NFL Player News

Defensive end Charles Johnson (hip) is one of two Panthers deemed questionable for the Sunday battle against visiting Chicago. The other is tight end Ed Dickson, who is also dealing with a hip issue.

Ruled out are tight end Richie Brockel (ankle) and running back DeAngelo Williams. Fellow running back Jonathan Stewart (knee) is doubtful while linebacker Thomas Davis (hip), cornerback Melvin White (thigh) and running back Fozzy Whittaker (thigh) are all probable.

The Vikings backup pass-catchers didn't contribute much Week 6 against the Packers.

Tight end MarQueis Gray led the bunch with 16 yards on one reception. Position mate Rhett Ellison finished behind Gray with one catch for 12 yards. Joe Banyard managed to come away with two receptions during the game, but only gained 11 yards. Receiver Charles Johnson had one catch, picking up 7 yards. 

The four will take on the Lions Week 6. 

Packers tight end Andrew Quarless wasn't much of a factor in Week 5 at home against the Vikings. In the first quarter, Quarless came down with a 10-yard reception.

Aarton Rodgers found him for a 9-yard pass late in the second quarter and he was held without a grab the rest of the way. He caught all two of his targets for 19 yards in a 42-10 victory.

Quarless has just 96 receiving yards through five games. He'll look to bounce back in Miami against the Dolphins in Week 6.

Jaguars tight end Marcedes Lewis said Thursday he is targeting Week 12 against the Colts as his return date from a high left ankle sprain, according to The Florida Times-Union.

Lewis, who was placed on short-term IR after getting hurt Week 2, can start practicing in four weeks (Oct. 28) and can return to game action in six weeks (Nov. 11).

"The amount of swelling forced the two bones to spread apart pretty far and that’s how they diagnosed it at 6-8 weeks," Lewis said.

Torn between Colts tight ends Dwayne Allen and Coby Fleener? It's easy to see why. Both scored a touchdown for the second straight game Week 4 against the Titans, but neither stands out between the 20s. Allen had 64 receiving yards in Week 1, but otherwise, neither has topped 50 in a game.

Well, the good news is that in Week 5 against the Ravens, you probably don't want either. Through four games, the Ravens have allowed the fewest Fantasy points per game to tight ends and have yet to have one score on them.

Maybe one of Allen and Fleener reverses the trend this week, but which one? And what happens if he doesn't? I don't know about you, but I don't like the thought of getting two measly points from my tight end spot.

Owners in 12-team leagues can do better. With the emergence of Larry Donnell, Delanie Walker, Travis Kelce, Heath Miller and even Clay Harbor, tight ends aren't exactly in short supply.

The Cowboys pass defense has held up better than we expected so far this season, with one notable exception; they cannot seem to locate tight ends on the field. That could work out quite nicely for Garrett Graham in Week 5, as the Texans get set to take on Dallas.

Graham has just 95 yards through three games since returning from a back injury, so this could be his best chance to breakout. The Cowboys are allowing 17.5 Fantasy points per game to opposing tight ends, by far the highest total in the league. They have allowed 98.8 yards per game and six total touchdowns, including at least one in each game.

Graham is, by no means, a slam-dunk starting option for Week 5. However, given the matchup, you could do worse. At this point, the Cowboys have to prove they can stop tight ends before we believe it. 

Giants tight end Larry Donnell is on pace to finish with 100 catches for 944 yards and 16 touchdowns. Even if he tails off considerably, he still has a chance to break several team records.

The Giants' record for catches by a tight end is 74, set by Jeremy Shockey in his 2002 rookie season. Donnell has 25 through four games.

The franchise record for touchdown receptions by a tight end is nine, shared by Joe Walton (1962) and Aaron Thomas (1967). Donnell has four.

Mark Bavaro owns the receiving yards record by a tight end with 1,001 in 1986. Donnell has 236.

Donnell caught three scoring passes in last week's win at Washington, becoming the fourth player in team history to score three touchdowns in a game after entering with no more than one career score.

With key players like Vernon Davis (back), Niles Paul (concussion), Jordan Reed (hamstring) and Tyler Eifert (elbow) dealing with injuries, finding help on the waiver wire might be the key to success at the tight end position. Here are some of Jamey Eisenberg's thoughts on the best pickups for this week.

Larry Donnell of the Giants and Travis Kelce are likely to be the most-added tight ends when waivers run Wednesday morning, and Jamey admits to being "torn" on which he prefers. Dwayne Allen of the Colts, Garrett Graham of the Texans and Reed round out the top-five, while Austin Sefarian-Jenkins, Clay Harbor and Jace Amaro are sleeper adds for deep leagues.

Charles Clay of the Dolphins and Ladarius Green of the Chargers are considered drop-worthy, if you need a roster spot. 

Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce, who caught the attention of Fantasy owners with his big-play ability in the preseason and showed flashes of it through the first three weeks, finally turned in the performance everyone was hoping to see Week 4 against New England, emerging as quarterback Alex Smith's favorite target after playing just a peripheral role in the passing game earlier in the year.

Is it validation that Kelce is a starting-caliber tight end in Fantasy? I'd say so. He now has two games with 80-plus receiving yards and two touchdowns in a span of four weeks, making him the eighth-best tight end in standard CBSSports.com scoring. That says a lot right there.

But is he so good that you should feel comfortable shopping Jimmy Graham if you happen to own both? I'm not ready to make that leap. For one thing, the Chiefs passing game isn't the most stable in the league. A different player has led the team in targets each week. For another, Kelce doesn't see the field all that much -- at least not like we're used to seeing from the league's top tight ends. He played only 52 percent of the team's snaps Monday, down from 65 percent in Week 3. He played less than 40 percent of their snaps each of the first two weeks.

Because the Chiefs are lacking a standout wide receiver, I believe that number is more likely to rise than fall going forward. But until we see that it is rising consistently, Kelce remains a solid but not especially high-end starter at tight end.

Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce dominated the Patriots on Monday Night Football, catching eight passes for 93 yards and a touchdown while running through several tackles. Kelce drew a team-high nine targets and set career highs in catches and receiving yards.

Kelce, whose long gainer went 33 yards, scored on a 2-yard reception in the fourth quarter. He's up to 18 catches, 259 yards and two touchdowns. Kelce visits the 49ers in Week 5.