NFL Player News

Kittle (hamstring) is to be track to play in Sunday's game against the Panthers, Cam Inman of The Mercury News reports.

Limited at practice Wednesday and Thursday, the rookie tight end was running and cutting at full speed in individual drills Friday. Kittle is listed atop the depth chart at tight end after the 49ers traded Vance McDonald to the Steelers last week. Another update will be available when the 49ers release their final injury report Friday afternoon/evening.

Allen was on the field for 27 of the Patriots' 81 snaps on offense in Thursday's 42-27 loss to the Chiefs, per ESPN's Mike Reiss.

Allen was targeted twice Thursday, but did not record a catch. Meanwhile, star TE Rob Gronkowski was out there for 78 snaps, a clear indication that the Patriots intend to roll with him as much as possible, health-permitting. While there may be some weeks when Allen sees occasional red-zone looks, he's not a reliable fantasy option so long as Gronkowski is able to suit up.

Kelce brought in five of seven targets for 40 yards and rushed once for four yards in Thursday's 42-27 season-opening win over the Patriots.

Kelce took on a more secondary role with Kareem Hunt and Tyreek Hill doing the majority of heavy lifting on offense. However, he did a lot of the grunt work close to the line of scrimmage, and even with what looks like a more explosive offense after one week due to the front-line roles of Hunt and Hill, Kelce should unquestionably continue to provide a key presence in his own right. He'll look to turn in a more productive effort in Week 2 against the Eagles.

McGrath (knee) was a limited participant in practice Thursday.

McGrath did not play in any preseason games after hyper-extending his knee in early August, so even limited participation is a good sign. If the 29-year-old is unable to play against the Broncos on Monday, rookie Sean Culkin is the only tight end on the Chargers' roster to fill the No. 3 role, which he likely earned in McGrath's absence anyway.

Kittle (hamstring) remained limited at Thursday's practice, Matt Barrows of The Sacramento Bee

After tweaking his hamstring Wednesday, Kittle displayed a modicum of health with a limited showing one day later, participating in individual drills with his fellow tight ends. The injury comes on the heels of missing time in the first half of August due to a similar concern, so it remains to be seen how long he'll be afflicted. If he's ultimately unable to suit up Sunday against the Panthers, the next men up at the position would be Garrett Celek and Logan Paulsen.

Allen (undisclosed) reached an injury settlement with the Texans on Thursday, Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle reports.

Allen is now removed from the Texans injured reserve and is free to sign elsewhere. The 27-year-old has bounced around numerous teams since going undrafted in 2014.

Bibbs (knee) reached an injury settlement with the Redskins on Thursday, Master Tesfatsion of The Washington Post reports.

The severity of the injury hasn't been specified, but Bibbs is now free to sign elsewhere if he is able to play. The 26-year-old injured his knee in Washington's preseason finale against Tampa Bay, but he was unlikely to survive roster cuts regardless.

Uzomah (ankle) did not practice Wednesday, Katherine Terrell of ESPN.com reports.

Although the Bengals opted to keep Uzomah off injured reserve, it's expected that his road to recovery should keep him from suiting up for Sunday's opener against the Ravens.

Kittle tweaked his hamstring and will be limited at Wednesday's practice, Cam Inman of The Mercury News reports.

This is somewhat worrisome even though Kittle is still practicing in some capacity, as he dealt with a hamstring issue throughout much of training camp and the preseason. He still did enough to make the 49ers comfortable with trading Vance McDonald, a move that leaves Kittle atop the depth chart heading into Sunday's game against the Panthers. While clearly on track to outperform his fifth-round draft slot in his rookie season, Kittle faces a tough learning curve at a position that doesn't have much recent history of productive rookie seasons. He had phenomenal workout metrics at the Combine after catching only 48 passes in four collegiate seasons playing in a run-heavy Iowa offense. His quarterback from the past two seasons, C.J. Beathard, is now serving as Brian Hoyer's backup in San Francisco.

After being listed as a limited participant at practice Monday and Tuesday, Kelce (calf) doesn't carry an injury designation heading into Thursday's season opener against the Patriots.

The lack of any injury designation indicates that all systems are go for the Chiefs' star tight end in Week 1. With veteran wideout Jeremy Maclin no longer in the team's pass-catching mix, Kelce and Tyreek Hill are in line to serve as quarterback Alex Smith's top receiving targets, with the duo thus candidates to absorb some degree of extra volume in the absence of Maclin.