NFL Player News

Dwelley caught four passes (four targets) for 29 yards in Thursday's 28-25 win over the Cardinals.

Dwelley was on the field for 70 percent of the team's offensive snaps, which was due in large part to George Kittle suffering a knee injury early on, limiting the starter to a season-low 69 percent of offensive snaps. The latter was able to play through the injury, and an MRI on Friday revealed that there was no structural damage, according to NFL Network's Ian Rapoport. Even with the career-best game Thursday, Dwelley would need Kittle to completely miss a contest before gaining fantasy consideration, and even if that were to happen, the 24-year-old is nowhere near the athletic receiving specimen Kittle is.

Smith is poised for another start Week 9 against the Panthers after teammate Delanie Walker (ankle) was ruled out for the contest, Turron Davenport of ESPN.com reports.

Smith took full advantage of Walker's injury during last week's 27-23 win over Tampa Bay, catching six of seven targets for 78 yards and a touchdown. He'll face a much tougher pass defense this time around, but his rapport with Ryan Tannehill should lead to a fair share of targets. Of course, Tannehill also seems to have taken a liking to Anthony Firkser, who caught three of five targets for 43 yards last week, logging 56 percent of snaps on offense (compared to 73 percent for Smith).

Tonyan (hip) is questionable for Sunday's game against the Chargers, Ryan Wood of the Green Bay Press-Gazette reports.

Tonyan was a limited practice participant all week and may have a chance to see game action for the first time since suffering the hip injury Week 5. Even if active, the 25-year-old is unlikely to provide much fantasy production while working as the No. 3 tight end behind Jimmy Graham and Marcedes Lewis.

Graham (ankle) doesn't carry an injury designation into Sunday's game against the Chargers, Ryan Wood of the Green Bay Press-Gazette reports.

Graham's participation in practice was limited all week due to the ankle issue, but that was probably for maintenance purposes more than anything else. Given his lack of an injury designation, Graham can be expected to play the majority of the tight-end snaps in Week 9, as has been the case in all but one of the Packers' eight games this season.

Brown (concussion) is ruled out for Sunday's game against the Broncos, Mary Kay Cabot of The Cleveland Plain Dealer reports.

Brown will need to fully clear the league's concussion protocol before retaking the field. As long as he's unable to go, Stephen Carlson will serve as Cleveland's No. 3 tight end.

Kittle (knee) said Friday he avoided a serious injury, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reports.

Kittle apparently got good news from the MRI he required after playing through a knee injury for the entirety of Thursday's 28-25 win over the Cardinals. He hurt his knee on the 49ers' first offensive snap, yet finished with six catches for 79 yards and a touchdown on eight targets. Kittle saw his snap share drop to 69 percent, so the injury wasn't a total non-factor. He'll have some extra time to recover before the 49ers face the Seahawks in Week 10 on Monday Night Football.

Carlson was promoted to the Browns' 53-man roster from the practice squad Friday.

The 21-year-old joined the Browns as an undrafted free agent in May but was unable to make the season-opening roster, though he remained with the organization on the practice squad. Carlson should serve as Cleveland's No. 3 tight end while Pharoah Brown (concussion) is sidelined.

Coach Kyle Shanahan confirmed that Kittle would be sent in for an MRI on Friday after the tight end suffered an apparent left knee injury in Thursday's 28-25 win over the Cardinals, Nick Wagoner of ESPN.com reports.

According to Matt Maiocco of NBC Sports Bay Area, Kittle picked up the injury on the 49ers' first offensive snap of the game, when the helmet of linebacker Chandler Jones struck Kittle's knee. Kittle briefly exited to receive treatment but returned to finish the night with six catches for 79 yards and a touchdown on eight targets across 51 snaps. The results of the MRI are expected to be released later Friday, but Shanahan relayed that he "feels pretty good" about Kittle's chances of playing in the 49ers' next game Nov. 11 versus the Seahawks, per David Lombardi of The Athletic.

Kittle secured six of eight targets for 79 yards and a touchdown in the 49ers' 28-25 win over the Cardinals on Thursday.

The talented tight end got into the end zone for only the second time all season officially, although he's had multiple scores called back by penalty. Following a scary looking hit to his lower body that caused him to leave the game briefly, Kittle went in from 30 yards out late in the first quarter to answer an early Cardinals touchdown, and he posted his third-highest yardage total of the campaign overall. Kittle has back-to-back six-catch efforts as well, and he'll look to stay hot against the Seahawks in a Week 10 battle a week from Monday.

Tonyan (hip) was a limited participant in Thursday's practice, Matt Schneidman of The Athletic reports.

Tonyan was also limited in Wednesday's walkthrough practice. The 25-year-old has missed Green Bay's last three games, and if he's limited again Friday, a "questionable" injury tag could be in the cards Week 9.