NFL Player News

Mayer (personal) has been ruled out for Sunday's game at Denver, Paul Gutierrez of ESPN.com reports.

Mayer has been away from the Raiders since last Thursday as he tends to a personal matter, and he'll miss a second consecutive contest as a result this weekend. With Mayer out this past Sunday against the Browns, rookie first-rounder Brock Bowers paced the team's tight ends with an 81 percent snap share on his way to three touches (two catches, one carry) for 31 yards from scrimmage, while Harrison Bryant earned 76 percent of snaps and caught both of his targets for 21 yards. Mayer's next chance to play is Sunday, Oct. 13 against the Steelers.

Kittle (ribs) is listed as questionable for Sunday's game against the Cardinals, Matt Maiocco of NBC Sports Bay Area reports.

Kittle returned to practice Friday after missing the two previous sessions, and while he didn't show enough to avoid a game designation, David Lombardi of the San Francisco Standard notes that the tight end was "moving around well" during Friday's practice. Fantasy managers would still be wise to have a backup plan on hand in case Kittle takes a turn for the worse ahead of the 49ers' 4:05 p.m. ET kickoff this Sunday.

Johnson (forearm) was a full participant in practice Friday, Nick Underhill of NewOrleans.Football reports.

Johnson began Week 5 prep with a limited session Thursday, but his upgrade to full participation Friday puts him on track to avoid a designation for Monday's game against the Chiefs. Foster Moreau has been receiving the majority of playing time at tight end for the Saints, so Johnson will be tough to rely on Monday, despite Kansas City's struggles defending the position.

Pruitt (knee) has been ruled out for Sunday's game against the Cowboys, Brooke Pryor of ESPN.com reports.

Pruitt missed practice all week and will miss his third consecutive game. The Steelers will roll with Pat Freiermuth, Darnell Washington and Connor Heyward at tight end against Dallas.

Musgrave (ankle) is listed as questionable for Sunday's road contest against the Rams, Matt Schneidman of The Athletic reports.

According to Wes Hodkiewicz of the Packers' official site, Musgrave wasn't able to practice at all this week due to an ankle issue, but the team still is giving the second-year pro a chance to suit up Sunday. Musgrave's status will be clarified, one way or another, about 90 minutes before a 4:25 p.m. ET kickoff, but if he's able to suit up he likely will continue to take a back seat to Green Bay's No. 1 TE Tucker Kraft. Meanwhile, Ben Sims would stand to experience an uptick in snaps, at the very least, if Musgrave is inhibited or out.

Engram (hamstring) is listed as questionable for Sunday's game versus the Colts, Demetrius Harvey of The Florida Times-Union reports.

Engram has been sidelined since he sustained a hamstring injury during pregame warmups before a Week 2 matchup with the Browns, but three consecutive limited practices this week put him on a path to return this Sunday. His status will be confirmed, one way or another, approximately 90 minutes before a 1:00 p.m. ET kickoff, and it remains to be seen what kind of workload he can handle if he's deemed active.

Fant (toe) doesn't carry an injury designation into Sunday's game against the Giants, Bob Condotta of The Seattle Times reports.

Fant has been dealing with the toe issue all season but has yet to miss a game. His role, however, has diminished with the Seahawks using all three of Fant, Pharaoh Brown and AJ Barner at tight end. Fant has just 11 catches for 111 scoreless yards nearly a quarter of the way into the 2024 campaign.

Kittle (ribs) is practicing Friday, Nick Wagoner of ESPN.com reports.

It's a strong hint that Kittle's injury isn't serious even though he missed practice Wednesday and Thursday. The 49ers tend to be cautious with his practice workloads, as he has a lengthy history of injuries and is approaching his 31st birthday (Oct. 9).

Thomas (calf) was limited in practice Friday and is officially listed as questionable for Sunday's game against the Bears, David Newton of ESPN.com reports.

Thomas, who was designated to return to practice Wednesday, has logged three straight limited sessions. He officially remains on IR, but it sounds like the depth tight end has a fair shot to be activated to the 53-man roster and play versus Chicago on Sunday. Panthers head coach Dave Canales said all players listed as questionable are trending in the right direction to play, per Joe Person of The Athletic.

Hill (ribs) is not present for the early portion of Friday's practice open to the media, John Hendrix of SI.com reports.

Hill appears set to be listed as DNP on a second consecutive practice report as he continues to tend to fractured ribs suffered during New Orleans' loss to Atlanta in Week 4. The versatile offensive weapon will have one more chance to get on the practice field before receiving a game designation for Monday's contest against the Chiefs, but Hill's injury is of a severe enough nature that it could threaten his Week 5 availability. Hill's participation level, or lack thereof, during Saturday's practice will be telling as to his chances of being able to suit up versus Kansas City.