NFL Player News
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Pharaoh Brown TE | ARI
Pharaoh Brown: Returns to practice squad
Brown reverted to the Cardinals' practice squad Monday, per the NFL's transaction log.
Brown made his second appearance of the regular season during Sundays' 27-24 overtime loss to the Jaguars, when he played 20 snaps (eight on offense, 12 on special teams) while recording a tackle on punt coverage. He's eligible to be elevated from the practice squad once more by the Cardinals this season, which could come as soon as Week 13 against the Buccaneers this Sunday.
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Noah Gray TE | KC
Chiefs' Noah Gray: Unavailable for walkthrough
Gray (concussion) was estimated to be a non-participant at the Chiefs' walkthrough Monday.
Gray suffered a concussion in the team's 23-20 overtime win against the Colts on Sunday, so his inability to participate Monday comes as no surprise. The tight end will have to clear concussion protocol in order to play in Thursday's contest against the Cowboys, which feels like a long shot. If Gray is unable to go in Week 13, Robert Tonyan would stand to operate in the top reserve spot at tight end behind Travis Kelce in Dallas.
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Nikola Kalinic TE | CHI
Nikola Kalinic: Joins practice squad injured list
Kalinic (undisclosed) was placed on the Bears' practice-squad injured list Monday, Scott Bair of Marquee Sports Network reports.
Kalinic was elevated to the active roster ahead of Sunday's 31-28 win over the Steelers, recording a tackle and a forced fumble while playing 15 snaps on special teams. The tight end suffered an apparent injury in the game, leaving the team's Week 12 win in a cast. Kalinic reverted to the team's practice squad Monday, per the NFL's official transaction log, and he will now be forced to miss some time moving forward.
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John FitzPatrick TE | GB
Packers' John FitzPatrick: Makes another start
FitzPatrick was targeted once and caught one pass for 11 yards in Sunday's 23-6 victory over the Vikings.
FitzPatrick was credited with a start for the second time in as many weeks, and he led Packers tight ends in snaps just like he did in Week 11. He's spending far more time on the field than he did before fellow tight end Tucker Kraft (knee) went down, but with two catches for 16 yards over the last two contests it has not been indicated in the box score.
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Luke Musgrave TE | GB
Packers' Luke Musgrave: Remains in limited role
Musgrave was targeted twice and caught one pass for seven yards in Sunday's 23-6 victory over the Vikings.
The Packers used their tight ends in almost the exact same fashion as they did in Week 11, with John FitzPatrick playing the most snaps and Josh Whyle and Musgrave sharing the work behind him. As also was the case in Week 11, none of them -- including Musgrave -- made a noticeable fantasy impact.
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Noah Fant TE | CIN
Bengals' Noah Fant: Volume declines with Gesicki back
Fant secured his only target for nine yards during Cincinnati's 26-20 loss to the Patriots in Week 12.
Fant saw his offensive snap share drop to just 27 percent versus New England, a decline in usage that coincides with the return of Mike Gesicki (four catches for 35 yards on six targets) from IR. Now back in a familiar role as the No. 2 tight end in Cincinnati, Fant can safely be dropped in the majority of fantasy formats, even if quarterback Joe Burrow (toe) manages to be back in the starting lineup Thursday night versus the Ravens.
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Brock Wright TE | DET
Lions' Brock Wright: Misses walkthrough Monday
Wright (neck) listed as a non-participant on Monday's practice estimate.
Wright played 88 percent of offensive snaps during Detroit's overtime win over the Giants in Week 12, securing three of four targets for 29 yards, but his status for Thursday's matchup against the Packers now appears uncertain due to a neck injury. It's possible the Lions are simply being cautious with Wright's health on a short week, given his position as the team's de facto starting tight end with Sam LaPorta (back) looking unlikely to return this season. Wright will have two more chances to get on the practice field ahead of a Thanksgiving divisional matchup.
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Isaiah Likely TE | BAL
Ravens' Isaiah Likely: One catch vs Jets
Likely caught one pass for 10 yards on three targets Sunday against the Jets.
A calf issue limited Likely in practice during the week, but he was able to suit up and play a healthy 57 percent of the snaps. Likely's production has waned this year; he's averaging 6.7 yards per target and is drawing a target on just 15.4 percent of his routes, which marks a 5.3 percent drop from last year. He has a mere 63.2 percent catch rate and a 5.3 percent drop rate. Baltimore draws a favorable matchup Thursday against Cincinnati, which could reverse Likely's fortunes a bit, however.
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Daniel Bellinger TE | NYG
Giants' Daniel Bellinger: Catchless again Week 12
Bellinger did not catch either of his two targets in Sunday's loss to the Lions.
Bellinger saw a relatively large 62 percent offensive snap share, but he finished without a reception for the second straight week. Meanwhile, top TE Theo Johnson finished second on the team with 77 receiving yards on three catches and has now reached the 75-yard mark in two of his past three games. With Johnson building momentum, it seems likely that Bellinger will continue to have a minimal role in the passing attack moving forward.
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Brevyn Spann-Ford TE | DAL
Cowboys' Brevyn Spann-Ford: Catches first career TD
Spann-Ford caught his only target for a four-yard touchdown in Sunday's 24-21 win over the Eagles.
The second-year tight end barely kept his balance after colliding with Andrew Mukuba to haul in his first career NFL touchdown on a designed rollout by Dak Prescott in the third quarter. Spann-Ford's role on offense remains limited -- he has yet to see more than one target in any game this season en route to a 5-22-1 line on six targets through 11 games -- and even if something were to happen to starter Jake Ferguson, Luke Schoonmaker (8-63-0 on 16 targets this season) might remain ahead of him on the depth chart.