NFL Player News

Bell caught both his targets for 16 yards in Thursday's 30-9 loss to the Titans.

Bell had only one catch for five yards in the previous three games, so Thursday's performance was a marked improvement. The 27-year-old is essentially splitting time as the Jaguars' No. 2 tight end with Ben Koyack behind starter James O'Shaughnessy, and isn't worth fantasy consideration in said role.

Brown (shoulder) has been placed on injured reserve, Scott Petrak of the Elyria Chronicle-Telegram reports.

Brown's designation comes in conjunction with the return of cornerback Terrance Mitchell, who's been placed on the 53-man roster following October surgery to mend his broken wrist. Brown will finish his rookie season having played 39 snaps (13 offensive) across two games.

Pruitt hauled in his lone target for nine yards in Thursday's 30-9 win over the Jaguars.

Pruitt has recorded one catch on one target in each of the four games he has been active this season. Though the Titans' tight end corps remains crowded, Jonnu Smith's (knee) season-ending injury could open up a few more targets for Pruitt to close the season. There's little indication he'll be able to take advantage, however, as he has averaged just 9.2 yards per catch and recorded zero touchdowns in 32 career games.

Graham (knee/thumb) is clear of a designation for Sunday's contest against the Falcons, Michael Cohen of The Athletic reports.

The Packers have managed Graham's knee all season, but a broken thumb has affected him in the team's previous two games. During that stretch, he gathered in 10 of 15 passes for 84 yards and no touchdowns. He'll attempt to keep it up Sunday versus an Atlanta defense that has surrendered 7.5 yards per target and four touchdowns to tight ends in 12 contests.

Allen (knee) is questionable for Sunday's game against the Dolphins, Doug Kyed of NESN.com reports.

Allen was able to progress to full practice participation Friday, yet he was unable to avoid the questionable tag. Regardless, the 28-year-old appears on track to return to his block-heavy role at tight end for the Patriots after missing the last two games.

Njoku (knee) practiced fully Friday and doesn't carry an injury designation into Sunday's game against the Panthers, Nate Ulrich of the Akron Beacon Journal reports.

Since he was able to practice in limited fashion on back-to-back days to open the Browns' Week 14 preparations, Njoku never seemed in major jeopardy of missing game action. Njoku's fantasy value peaked when he earned double-digit targets in both Weeks 5 and 6, but he's earned no more than six looks in any of the Browns' subsequent six contests.

Paulsen (knee/ankle) is ruled out for Sunday's game against the Packers, D. Orlando Ledbetter of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports.

Paulsen suffered knee and ankle injuries during last week's loss to the Ravens, and he will remain sidelined during Sunday's tilt against the Chargers. Second-year tight end Eric Saubert is expected to see an uptick in offensive snaps in Paulsen's absence.

Alie-Cox (calf) was ruled out for Sunday's game at Houston, Mike Chappell of Fox 59 News Indianapolis reports.

Alie-Cox has been battling the calf injury for the last few weeks and will miss his third straight game. Eric Ebron (illness) and Erik Swoope (knee) have also faced injury issues this week, leaving the Colts dangerously thin at tight end.

Brown is questionable for Sunday's game versus the Panthers with a shoulder injury, Mary Kay Cabot of The Cleveland Plain Dealer reports.

Brown was added to the injury report Friday as a limited practice participant with the shoulder issue. The 24-year-old has been on the roster since being promoted from the practice squad in late October, though he has yet to be active on gameday.

Smith (knee) was diagnosed Friday with a season-ending MCL injury, Adam Schefter of ESPN reports.

The report doesn't specify if a playoff run would change the outlook; it's within the realm of possibility Smith could be ready for the postseason, given the recovery timetable of 2-to-4 weeks that often accompanies MCL injuries. With Smith sidelined for at least the remainder of the regular season, Tennessee will turn to some combination of Anthony Firkser, Luke Stocker and MyCole Pruitt at tight end. Stocker led the group with 39 snaps in Sunday's 31-9 win over the Jaguars, but Firkser is far more likely to contribute in the passing game, boasting 16 catches for 201 yards and a touchdown on just 16 targets this year.