NFL Player News
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John FitzPatrick TE | GB
Packers' John FitzPatrick: All set for Week 4
FitzPatrick (groin) was a full participant at practice Friday, Aaron Nagler of Cheesehead TV reports.
FitzPatrick was limited at practice to open the week due to an apparent groin issue, but he now appears to be a full go for Sunday Night Football in Dallas. The tight end has caught all three of his targets for 14 yards and a touchdown over three games this season.
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Tucker Kraft TE | GB
Packers' Tucker Kraft: Ready to rock
Kraft (knee/elbow) doesn't have an injury designation for Sunday's game at Dallas, Rob Demovsky of ESPN.com reports.
He tweaked his knee during practice last Thursday but ended up playing 88 percent of snaps in a 13-10 loss to the Browns. With no injury designation this time around, Kraft figures to continue in his near-every-down role. His per-target efficiency is elite by TE standards for a second straight year, but it still seems difficult for any one Green Bay pass catcher to average more than 5-to-6 looks per game.
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Isaiah Likely TE | BAL
Ravens' Isaiah Likely: Full practice, but questionable
Likely (foot) is listed as questionable for Sunday's game against the Chiefs after being deemed a full practice participant Friday.
That Likely upgraded to full participation bodes well for his chances of making his regular-season debut this weekend, but coach John Harbaugh fell short of predicting that Friday, per Jamison Hensley of ESPN.com, with the coach saying, "He looks good to me. We'll just have to see if it's the best thing for us on Sunday, and we haven't really decided that yet." If Likely is in uniform against Kansas City, he'd bolster a TE corps that also includes Mark Andrews (who logged a 6-91-2 line on six targets Week 3) and Charlie Kolar, a scenario that doesn't ensure high volume for Likely out of the gate.
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Theo Johnson TE | NYG
Giants' Theo Johnson: Good to go
Johnson (toe) doesn't have an injury designation for Sunday's game against the Chargers
The Giants listed a slew of pass catchers on the Week 4 injury report, but all have been cleared to play in Jaxson Dart's first NFL start. Malik Nabers (shoulder) and Wan'Dale Robinson figure to continue leading the way, but it's possible a few more targets shift toward Johnson and/or Darius Slayton (calf) with a new QB taking over.
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Colston Loveland TE | CHI
Bears' Colston Loveland: Questionable for Sunday
Loveland (hip) is listed as questionable for Sunday's game at Las Vegas, after returning to practice Friday as a limited participant.
For fantasy purposes, Loveland's absence is mostly worth tracking from the perspective of how it might boost snap/route shares for other pass catchers in the Chicago offense. Cole Kmet has been in a near every-down role so far, with Loveland merely working as the No. 2 tight end in multi-TE formations. That won't necessarily be the case all year, but it figures to persist Week 4 if Loveland does ends up playing.
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Will Dissly TE | LAC
Chargers' Will Dissly: Ruled out for Week 4
Dissly (knee) has been ruled out for Sunday's game at the Giants.
Dissly hasn't been able to practice since the start of Week 3 prep due to a knee injury and now will miss a second consecutive contest as a result. His absence will allow the trio of Oronde Gadsden, Tyler Conklin and Tucker Fisk to handle TE duties for the Chargers this weekend, but Gadsden, a rookie fifth-round pick, is the one to note for fantasy purposes after hauling in five of seven targets for 46 yards during a Week 3 win against the Broncos.
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Tyler Higbee TE | LAR
Rams' Tyler Higbee: On track to play
Rams coach Sean McVay said Friday that Higbee's hip injury isn't a concern, Adam Grosbard of The Orange County Register reports.
It sounds like Higbee may avoid a game designation on the final injury report. He was added to the report Thursday as a limited participant, but McVay isn't worried about the tight end's availability for a matchup with the Colts this Sunday.
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Jonnu Smith TE | PIT
Steelers' Jonnu Smith: Questionable for Week 4
Smith (hip) is questionable for Sunday's game against the Vikings, Mike DeFabo of The Athletic reports.
Smith logged a pair of limited practices Thursday and Friday following a DNP due to rest Wednesday. If the veteran tight end is unable to play in Dublin, Pat Freiermuth and Darnell Washington would handle tight-end duties for Pittsburgh. Smith is averaging a career-worst 5.4 yards per catch this season but does have 12 grabs for 65 yards and one touchdown through three games.
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Ja'Tavion Sanders TE | CAR
Panthers' Ja'Tavion Sanders: Ruled out this week
Sanders (ankle) has been ruled out for Sunday's game at New England.
It's a mere technicality, with Sanders a candidate to miss multiple games after suffering a high-ankle sprain Week 3. The Panthers are left with Tommy Tremble, Mitchell Evans and James Mitchell as their top tight ends, making Tremble a clear favorite to start even if he's unlikely to see more than a few targets.
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John Bates TE | WAS
Commanders' John Bates: Ruled out
Bates (groin) has been ruled out for Sunday's game at Atlanta, Nicki Jhabvala of The Washington Post reports.
Bates hasn't practiced the past two weeks and will now miss a second straight game. Ben Sinnott figures to step up as the No. 2 tight end again, with playing time largely depending on the gameplan (and then game script).