NFL Player News

James, who logged 54 of a possible 60 offensive snaps in Week 1, is slated to serve as the primary tight end Week 2 against Minnesota, as Vance McDonald (back) is listed as inactive.

James was one of Week 1's top fantasy tight ends, as he hauled in six of eight targets for 41 yards and two scores -- the second of which was a screen play designed for him in the red zone. He was able to log a big performance despite the presence of McDonald, who was also on the field for 18 offensive snaps in the opener. With McDonald now on the shelf, the only other tight end on the active roster is Xavier Grimble, who saw just one offensive snap in Week 1. Repeating last week's production might be a tough ask for James, though he'll certainly have the opportunity to do so. He draws a tough Minnesota defense, though the Vikings did give up 54 yards and a touchdown to Saints tight end Coby Fleener in their opener.

Pruitt signed with the Texans' practice squad Friday, Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle reports.

The Texans are completely depleted at the tight end position with Stephen Anderson and Ryan Griffin dealing with concussions and C.J. Fiedorowicz (concussion) on injured reserve. Pruitt could perhaps see an opportunity on the 53-man roster if he impresses in practice, since Houston's only healthy tight end is currently Evan Baylis.

McGrath (knee) is listed as questionable for Sunday's game against the Dolphins.

McGrath was a full participant at practice this week, so he seems to be on track to make his season debut Sunday. The 29-year-old will likely battle rookie Sean Culkin for reps as the Chargers' third tight end if he is able to play.

Niklas (hip) was limited at Friday's practice and is listed as questionable for Sunday's game in Indianapolis, Darren Urban of the Cardinals' official site reports.

With Jermaine Gresham (ribs) absent from practice all week and also listed as questionable, Niklas may serve as Arizona's top tight end if he's able to play. Even with John Brown (quad) already ruled out, it's not a role particularly conducive to fantasy value.

Tomlinson (ankle) is out for Sunday's game against the Raiders.

As is Jordan Leggett, which sets the stage for Will Tye to continue heading the team's TE corps in Week 2 after catching all three of his targets against the Bills for 34 yards this past Sunday.

Dray is signing with the Cardinals, Kent Somers of AZCentral.com reports.

The Cardinals are looking to bolster their tight end position due to injuries to both Jermaine Gresham (ribs) and Troy Niklas (hip). Dray will still be behind Ifeanyi Momah on the depth chart and will likely only see game-action in emergency situations, at least until he gets a better handle on the playbook.

Kittle (hamstring) practiced in full Thursday, Matt Barrows of The Sacramento Bee reports.

Kittle bucked last week's progression through practice, logging the first full practice of his rookie campaign Thursday. Despite the diminished health in Week 1, he managed to play 54 of 57 offensive snaps and hauled in five of six passes for 27 yards against the Panthers. With his health not really in question now, he'll likely find it difficult to exploit another formidable defense in Seattle.

Uzomah (ankle) is officially inactive for Thursday night's game against the Texans.

While he didn't play in the Bengals' season opener against the Ravens, Uzomah participated fully at practice on Monday and Tuesday, so this is a mild surprise. Tyler Kroft was likely to see the majority of the work as the second tight end regardless, but Uzomah will have plenty of extra rest to hopefully be ready for Week 3.

Niklas was limited at practice Thursday due to a hip injury, Josh Weinfuss of ESPN.com reports.

Since entering the pre-draft process in 2014, Niklas has undergone sports hernia surgery, broken a finger, dealt with a pair of serious ankle sprains and had another wrist surgery. In three-plus season, he's thus appeared in just 27 games, during which he's hauled in eight of 11 passes for 71 yards and two touchdowns. If he's able to tough out the current concern, he may handle a large workload Sunday at Indianapolis due to Jermaine Gresham's rib injury, which has kept him out of practice both Wednesday and Thursday. If not, No. 3 TE Ifeanyi Momah is ready to take on a significant role.

Tomlinson (ankle) didn't participate in Thursday's practice, Connor Hughes of The Star-Ledger reports.

With Tomlinson missing both of the Jets' first two practices of the week, it's looking dicey that he'll be able to suit up for the Jets' Week 2 game against the Raiders. If Tomlinson, who started and caught two passes for 25 yards in the Week 1 loss to the Bills, isn't able to suit up Sunday, Will Tye would likely serve as the Jets' top tight end.