NFL Player News

Graham (knee) didn't participate in Wednesday's practice, John Boyle of the Seahawks' official site reports.

Graham typically receives one day off per week as a way to avoid undue stress on his surgically repaired right knee, so expect him to return without restrictions either Thursday or Friday. Once Sunday's game against the Panthers arrives, he'll be attempting to exploit a defense that has contained tight ends over the last five games, conceding 10.9 YPC and two receiving touchdowns.

James was targeted just once but didn't tally a catch in Thursday's win over the Colts.

James looked like a potential steal earlier in the season. He seldom put up much yardage but scored in three of Pittsburgh's first five games. In the six weeks since, he hasn't had an uptick in yardage, with just one game with over 20 yards receiving, but he hasn't scored and has been targeted in the red zone just three times. Weapons like Antonio Brown and Le'Veon Bell already made touches hard to come by in Pittsburgh. Now that Ladarius Green is working his way back, things seem likely to get worse before they get better for James.

Derby corralled all four passes that came his way for 43 yards in Sunday's loss to Kansas City.

Acquired just a few weeks ago from New England, Derby has already become one of Denver's key weapons. All four of Derby's targets on Sunday were on third down and he converted two of them. With last year's third rounder Jeff Heuerman still struggling to adjust and starter Virgil Green not much of a receiver, Derby's usage should increase down the stretch.

Ertz caught three passes (on six targets) for 36 yards in Monday's 27-13 loss against the Packers.

It was a fairly uneventful night in terms of touchdowns for the Eagles' offense, with their only score coming on a Carson Wentz run. Ertz's six targets were third on the team behind Dorial Green-Beckham and Jordan Matthews and his 36 yards were fourth. Ertz will have better days and remains an integral weapon for the Eagles, but inconsistency within Philadelphia's offense keeps him on the lower end of the TE1 discussion, especially in non-PPR formats.

Thomas signed with the Bills on Tuesday, Mike Rodak of ESPN.com reports.

The former quarterback turned tight end will head to Buffalo after spending the season on the Lions' practice squad. Thomas will provide emergency depth at tight end behind Charles Clay and Nick O'Leary.

Hooper caught two balls for eight yards in Sunday's win over the Cardinals.

Some suspected that Hooper would have a bigger role in the offense now that Jacob Tamme is done for the year with a shoulder injury, but Hooper failed to live up to that hype against the Cardinals. He and Levine Tiololo will battle for targets in Tamme's absence for the remainder of the season.

Kelce caught eight of his 15 targets for 101 yards in Sunday's 30-27 overtime win over the Broncos.

Kelce was blanketed with targets as Alex Smith made an abundance of quick throws and was able to top 100 receiving yards for the second straight game. His biggest contribution came in overtime when he long reception of 21 yards put the Chiefs in a position to kick a short field goal to secure the win. Kelce has gone over the century mark three times in all and has at least five catches in eight of 11 games this season, making him a top option against the generous Falcons defense next week.

Graham had 67 yards on six catches in Sunday's 14-5 loss to the Buccaneers.

Graham had arguably the best day of any Seahawks offensive player, though that isn't saying much. He had a 21-yard reception that was Seattle's longest play of the game, and his six catches were more than a third of the team's total grabs. He looked to be one of quarterback Russell Wilson's top targets and will likely see a large role again next week, when Seattle takes on Carolina.

Henry caught two passes for 20 yards and a touchdown in the win over the Texans on Sunday.

While Henry saw just three targets on Sunday, he fared far better than Antonio Gates, who didn't even see a single target in the win. The tight end situation in San Diego has been a tough one to decipher: Gates has seen an overwhelming share of the targets as of late, while Henry has been relegated to a minor role, albeit scoring a touchdown in each of the last two games. Both tight ends present enough fantasy value to warrant a roster spot in standard leagues, but as of now it's best not to count on either player to produce large numbers.

Paulsen was targeted once but failed to catch a pass Sunday against the Titans.

Paulsen had just one of the seven passes thrown to the three Chicago tight ends sent his way on a day that quarterback Matt Barkley threw the ball 54 times for 316 yards. Although he's the most experienced tight end on the active roster, there are likely much better fantasy options on the waiver wire.