NFL Player News

Woods (shoulder) has been ruled out for Sunday's game against the Raiders, Kevin Bowen of 107.5 The Fan Indianapolis reports.

Woods was held out of practice this week with a shoulder injury he sustained in Week 9 at New England, and he'll now be forced to miss his first game of the season as he recovers. In the rookie's absence, Kylen Granson should see an uptick in targets in Week 10.

Njoku (ankle) has been ruled out for Sunday's game against the Dolphins, Jake Trotter of ESPN.com reports.

With Njoku -- who last suited Week 7 -- still sidelined, Harrison Bryant is in line to lead the Browns' tight end corps Sunday. Meanwhile, Pharaoh Brown should serve as Bryant's main backup, and Miller Forristall is a candidate to be elevated from the practice squad to add further depth to the position group. Njoku's next chance to play will arrive Week 11, when Cleveland faces Buffalo on the road.

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.