NFL Player News

Kelce (knee) isn't expected to play in Friday's preseason game against the 49ers, BJ Kissel of the Chiefs' official site reports.

Kelce has missed a stretch of recent practices due to swelling in his left knee, which will sideline him in the Chiefs' first exhibition outing. Expect a cautious approach to continue to reign with his activity level until the injury is a thing of the past. In his stead, Demetrius Harris, Gavin Escobar and Ross Travis will handle TE reps.

Uzomah (ankle) isn't expected to play in Friday's preseason contest against the Buccaneers, Jay Morrison of the Dayton Daily News reports.

A cart was required to take Uzomah off the practice field Monday, and he was eventually diagnosed with a severely sprained left ankle, which is typically associated with a multi-week absence. As a result, his DNP on Friday isn't a surprise. Expect Tyler Kroft and Ryan Hewitt to earn valuable snaps in Uzomah's absence.

McGrath missed Friday's practice after hyperextending his knee, ESPN's Eric D. Williams reports.

McGrath apparently injured his knee during Wednesday's heated scrimmage with the new crosstown rival Rams, which forced him to miss Friday's practice. It's unclear how severe the injury may be, but it shouldn't be terribly impactful for fantasy owners given Hunter Henry and Antonio Gates sit above McGrath on the most recent depth chart update.

Hollister caught seven passes for 116 yards in Thursday's 31-24 preseason loss to the Jaguars.

The undrafted tight end out of Wyoming is no threat to overtake roster locks Rob Gronkowski and Dwayne Allen, but it's not out of the question that he sticks with the Patriots, with Matt Lengel, James O'Shaughnessy and Sam Cotton also in contention for the team's No. 3 tight end job.

Njoku (back) isn't expected to play in Thursday's preseason contest versus the Saints, Nate Ulrich of the Akron Beacon Journal reports.

Due to his bout with back soreness, Njoku will remain on the sideline for the Browns' opening exhibition game, giving Randall Telfer and Seth DeValve valuable in-game reps with the offense. Whenever Njoku takes the field next, the 2017 first-round pick will resume his trek up the tight end depth chart with an eye on the No. 1 gig.

Kittle (hamstring) is not expected to play in Friday's preseason game against the Chiefs, Joe Fann of the 49ers' official site reports.

Contrary to a previous report, Kittle didn't actually practice Wednesday, which is confusing since he'd been removed from the injury report earlier in the morning. However, it's possible his absence could've been precautionary.

Kittle (hamstring) is not listed on the injury report for Wednesday's practice, ESPN.com's Nick Wagoner reports.

Kittle returned to practice in a limited fashion Monday after missing less than a week of action. The minor hammy issue shouldn't impact his bid for a key role -- possibly even a starting job -- amongst a tight end group subject to fierce competition. Incumbent starter Vance McDonald faces an uncertain future after being overpaid by the previous front office regime, while fellow veterans Garrett Celek and Logan Paulsen are mostly valued for blocking. While he only caught 48 passes at Iowa and wasn't taken until the fifth round of this year's draft, Kittle did display top-notch athleticism in running a 4.52 40-yard dash at 247 pounds at the Combine. The Niners might opt for trial by fire, particularly if they struggle early in the season and don't appear destined for the playoffs.

Tom Brady has frequently looked to Allen in the red zone at training camp, Ben Volin of The Boston Globe reports.

The Patriots made frequent use of two-TE formations last season when both Martellus Bennett and Rob Gronkowski were healthy, but Allen isn't quite on Bennett's level and that team didn't have Brandin Cooks. While thus unlikely to match Bennett's target volume, the former Colt could stay regularly involved near the end zone, where he's long been a threat. Nineteen of his 126 career receptions (15 percent) have gone for touchdowns, with 11 of those coming from inside the 10-yard line. Allen's primary appeal still involves a scenario in which Gronkowski is absent.

Wright (knee) signed a contract with the Lions on Wednesday, Michael Stets of NewsTalk 760 AM WJR reports.

Wright was out of the NFL in 2016 after suffering a torn ACL during the Lions' offseason program last May, resulting in his release. With the tight end apparently having returned to full health following the year-plus layoff, the Lions will give him another look and see if he can offer an upgrade over some of their other depth options at the position. During his last NFL season in 2015, Wright appeared in nine games for Detroit, logging nine catches for 77 yards and two touchdowns.

Njoku has been restrained from practice with a sore back, Scott Petrak of the Elyria Chronicle-Telegram reports.

Njoku is listed as the No. 3 tight end in Cleveland, but a lot of this is due to his troubles with fumbles early in camp. He's easily more talented than Randall Telfer and Seth DeValve, though, so if he can just hold onto the ball, Njoku should be able to steal the No. 1 job. This injury isn't expected to be too serious, so expect to see the 2017 first-round pick at some point during preseason.