NFL Player News

Thomas caught his only target for one yard during Sunday's 41-10 win over the Jets while seeing action on 41 percent of the Bills' offensive snaps. He also completed a 15-yard pass on a fake punt.

The trick play was a thing of beauty and certainly contributed to the big win, but Thomas didn't have much production beyond that. Neither he nor Jason Croom (no catches) took advantage of starter Charles Clay being shelved with a hamstring injury, as the Bills simply spread Clay's usual modest targets elsewhere in the offense. The Bills are taking a good look at many of their younger players in what's turned out to be a rebuilding season, so Thomas will continue to have a small role even if Clay returns to action following the team's Week 11 bye. That role won't yield more than a few catches here and there, however.

Graham (knee) doesn't have an injury designation for Thursday's game in Seattle.

Graham opened the week as a non-participant on back-to-back injury reports, but a return to full practice participation Wednesday has paved the way for the tight end to be available this week, as per usual. It'll be tough sledding for Graham, though, while he takes on a Seahawks defense that has given up a combined 11 catches for 101 yards and two touchdowns to tight ends over the last three contests.

Swaim (knee) was a full participant in Wednesday's practice, Jon Machota of The Dallas Morning News reports.

Swaim returned from a one-game absence to play 56 offensive snaps in the Cowboys' upset win over the Eagles on Sunday, finishing with three receptions for 13 yards. His full involvement in the Cowboys' first practice of Week 10 suggests he escaped the victory with his health intact.

Hewitt (ankle) didn't practice Wednesday.

Hewitt missed Sunday's 29-26 win over the Jaguars with the ankle issue. His absence from the first practice of Week 11 puts Hewitt's status in question for this weekend's tilt with the Titans. If Hewitt is unable to go, Mo Alie-Cox and/or Erik Swoope (knee) could see increased action behind the Colts' top two tight ends, Jack Doyle and Eric Ebron.

Kroft (foot) didn't practice Wednesday, Paul Dehner Jr. of The Cincinnati Enquirer reports.

Kroft hasn't shown much sign of progress in his recovery from a fractured right foot and looks like a long shot for Sunday's game against the Ravens. If Kroft is sidelined for a fifth consecutive contest, C.J. Uzomah's standing as the Bengals' clear No. 1 tight end would remain unchallenged.

Allen (knee) wasn't spotted at practice Wednesday, Mike Reiss of ESPN.com reports.

Allen is expected to miss game action after suffering a knee injury in Sunday's loss to the Titans, so it's not surprising he's not on the field three days later. He'll benefit from the Patriots having a bye in Week 11, but if Allen misses the Week 12 matchup with the Jets as anticipated, Jacob Hollister would likely benefit from added snaps, ideally in a backup role. Given that top tight end Rob Gronkowski (back/ankle) has missed the Patriots' last two games, it's possible that the team will add some depth at the position in advance of Week 12.

Graham (knee) didn't practice Tuesday, Ryan Wood of the Green Bay Press-Gazette reports.

Instead, Graham was contained to a stationary bike in the part of Tuesday's session open to the media, per Wes Hodkiewicz of the Packers' official site. Unlike Randall Cobb (knee), Graham is taking the team flight to Seattle. However, the tight end's status will remain a question mark until the release of Wednesday's injury report and potentially until the team posts its inactive list about 90 minutes before Thursday's 8:20 PM ET kickoff.

Allen (knee) is expected to miss a few games, Michael Giardi of NFL Network reports.

While he isn't expected to require surgery, Allen probably won't be ready to play when the Patriots return from a Week 11 bye. His absence is a bigger loss for Sony Michel than it is for Tom Brady, as the 28-year-old tight end has seen just four targets on 299 offensive snaps this season. The Patriots don't have a clear replacement for Allen's blocking role, though top tight end Rob Gronkowski has always been effective in that regard.

Engram caught four of five targets for 46 yards against the Niners on Monday night, three of them on the game-winning drive.

Engram was virtually ignored for most of the game, but Eli Manning went to him with the game on the line. He's at best third fiddle behind Saquon Barkley and Odell Beckham, though Sterling Shepard also will command some looks.

Kittle caught nine of 10 targets for 83 yards in Monday night's 27-23 loss to the Giants.

Kittle was clearly quarterback Nick Mullens' security blanket, hauling in just about everything thrown his way. In doing so, he led the Niners in all the major receiving categories, which has become a foregone conclusion over the course of this season. With at least 75 yards in seven (of 10) outings thus far, Kittle will now use San Francisco's bye to help his prior chest contusion heal before facing Tampa Bay in Week 12.