NFL Player News

Derby (foot) is inactive for Sunday's Week 13 tilt against the Bills.

Derby continues to be hampered by a foot issue that first cropped up during a Week 3 matchup against the Raiders. The fourth-year tight end's absence creates additional opportunity for Nick O'Leary and rookie Mike Gesicki in an offense that will also be missing receiver Danny Amendola (knee).

Njoku (knee) doesn't carry an injury designation into Sunday's game against the Texans after practicing fully Friday.

Njoku has been a hit-or-miss fantasy option of late, but he is coming off a solid effort in the Week 12 win over the Bengals, during which he hauled in all five of his targets for 63 yards and a touchdown. The Texans are riding an eight-game winning streak, but working in Njoku's favor is that Houston has had a hard time stopping opposing tight ends over its last three outings.

Allen (knee) has been ruled out for Sunday's game against Minnesota, Mike Reiss of ESPN.com reports.

Allen was able to practice on a limited basis Thursday but was downgraded to a non-participant Friday. The 28-year-old will miss his second straight game, leaving Jacob Hollister to serve as the Patriots' No. 2 tight end behind Rob Gronkowski.

Thomas (personal) doesn't appear on the Bills' final injury report ahead of Sunday's game against the Dolphins.

After he was away from the team Thursday to witness the birth of his child, Thomas returned to work a day later and should be ready to play Sunday. Thomas' fantasy value is pretty non-existent, especially with starting tight end Charles Clay (hamstring) having a decent shot to play this weekend.

Graham (thumb) doesn't carry an injury designation into Sunday's game against the Cardinals, Darren Urban of the Cardinals' official site reports.

Graham played through the same injury last week, catching two of four targets for 34 yards while logging just 22 snaps in a 24-17 loss to the Vikings. He's been limited at practice this week with a large wrap over his fractured thumb, but there isn't any concern about his availability for Sunday. Graham likely will be restricted to a part-time role for at least another week or two, hindering his fantasy outlook.

Hewitt (ankle) doesn't carry an injury designation ahead of Sunday's matchup with the Jaguars, Andrew Walker of the Colts' official site reports.

Hewitt practiced in a limited capacity Wednesday and Thursday but was able to end the week with a full practice Friday. The Stanford product is one of four tight ends listed on the injury report, and that doesn't even include Jack Doyle, who was placed on injured reserve Monday after requiring emergency surgery on his kidney. Mo Alie-Cox (calf) is the only tight end on the active roster that has already been declared out for Sunday.

Derby (foot) is listed as questionable for Sunday's game against the Bills, Armando Salguero of the Miami Herald reports.

Derby has been managing the foot issue nearly all season, suiting up just once (Week 10 against the Packers) over the Dolphins' past nine games. Though he practiced fully Friday, it hardly guarantees he'll be active Sunday, as he's logged numerous full practices over the past several weeks only to sit out once gameday arrives. Should Derby be ruled out again this weekend, Nick O'Leary and Mike Gesicki would likely split most of the snaps at tight end.

Alie-Cox (calf) was ruled out for Sunday's Week 13 game against the Jaguars, Mike Wells of ESPN.com reports.

Alie-Cox sat out Week 12 and was still wearing a protective boot over his left calf as recently as Wednesday, so him being ruled out isn't surprising. The Colts' tight ends are in rough shape -- Jack Doyle (kidney) out for the season, while Erik Swoope is also nursing a knee injury.

Manhertz (foot) won't carry an injury designation into Sunday's Week 13 game against the Buccaneers.

Manhertz was sporting a walking boot to start the week and didn't practice Wednesday, but he was able to progress to full practice participation Friday. The 26-year-old should take up his usual spot as the Panthers' No. 3 tight end behind Greg Olsen and Ian Thomas in Week 13.

Engram (hamstring) has been ruled out for Sunday's game against the Bears, Jordan Raanan of ESPN.com reports.

Despite his optimism about his health earlier in the week, Engram failed to log any level of practice participation Wednesday through Friday, suggesting he could miss additional games beyond Sunday's. His absence for at least Week 13 frees up a three-down role for Rhett Ellison, who caught four of six targets for 77 yards while handling an 89 percent snap share on offense in last week's 25-22 loss to the Eagles. The 30-year-old essentially has filled in for Engram four times this season (Weeks 3 through 5 and Week 12), averaging 54.3 snaps, 4.3 targets and 40.5 yards in those games.