NFL Player News

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.

Paulsen hauled in both of his targets, picking up 13 receiving yards during Sunday's 28-16 loss to Cleveland.

Paulsen recorded his fourth and fifth receptions of the year against a Browns defense that's allowed an NFL-high 64 completions to tight ends thus far in 2018. His value comes primarily as a run blocker, however, and that's an area where Atlanta will strive to improve as we enter the stretch run of the regular season (89.8 rushing yards per game, third-worst in the NFL). He may be the benefactor of one or two targets against Dallas on Sunday, but his primary responsibility will be to try and open up holes for Tevin Coleman and Ito Smith going up against the Cowboys' top 10 rush defense.

Saubert caught one of his two targets, compiling 17 yards during Sunday's 28-16 loss to the Browns.

The second-year tight end was targeted just once between Week 1 and Week 4, but he's become more involved in the Falcons passing attack of late, with five of his six targets (and all three of his receptions this season) coming in Atlanta's past five games. Quarterback Matt Ryan looked to Saubert in the back of the end zone in a critical fourth-and-goal situation, trailing the Browns by 18 points early in the fourth quarter. Saubert was unable to haul in the pass, as he remains scoreless over the first 23 games of the NFL career. Upcoming in Week 11 is a matchup against a Cowboys defense that's allowed 53 tight end receptions this season (tied for fifth-most).

Goedert played just 18 offensive snaps and was not targeted in the passing game during Sunday's 27-20 loss to the Cowboys.

With five catches for 75 yards and two touchdowns over his past two games, Goedert seeing his fewest snaps since Week 2 comes as a surprise. For some reason, though, coach Doug Pederson used mostly one tight end in the first half, and the rookie's playing time dropped proportionately. Even if the Eagles return to their more typical two-tight-end formation going forward, the 23-year-old is tough to count on Week 11 at New Orleans, as he has more than two catches in just two games this season.