NFL Player News

Head coach Kevin O'Connell told reporters Wednesday that Oliver will likely be sidelined for Sunday's matchup against the Lions due to a foot sprain, Ben Goessling of The Minnesota Star Tribune reports.

The 28-year-old was feared to have sustained a long-term injury in Minnesota's Week 8 loss to the Chargers, but X-rays confirmed the issue to be a foot sprain. Although Oliver is expected to miss the Week 9 contest in Detroit, he could return for the Week 10 matchup against the Ravens. While he's likely sidelined Sunday, expect Ben Yurosek to operate the Vikings' No. 2 tight end.

Giants coach Brian Daboll said Bellinger (neck) will not practice Wednesday, Dan Duggan of The Athletic reports.

Bellinger will not practice due to a neck injury sustained during New York's loss to Philadelphia in Week 8. If Bellinger's injury forces him to sit out versus the 49ers on Sunday, No. 1 tight end Theo Johnson will figure to take on an increased workload. With rookie running back Cam Skattebo (ankle) and top wideout Malik Nabers (knee - ACL) both out for the year, the Giants' tight ends corps could become a larger factor on offense going forward.

Keene signed with the Texans' practice squad Wednesday.

Following a successful workout with the Texans on Oct. 23, Keene has joined the team's practice squad. The addition comes on the same day that starting tight end Dalton Schultz (knee, shoulder) was unable to practice Wednesday. Keene last played for Houston in 2023, failing to record an offensive stat across 22 total snaps (14 on special teams, eight on offense).

Hill (ankle) wasn't spotted at Wednesday's practice, David Furones of the South Florida Sun Sentinel reports.

Hill logged DNPs on Monday's practice estimate and Tuesday's walk-through, so the tight end's apparent absence Wednesday doesn't bode well for his chances of playing Thursday night against the Ravens. If Hill -- who was inactive for this past Sunday's win over the Falcons -- is unavailable versus Baltimore, Tanner Conner and Greg Dulcich would be in line to lead Miami's Week 9 TE corps.

Lewis signed with the Broncos' practice squad Wednesday, Adam Schefter of ESPN reports.

The 41-year-old is expected to provide depth at tight end, as Lucas Krull (foot) and Nate Adkins (knee) are both currently dealing with injuries. Lewis appeared in 17 games for the Bears in 2024, catching his lone target for two yards across 260 total snaps (209 on offense, 51 on special teams).

Durham went without a target while playing 32 of the Buccaneers' 58 snaps on offense in Sunday's 23-3 win over the Saints.

Durham logged 101 receptions over his final two collegiate seasons at Purdue, but he's seen sparse involvement in the passing game since entering the NFL as a fifth-round pick of Tampa Bay in 2023. Though he's played at least 20 percent of the snaps in every game this season while working as the No. 2 tight end behind Cade Otton, Durham has run just 19 routes while drawing one uncaught target.

Tonges recorded a two-yard touchdown reception on his lone target while playing five of the 49ers' 48 snaps on offense in Sunday's 26-15 loss to the Texans.

Though Tonges scored his fourth receiving touchdown of the season to tie him for fourth in the league among tight ends, his playing time -- and fantasy value -- has clearly fallen by the wayside following George Kittle's return from injured reserve in Week 7. In Kittle's first two games back in action, Tonges has played single-digit snaps both times out.

Kolar notched a 10-yard touchdown reception on his lone target in Sunday's 30-16 win over the Bears.

Though he finished third among Baltimore tight ends in playing time by taking the field for 25 of the Ravens' 62 offensive snaps (40 percent), Kolar ended up generating a better fantasy line than Mark Andrews (3-34-0) and Isaiah Likely (2-8-0) by virtue of finding paydirt for the first time this season. The Ravens should continue to make frequent use of all three of their tight ends throughout the campaign, but expect Andrews and Likely to outproduce Kolar as pass catchers more often than not.

Evans went without a target while playing 16 of the Panthers' 61 snaps on offense in Sunday's 40-9 loss to the Bills.

After recording at least 20 receiving yards in three of Carolina's previous four games, Evans didn't earn a look in the passing game Sunday for the first time since Week 1. The rookie fifth-round pick out of Notre Dame appears to be the clear No. 3 tight end for Carolina, and he won't be in line for a substantial role unless the Panthers are without Ja'Tavion Sanders and Tommy Tremble in a given week.

Calcaterra went without a target while playing 36 of the Eagles' 59 snaps on offense in Sunday's 38-20 win over the Giants.

Though he played just one fewer snap than top tight end Dallas Goedert, Calcaterra -- who had missed the previous two games while recovering from a concussion -- was substantially less involved in the passing game. Goedert ran 21 routes to Calcaterra's eight and capitalized on those opportunities, finishing with a 3-28-2 receiving line on three targets. Calcaterra will continue to remain an infrequent target of quarterback Jalen Hurts so long as Goedert is available.