NFL Player News

Injuries during the preseason limited Eagles tight end James Casey's reps and opened the door for speculation he might have cost himself a significant role in Chip Kelly's offense. Whether that is the case or not remains to be seen, but as for his role Week 1 at Washington, offensive coordinator Pat Shurmur has been noncommittal, according to The Philadelphia Daily News.

"He's doing a good job. Most likely he's going to be active and we'll use him," Shurmur said. "The one thing about our roster, I think on offense, anybody that's active is preparing to play the whole game, so we'll just have to see how many of the position or personnel groups that we use involve him . . . He's very multiple. He can play our wide spot. He can play our 'A' spot."

Shurmur wouldn't say if rookie Zach Ertz has moved ahead of Casey on the depth chart.

"I think you have your starter [Brent Celek] and then you have your guys who are role players. I wouldn't say that," Shurmur said.

The Cowboys received minor offensive contributions from a few role players in Week 1 against the Giants.

Running back Phillip Tanner coughed up the ball once and finished with one carry for two yards and one catch for a 9-yard gain.

In the passing game, wide receiver Terrance Williams was the team's third-leading receiver as he had two catches and finished with 32 yards. He was targeted four times. Dwayne Harris was targeted three times and finished with two catches for 12 yards. Tight end Gavin Escobar caught one pass for a 7-yard gain (two targets).

The Cowboys will travel to Kansas City for Week 2.

Eight Cardinals caught passes from Carson Palmer in the team's 27-24 loss in St. Louis.

Among them, tight end Jim Dray caught two balls for 21 yards, tight end Kory Sperry had a 16-yard catch and wideout Jaron Brown had a 14-yard grab. Running back Andre Ellington caught one of his three targets for 13 yards.

Jets fullback Tommy Bohanon, wide receiver Clyde Gates and tight end Konrad Reuland each played their parts in the Week 1 comeback win over the Buccaneers Sunday. 

Bohanon finished with one catch for 21 yards to lead the way out of that trio. Gates caught one pass for 17 yards, but saw four targets from QB Geno Smith. Bohanon was targeted twice. Reuland caught one pass for 7 yards on his only target. 

The Jets play at New England in Week 2 and all three players will hope to make another impact. 

Patriots rookie tight end Zach Sudfeld was considered a sleeper coming into Week 1 at Buffalo. He left Sunday's game looking like he was still asleep.

Sudfeld had no catches against the Bills on just one target. He wasn't part of the game plan, and he might not be the Fantasy option we expected, especially with Rob Gronkowski (back) coming back as early as Week 3.

The Patriots play the Jets on Thursday night in Week 2, and Sudfeld is now a risky starting option in all leagues. If you can, consider dropping Sudfeld for Julius Thomas, who scored two touchdowns for the Broncos against the Ravens in Week 1.

Sudfeld's disappearing act was one of the biggest disappointments in the opening week.

Patriots rookie tight end Zach Sudfeld had a golden opportunity Week 1 at Buffalo to make an impact with Rob Gronkowski (back, forearm) sidelined due to injury. Unfortunately, Sudfeld didn't capitalize on the opportunity.

Sudfeld recorded no catches and his only target in the second quarter bounced off his hands and was picked off by a Buffalo defender. 

The Patriots have a quick turnaround Week 2, playing Thursday against the Jets.

Saints tight end Jimmy Graham wasn't able to match his performance from the last time the Falcons were in town, when he had seven catches for 146 yards and two touchdowns in Week 10 last year, but he still made an impact Week 1 against Atlanta.

His four catches for 45 yards were nothing spectacular, but he pulled down a 7-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Drew Brees. He also led the team with seven targets.

He could be in line for bigger numbers when the Saints visit Tampa Bay in Week 2. The Buccaneers beefed up their secondary by acquiring cornerback Darrelle Revis in the offseason, but they showed they're still vulnerable over the middle in Week 1, allowing the Jets' Kellen Winslow to catch seven passes for 79 yards and a touchdown.

Lions tight end Brandon Pettigrew was outshined by an undrafted free agent Sunday, in a 34-24 Week 1 win over the Vikings.

Pettigrew brought in just two of four passes thrown his way for a paltry 6 yards. Joseph Fauria was much more involved and effective, finishing with three catches for 27 yards and a touchdown.

Pettigrew will try to find his way in Week 2 against the Cardinals in Arizona. 

Lions backup tight end Joseph Fauria had a big NFL debut Sunday in Week 1 against the Vikings, as he emerged as a red-zone threat in a 34-24 win.

Quarterback Matthew Stafford looked Fauria's way three times, including once with the Lions set up at the 1-yard line. Fauria brought in all three passes, including a 1-yard touchdown pass. He finished with 27 receiving yards on the day.

Fauria, an undrafted free agent out of UCLA, will try to prove this wasn't a fluke when the Lions head to Arizona in Week 2. 

Colts tight end Dwayne Allen caught one pass in Sunday's Week 1 victory over the Raiders -- a 20-yard touchdown reception in the second quarter. 

Allen was targeted twice. The team's other tight end, Coby Fleener, caught one pass for seven yards. 

The Colts face the Dolphins in Week 2.