NFL Player News

Derby (foot) is inactive for Sunday's Week 7 tilt against the Lions.

The 27-year-old tight end will miss a fourth consecutive game with his foot injury. His latest absence will once again bump up the workload of journeyman Nick O'Leary and rookie Mike Gesicki.

Allen is expected to start at tight end and handle most of the snaps at the position Sunday against the Bears with both Rob Gronkowski (back/ankle) and Jacob Hollister (hamstring) ruled out for the contest, Austin Knoblauch of NFL.com reports.

The Patriots didn't make any roster moves in advance of the game to compensate for the absences of Gronkowski and Hollister, so Allen will be the team's only healthy tight end in Week 7. Gronkowski has been averaging 5.8 targets per game this season, but it seems rather unlikely that Allen will see that kind of involvement in the passing game, as the Patriots have preferred to use him largely as a blocker during his time with the club. During the two games Gronkowski missed in 2017, Allen logged a combined 106 offensive snaps but made only two receptions for 10 yards.

Hollister (hamstring) was downgraded to out for Sunday's game at Chicago.

Hollister was originally listed as questionable after practicing on a limited basis this week. It's a potential missed opportunity for the 24-year-old, as star tight end Rob Gronkowski (ankle/back) is listed as doubtful. Dwayne Allen is likely to enter Sunday's game against the Bears as the only tight end available for the Patriots.

Akins is expected to receive more playing time with Ryan Griffin (illness) declared out for Sunday's game against the Jaguars, Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle reports.

Houston's tight ends are barely perceptible in the offense, so Griffin's absence is not expected to mean much for Akins or Jordan Thomas in terms of fantasy production. Factor in the opponent, Jacksonville, which is tied with the Baltimore as the league's top-ranked passing defense, and we could see the Texans relying heavily on the running game. Akins has been targeted 11 times (nine catches) through six games.

Uzomah (shoulder) doesn't carry an injury designation into Sunday's game against the Chiefs after logging a full practice Friday.

With Tyler Kroft still sidelined by a foot injury and Tyler Eifert (ankle) on injured reserve, Uzomah will handle the overwhelming share of snaps at tight end until further notice. The 25-year-old turned in his most productive game of the season in the Bengals' Week 6 loss to the Steelers, hauling in six of seven targets for 54 yards.

Hollister (hamstring) is questionable for Sunday's game against the Bears.

Hollister was limited in Friday's practice due to a hamstring issue. The extent of Hollister's injury remains undisclosed, but expect an update on the depth tight end's health if he is unable to suit up Week 7.

Kittle (knee) doesn't carry an injury designation into Sunday's game against the Rams, Nick Wagoner of ESPN.com reports.

Despite being nicked up for most of the season, Kittle has yet to actually miss a game. The Rams haven't allowed an opposing tight end to score a touchdown through the first six weeks of the season, but they have given up 8.0 yards per target to the position, thanks in large part to a monster outing from Oakland's Jared Cook back in the season opener.

Engram (knee) logged another full practice Friday.

Engram has now made it through back-to-back full practices without incident, setting him up for a return Monday night in Atlanta. He'll take aim at a soft Falcons defense that surrendered touchdowns to both of the Buccaneers' top tight ends (O.J. Howard and Cameron Brate) in Week 6.

Derby (foot) is listed as questionable for Sunday's game against the Lions, Alain Poupart of the Dolphins' official site reports.

Derby was a limited participant in Friday's practice and has missed three consecutive games due to a foot injury, so the 27-year-old's availability could be a game-time decision. If Derby is able to suit up, he won't necessarily be guaranteed a sizable role after fellow tight end Nick O'Leary (four catches for 49 yards and a touchdown on four targets) emerged as a useful target for quarterback Brock Osweiler in the Dolphins' 31-28 overtime win over the Bears in Week 6.

Seals-Jones (forearm) noted that he did not suffer a break in his arm, just a bruise, Kyle Odegard of the Cardinals' official site reports.

It is a small amount of positive news for the Cardinals on a night where everything seemed to go wrong. Seals-Jones should be okay and seems unlikely to miss an extended period of time due to the bruised arm. However, look for more updates on his official status to come next week when the team resumes practice.