NFL Player News

Hewitt (knee) was a full participant at Friday's practice and is expected to play in Sunday's matchup against the Lions.

Hewitt had been bothered by a knee issue that kept him out of Wednesday's practice earlier in the week, but he'll be good to go for Week 16. He's caught just two passes in 11 games this season, so don't expect much production out of the Bengals' No. 3 tight end while Tyler Kroft and C.J. Uzomah remain healthy.

Niklas (ankle) has been ruled out for Sunday's game against the Giants, Josh Weinfuss of ESPN.com reports.

Niklas was unable to participate in practice throughout the week and will miss his first game of the season as a result. He caught a season-high three passes in Week 15 against the Redskins, and his absence figures to leave Ricky Seals-Jones with the majority of the targets at tight end Sunday.

Kelce (illness) does not carry an injury designation for Sunday's game against the Dolphins after returning to a limited practice Friday.

Kelce missed practice both Wednesday and Thursday, but he was well enough Friday to practice and is thus in line to play this weekend. Through 14 games to date, Kelce has logged a fantasy-friendly 79 catches (on 114 targets) for 991 yards and a career-high seven TDs. His consistent involvement in the Chiefs' passing attack makes the 28-year-old one of the league's most reliable fantasy options at the tight end position.

Graham (knee) isn't listed on the final injury report for Sunday's game in Dallas, Gregg Bell of The Tacoma News Tribune reports.

Graham followed a slightly different practice routine this week, logging full participation instead of his usual absence Wednesday. The Seahawks may have wanted him to get a few extra reps as he tries to break out of an ugly slump in which he's caught just one pass for a loss of one yard over the past two games. Graham still leads the league with 15 targets from inside the 10-yard line, but he's producing just 5.2 yards per target and has committed more drops (seven) than any other tight end. He does get a decent matchup this weekend, facing a Cowboys defense that's allowed tight ends to produce a 68.7-percent catch rate and 7.2 yards per target.

Lewis (shoulder) does not carry an injury designation for Sunday's game against the 49ers.

Lewis will be out there if you need him this week, but the veteran tight end has been a hit-or-miss fantasy option of late, with just two catches (on four targets) for 18 yards combined over his last two outings. Overall, Lewis has hauled in 21 catches for 283 yards in 14 games, with three of his five TDs this season having occurred in a random Week 3 outburst.

Graham (knee), who was held to a career-low minus-1 yards in Sunday's loss to the Rams, has seven dropped passes this season, second in the league and most among tight ends.

Graham dropped a pass Sunday that would have went for at least 20 yards. In the last two weeks, Graham has one catch for minus-1 yards on five targets. He still leads tight ends in touchdowns with nine, but his 472 yards ranks 15th and his 8.9 yards per catch is a career low by nearly two yards -- the Seahawks just don't use him much between the 20s. It would be surprising if the Seahawks re-signed him next season at $10 million-plus.

Hewitt (knee) was a limited participant at Thursday's practice, Jay Morrison of Cox Media Group reports.

Hewitt was a non-participant Wednesday, so he is at least trending in the right direction ahead of Sunday's game against the Lions. If he is unable to go, expect Cethan Carter to see increased snaps at tight end.

Graham (knee) was a non-participant at practice Thursday, Michael-Shawn Dugar of SeattlePI.com reports.

Instead of taking his day off Wednesday, Graham was a "full participant" at the walk-through session. Thursday's schedule included an actual practice, though, so the Seahawks allowed the tight end to give his knee a respite. Expect Graham to fit in at least some activity Friday before the team removes his designation entirely.

Vannett (shoulder) put in a full practice Thursday, Michael-Shawn Dugar of SeattlePI.com reports.

Vannett injured his shoulder in last week's blowout loss to the Rams, but he evidently avoided anything serious. He practiced in limited fashion Wednesday, and given his full participation Thursday, he appears to be recovered from the issue at this point. Look for him to take on his usual role providing depth at tight end assuming he avoids any setbacks.

Lewis (shoulder) practiced on a limited basis Thursday.

It amounts to a step forward for the tight end, who was held out entirely for the Jaguars' first practice session of the week. The Jacksonville coaching staff has offered no indication that Lewis' shoulder issue is a major concern, so it seems likely the 33-year-old is just getting some late-season maintenance this week. Expect him to start Sunday's game against the 49ers and take on his usual load of snaps.