NFL Player News

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.

Kelce (illness) is slated to miss practice again Thursday, BJ Kissel of the Chiefs' official site reports.

While back-to-back missed practices aren't optimal for the tight end's Week 16 preparations, it's expected Kelce will rally in time to play Sunday against the Dolphins. The Chiefs can clinch the AFC West with a win this weekend.

Bell underwent successful surgery Tuesday to address an AC joint sprain in his right shoulder, Chris Tomasson of the St. Paul Pioneer Press reports.

Bell is expected to be in a sling for several weeks before he's cleared to begin rehabbing, but the expectation is that he'll be fully healthy for the start of Organized Team Activities in the spring. The tight end, who was placed on injured reserve last week, finished his first season with the Vikings with three receptions for 19 yards across 13 contests.

Niklas (ankle) was listed as non-participant during Wednesday's practice, Darren Urban of the Cardinals' official site reports.

Niklas sustained the ankle injury during Sunday's 20-15 loss to the Redskins, interrupting what had been his best outing of the season (three catches for 41 yards). He'll likely need to practice in some capacity Thursday or Friday in order to gain clearance to play in Sunday's game against the Giants.

Graham (knee) was a full participant at Wednesday's practice, John Boyle of the Seahawks' official site reports.

The Seahawks have made a habit of holding Graham out of practice on Wednesdays and sometimes Thursdays, but they'll apparently take a different approach with the tight end coming off back-to-back duds. He caught one pass for a loss of one yard over the past two weeks, after averaging 4.8 catches for 46.4 yards and 0.9 touchdowns in his previous 10 games. Graham should bounce back -- at least to some extent -- in Sunday's road game against a Dallas team that has allowed opposing tight ends to post a 68.7-percent catch rate and 7.2 yards per target this season.

Hewitt was listed as a non-participant on Wednesday's injury report with a knee injury, Paul Dehner Jr. of The Cincinnati Enquirer reports.

It's likely that Hewitt sustained the knee injury at some point during the Week 15 loss to the Vikings. He'll likely need to return to practice Thursday or Friday to have a shot at suiting up for Sunday's game against the Lions.

Lewis (shoulder) didn't practice Wednesday.

Lewis has been a hit-or-miss fantasy option this season, with three of his five TDs having occurred in a Week 3 win over the Ravens. His status will be monitored leading up to Sunday's game against the 49ers, but now that he's hurting, the tight end is looking like more of a fantasy dart than usual in Week 16.

Kelce won't practice Wednesday due to an illness, BJ Kissel of the Chiefs' official site reports.

More information on Kelce's status should come as the week rolls along, but at this stage, it's expected the tight end will recover from his illness in time to suit up Sunday against the Dolphins.

The Dolphins promoted Duarte from their practice squad Wednesday.

Duarte will give the Dolphins another healthy option at tight end after Julius Thomas (foot) was moved to injured reserve, likely slotting in as the fourth man on the depth chart. Unless the Dolphins suffer another injury at the position, it's difficult to see Duarte suiting up for the Dolphins over the team's final two games.

Lewis isn't expected to practice Wednesday due to a shoulder injury, Mike Kaye of FirstCoastNews.com reports.

This is the first report of a shoulder injury for Lewis, so both the origin and extent are unclear. However, it leaves his status in question for Sunday's game against the 49ers. The Jaguars will provide an official update on Lewis' status after Wednesday's session concludes.