NFL Player News

Bellinger (eye) is ruled out for Sunday's game against the Texans, Art Stapleton of The Bergen Record reports.

Bellinger will miss at least one more contest due to a fractured left eye socket suffered Week 7 versus the Jaguars, though the team has expressed optimism he could return Week 11 against Detroit. Chris Myarick and Tanner Hudson will hold down the fort at tight end during Sunday's contest against Houston.

Pitts secured two of eight targets for 28 yards in the Falcons' 25-15 loss to the Panthers on Thursday night.

Pitts led the team in targets for the second time in four days, but he once again was limited to just two receptions. Pitts now has an encouraging 21 targets over the last three games overall, yet his 9-135-1 line in that span is underwhelming to a degree. Pitts' upside is likely to remain capped while Marcus Mariota is under center and restricted to a game-manager role, but the 2021 first-round pick will aim for a boost in production and better efficiency against the vulnerable Bears defense in a Week 11 home matchup a week from Sunday.

Ricci (neck) is questionable to return to Thursday's contest against the Falcons, Mike Kaye of The Charlotte Observer reports.

Ricci was forced to exit early and he's currently being evaluated for a neck injury. While the severity of the injury is uncertain at this time, it's possible Raheem Blackshear and Laviska Shenault see more snaps while Ricci isn't on the field.

The Rams signed Blanton to the practice squad Thursday.

Blanton started the season on Kansas City's practice squad before signing with the Rams' active roster in late September. The 27-year-old then played 25 offensive snaps from Weeks 3 through 6, catching two passes (on two targets) for 35 yards, but he was then waived Tuesday after fellow tight end Brycen Hopkins returned from a suspension. Blanton should serve as a potential game-day elevation if Hopkins and/or Tyler Higbee are forced to miss time with injury at any point this season.

Ferguson didn't participate in Thursday's practice due to an illness, Todd Archer of ESPN.com reports.

Head coach Mike McCarthy noted that a flu bug has made its way around the Dallas locker room in recent days, with Ferguson seemingly becoming one of the latest victims. The Cowboys haven't yet suggested that the rookie tight end's availability for Sunday's game against the Packers is in any peril, but Ferguson will likely need to practice in some capacity Friday for Dallas to feel confident that he'll be ready to play.

The Raiders placed Waller (hamstring) on injured reserve Thursday.

Waller thus will miss at least four games, with his next chance to suit up for a game being Thursday, Dec. 8, when the Raiders take on the Rams in Week 14. While Waller is out, Foster Moreau is in line to serve as the Raiders' top tight end, a role that gives him a degree of fantasy utility in the coming weeks.

Engram (back) remained limited at practice Thursday.

After having logged back-to-back limited practices, Engram presumably will need to practice fully Friday in order to avoid an injury designation for Sunday's game against Kansas City. The tight end is coming off a one-catch effort in Week 9, and overall he's compiled a 33-338-1 line on 47 targets through nine games.

Moreau is expected to serve as the Raiders' top tight end for at least the team's next four games with Darren Waller's (hamstring) landing on injured reserve Thursday, Paul Gutierrez of ESPN.com reports.

Waller has been sidelined since exiting early in a Week 5 loss to the Chiefs with a strained left hamstring, and though he had been a limited participant in practice as recently as Wednesday, he clearly wasn't making as much progress as the Raiders had opened. Las Vegas will opt to shut Waller down for the next month with the hope that it allows him to return for the stretch run of the season in optimal health, but his continued absence in the meantime clears the way for Moreau to dominate the reps at tight end. While Waller was sidelined for the past three games, Moreau logged snap shares between 96 and 100 percent in each of those contests while stringing together a 11-101-0 receiving line on 19 targets.

Njoku (ankle) was spotted working off to the side during Thursday's practice and is slated to go down as a non-participant on the Browns' second Week 10 practice report, Scott Petrak of the Elyria Chronicle-Telegram reports.

Njoku hasn't logged any recorded practice activity since suffering a left high-ankle sprain in the Browns' Week 7 loss to the Ravens, but he remains hopeful to be available this Sunday against the Dolphins coming off a Week 9 bye. In order for Njoku to make that a reality, he'll almost certainly need to mix into team drills Friday. Even in that scenario, Njoku would still likely carry an injury designation into the weekend. At this stage, it may be likelier that Njoku winds up missing a second straight game, in which case Harrison Bryant would be positioned for another turn as Cleveland's top tight end.

The Raiders plan to place Waller (hamstring) on injured reserve Thursday, Adam Schefter of ESPN reports.

Official confirmation of the anticipated move isn't expected to arrive until later Thursday, but Schefter notes that the tight end aggravated his strained left hamstring, and the hope is that an IR stint will give Waller the time he needs to heal up ahead of the Raiders' stretch run. In Waller's looming absence, Foster Moreau is in line to see an expanded role in the team's passing game.