets, but at least he'll have an extra day to recover.

Kelce caught six of seven targets for 46 yards in Saturday's 30-13 win over the Chargers.

Kelce finished second on the team in targets and catches, but he was unable to get loose outside of a 21-yard gain in the first quarter. This performance came on the heels of a consistent run of form for Kelce, who had at least 73 receiving yards in five of his previous six contests. He'll look to get back on track next week against a Dolphins defense that's struggled to contain opposing tight ends for much of the season.

Pruitt is listed as questionable for Sunday's game against the Jaguars with a calf injury.

Pruitt joined the Texans' 53-man roster early last week and was a new addition to the injury report as a limited participant Friday. The 25-year-old is the only tight end on the roster besides starter Stephen Anderson and seems likely to play Sunday if healthy enough to do so.

Supernaw (ankle) is questionable for Sunday's game against the 49ers.

Supernaw was only able to log one limited practice this week, which might not be enough for him to gain clearance by the time Sunday rolls around. The 27-year-old is third on the depth chart at tight end and won't have a major role in the passing attack if active in Week 15.

James could see his offensive snap share increase in Sunday's game against the Patriots with Vance McDonald (shoulder) ruled out for the contest.

Though James is the Steelers' clear top tight end, McDonald has been mixed liberally into the game plan when he's been able to suit up this season, logging no fewer than 15 offensive snaps in any of his eight appearances. As such, McDonald's absences have afforded James a little extra playing time, especially in recent weeks. When McDonald missed Weeks 11 through 13 with an ankle injury, James averaged 66 snaps per game. McDonald returned to suit up for last week's win over the Ravens, but exited with the shoulder issue in that contest, enabling James to log 71 snaps, which he used to catch a season-high 10 passes for 97 yards. Given that James hadn't recorded more than six receptions or 42 receiving yards in any of the Steelers' previous 12 games, a repeat performance shouldn't be expected in Week 15, but McDonald's absence at least makes the possibility a little bit more likely.