NFL Player News

The calf injury that has sidelined tight end Marcedes Lewis could hurt the Jaguars on Sunday against Kansas City, but the team is not reporting any other players out for the game.

Their injury report also includes running back Justin Forsett (toe), quarterback Blaine Gabbert (thumb) and offensive lineman Will Rackley (ankle) as questionable. Among the probables are wide receiver Stephen Burton (illness), safety John Cyprien (hamstring), defensive tackle Roy Miller (knee) and defensive lineman Jeremy Mincey (illness).

The Chiefs have scratched linebacker Nico Johnson (ankle) for the season opener Sunday at Jacksonville. Tight end Travis Kelce (knee) has been downgraded from probable to questionable while defensive end Allen Bailey is listed as questionable with an undisclosed issue.

Patriots rookie tight end Zach Sudfeld figures to be a prominent player on the field for his team on Sunday at Buffalo, and it doesn't necessarily have to do with Rob Gronkowski. 

Gronkowski, who is listed as doubtful, has a long-standing track record of beating up the Bills. If that part of the gameplan holds true, it should mean Sudfeld will see a lot of targets against a Buffalo secondary missing its top two players (Stephon Gilmore, Jairus Byrd). 

If you were shrewd enough to get Sudfeld and don't have a great Fantasy option to go with instead, he's worth your attention. Check out more non-obvious Fantasy players in my weekly Winning Fantasy Calls column. 

Jaguars tight end Marcedes Lewis has been ruled out for the season opener, the team is reporting. Lewis aggrevated a calf injury on Wednesday that had plagued him throughout the preseason. He expressed disappointment at the news on Friday.

"I feel terrible about it," he said. "Regardless of whether it's out of my control, I feel like I'm letting my team down. They count on me so much."

They will have to count on Allen Reisner instead Sunday against Kansas City. He will start in place of Lewis.

Lions tight end Brandon Pettigrew is rarely an Fantasy starting option, but he could be a solid option in Week 1 against the Vikings Sunday.

Pettigrew had a couple of solid games against what was a pretty solid defense last season. Pettigrew brought in seven passes for 67 yards in Week 4, following by three catches for 32 yards and a touchdown in Week 10.

Pettigrew probably won't put up a huge line against the Vikings, but he has been dependable in the past. Fantasy owners can consider him a low-end starting option in most leagues. 

The last time Jaguars tight end Marcedes Lewis was on the field during a regular season game, he had one of the best games of his career, totaling seven catches for 103 yards in Week 17 last season. If Lewis looks to post similar numbers to start the 2013 season, then he will need to get over a nagging calf injury, which could keep him out Week 1 against the Chiefs.

Kansas City allowed just 6.3 Fantasy points per week to tight ends in 2012, which was tied for the ninth-lowest average in the NFL. Tight ends also averaged 42.3 yards per game against Kansas City.

Jaguars coach Gus Bradley commented Thursday he doesn't want Lewis' injury turning into a three-week affair, so even if he plays Sunday, then he might be limited. Fantasy owners might consider healthier alternatives over Lewis Week 1.

Jaguars tight end Marcedes Lewis is not practicing on Thursday, but rather spending time on the bike with a recurrence of a nagging calf injury. He is listed as questionable for Sunday against Kansas City.

Lewis missed the last three preseason games with the calf issue. It remains to be seen if this latest setback will keep him out against the Chiefs.

Dwayne Allen was drafted one round lower than fellow tight end Coby Fleener last year, but has emerged as the starter for the Colts. He caught 45 passes for 521 yards and three scores in 2012.

And now, even more is expected of Allen. Offensive coordinator Pep Hamilton told the Indianapolis Star on Thursday that Allen "will play a big role" both as a blocker and receiver.

The former role could prove more important in a Colts offense that has plenty of receiving weapons, including Reggie Wayne, T.Y. Hilton and Darrius Heyward-Bey. Keeping franchise quarterback Andrew Luck upright and healthy and opening up holes for a mediocre crew of running backs could be a more critical component to Allen's job description that catching passes.

Eagles offensive coordinator Pat Shurmur said Thursday tight end James Casey will "most likely" play Monday against the Redskins. Casey suffered a hamstring injury in their team's last preseason game.

Jimmy Graham's best game last season was his home matchup against the Falcons in Week 10, when he caught seven passes for 146 yards and two touchdowns, so you have to like his potential for Week 1, when the Saints are again hosting the Falcons.

Of course, since you most likely invested a second-round pick in him, you have to like Graham's potential against just about anybody.

Tight end just so happens to be the position the Falcons had the hardest time defending last year. Even though they allowed the fewest passing touchdowns of all 32 teams, they gave up the seventh-most Fantasy points to tight ends.

Not surprisingly, Jamey Eisenberg, Dave Richard and Nathan Zegura all rank Graham first among tight ends for this week, though again, the matchup probably has little to do with it. Now fully healthy after contending with a wrist injury for the second half of last season, Graham could be in line for monster numbers this year.