NFL Player News

Kittle (groin) is slated to participate in Thursday's practice, Cam Inman of The San Jose Mercury News reports.

Thursday's injury report will reveal the extent of Kittle's participation, but even a limited showing would still put the tight end in a decent position for Sunday's game against the Redskins. Though he was termed as a game-time call with the groin issue heading into last weekend, Kittle suited up and finished with a season-high eight receptions for 103 yards in the 49ers' resounding win over the Rams.

Waller (foot) was limited at practice Thursday, Matt Kawahara of the San Francisco Chronicle reports.

The tight end -- who recently signed a multi-year contract extension with the Raiders -- practiced fully Wednesday, so his limitations Thursday are worth noting. We'll revisit his status no later than Friday, but so far there's been nothing to suggest that Waller's status for Sunday's game against the Packers is in peril.

Swaim (concussion/ankle) did not practice Thursday.

Swaim has now missed two straight practices. In addition to working his way through the league's concussion protocol, he appears to be dealing with an ankle injury. Barring any major developments during Friday's practice, Swaim is on track to miss Sunday's tilt against the Bengals. On a positive note for the Jaguars, rookie tight end Josh Oliver (hamstring) could make his NFL debut in Week 7.

Thomas (shoulder) was a full participant in Thursday's practice.

Thomas was limited in practice Wednesday due to a shoulder injury, and he now appears to have put the issue behind him. The 28-year-old will play his usual depth role during Sunday's divisional tilt against the Vikings.

Kroft (ankle) practiced on a full basis for the second straight day Thursday.

It looks like the Bills' big free-agent signee is finally ready to make his team debut this week against the Dolphins. If that does come to fruition, we still have no idea what type of workload Kroft is ready for, so the main immediate fantasy implication is that he'll start cluttering up the targets for rookies Dawson Knox and Tommy Sweeney.

Oliver (hamstring) was a full participant in Thursday's practice, Michael DiRocco of ESPN.com reports.

Oliver appears ready to make his NFL debut against the Bengals on Sunday, barring any setbacks. The rookie third-round pick could be in line for a key role in Jacksonville's offense, with Geoff Swaim nursing a concussion. Still, he isn't yet worth fantasy consideration in leagues that start a single tight end.

Coach Bill Belichick indicated that the team still is determining how to best work Tomlinson's skill set into the offense, Zack Cox of NESN reports. "We'll see," Belichick noted of the tight end's potential role. "He's a bigger guy, has blocking ability. He has been in the backfield. He's played on the line of scrimmage."

In 39 career NFL contests, the 6-foot-6, 263-pounder has recorded 16 catches for 193 yards and a TD, so it's not likely that Tomlinson will make much of a fantasy splash with New England. He should, however, help out as a blocker while bringing some versatility to the table, given that he's played some fullback in the past.

Swaim (concussion/ankle) is not expected to practice Thursday.

This will be the second straight day of missed practice for Swaim, who appears to still be going through concussion protocol after the injury forced him to leave Sunday's game against the Saints. The report also states that Swaim picked up an ankle injury, so it looks like the tight end is at serious risk of missing Sunday's matchup with the Bengals. Swaim is the third tight end to pop up on the injury report for the Jaguars and it's all left the team rather thin at the position heading into Week 7.

Waller and the Raiders agreed on an extension that is expected to keep him under contract through the 2023 season, Tom Pelissero of NFL Network reports.

Per Pelissero, the deal is expected to be worth around $9 million per season after his would-be restricted free agent year following the 2019 season. Waller has made a remarkable journey back from a battle with addiction and was originally signed off the Ravens' practice squad last November by the Raiders. The 27-year-old has established himself as a go-to guy for the Silver and Black this season, catching 37 of 42 targets for 359 yards through five games. More specifics surrounding the deal will likely become available in the coming days, but the Raiders were able to lock up their breakout tight end for the next three seasons.

Tonyan (hip) was a limited participant at Wednesday's practice.

Tonyan sustained the knee injury Week 5 against the Cowboys and didn't play versus the Lions on Monday after sitting out practice all week. The 25-year-old will likely need to advance to full participation by Friday to avoid an injury designation.