NFL Player News

Trautman (ankle) is listed as questionable for Sunday's game against the Raiders.

The same goes for Juwan Johnson, who caught two TD passes last week with Trautman sidelined but now is dealing with a hamstring injury. Trautman hasn't made a fantasy impact even when he's been healthy, mostly serving as a blocker while Johnson has handled most of the TE routes and targets.

Smythe (hamstring) is listed as questionable for Sunday's game against the Lions, David Furones of the South Florida Sun Sentinel reports.

Smythe logged limited practice Thursday and Friday after failing to practice Wednesday. While Smythe isn't much of a pass catcher himself, his presence on the field would likely cut into the snaps and targets for fellow Dolphins tight end Mike Gesicki.

Johnson (hamstring) is listed as questionable for Sunday's game against the Raiders.

Johnson was added to the injury report Thursday and listed as a limited participant the final two days of the week, while fellow tight end Adam Trautman -- also listed as questionable -- managed just one limited practice Friday due to an ankle injury. Trautman was out last week for the Saints' Thursday loss to Arizona, in which Johnson caught five passes for 32 yards and two touchdowns. Johnson is the team's top receiving tight end either way, but his projection gets a slight boost if he plays and Trautman doesn't.

Schultz (knee) is listed as questionable for Sunday's game against the Bears, Patrick Walker of the Cowboys' official site reports.

Schultz has struggled with the knee ever since suffering a PCL sprain Week 2, but he did catch all five of his targets for 49 yards in last week's win over the Lions, displaying chemistry with Dak Prescott in the QB's first game back in the lineup. Schultz appears on track to play after managing limited practices throughout the week, albeit with the continued risk of in-game setbacks/aggravations.

Hockenson (knee) doesn't have an injury designation for Sunday's game against Miami, Tim Twentyman of the Lions' official site reports.

Neither do RB D'Andre Swift (shoulder) and WR Josh Reynolds (knee), while Amon-Ra St. Brown (concussion) is listed as questionable but tentatively expected to play. Hockenson has yet to miss a game this season despite frequently showing up on the injury report, and he's seen at least four targets in each game, albeit with 57 percent of his yardage and two of his three TDs coming in a single contest (Week 4 against Seattle).

Njoku (ankle) isn't practicing Friday, Scott Petrak of the Elyria Chronicle-Telegram reports.

Njoku nor the Browns have officially ruled the tight end out from playing Monday against the Bengals, but he doesn't seem to have a realistic shot at suiting up while he recovers from the left high-ankle sprain he sustained in a Week 7 loss to the Ravens. Assuming Njoku is formally ruled out for Week 8 when Cleveland releases its final injury report Saturday, Harrison Bryant would be in line to handle the bulk of the reps at tight end Monday night.

Turner (concussion) has been ruled out for Sunday's matchup against the Colts, Nicki Jhabvala of The Washington Post reports.

Turner suffered the concussion against the Packers in Week 7 and was unable to practice during Week 8 prep, so it's not surprising to see him ruled out. Starting tight end Logan Thomas (calf) is listed as questionable and could potentially return from a three-game absence, but if Thomas remains sidelined, Armani Rogers and John Bates would be in line for increased roles once again.

Brown (concussion/neck) wasn't spotted at Friday's practice, Scott Petrak of The Chronicle-Telegram reports.

Cleveland's injury report won't come out until Saturday since the Browns will play Monday in Week 8, but back-to-back absences from practice don't bode well for Brown's chances of suiting up. He'll still need to pass the NFL's concussion protocol before being cleared to play. With David Njoku (ankle) in line to be out, Harrison Bryant is the only healthy tight end on Cleveland's roster at the moment.

Bellinger underwent successful surgery Friday to address damage to his septum as well as fractures on the lower window of his left eye socket, Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.com reports.

Surgery was ordered up for the rookie tight end after he suffered the injury when he was poked in the eye during the Giants' Week 7 win over the Jaguars. According to Fowler, Bellinger believes he'll be able to return to the field in 2-to-6 weeks, but prior reports have suggested a 4-to-6-week timeline may be more realistic. At least for the upcoming week, the Giants will likely turn to Chris Myarick and Tanner Hudson to handle reps at tight end, but neither player profiles as a reliable fantasy option.

Thomas (calf) is listed as questionable for Sunday's game against the Colts, Nicki Jhabvala of The Washington Post reports.

Thomas is at least headed in the right direction after not playing or practicing the previous three weeks. This is the first time since injuring his calf that he's been listed as anything other than 'out' on the final injury report, potentially setting up a game-time decision ahead of the 1:00 p.m. ET kickoff Sunday. With fellow tight end Cole Turner (concussion) already ruled out, the Commanders will be left with John Bates and Armani Rogers if Thomas can't play.