NFL Player News

The Bengals signed Grandy to their active roster Friday.

Grandy made his first appearance of the season in Cincinnati's Week 10 loss to the Ravens, catching his lone target for no yards across 10 total snaps (four offensive and six on special teams). The Bengals now have five tight ends on their active roster following Grandy's signing Friday. He's expected to serve as a depth piece while also likely contributing on special teams in Cincinnati's Week 11 matchup against the Chargers.

Bryant (ankle) did not practice Friday and has been ruled out for Sunday's game against the Dolphins.

Bryant was able to practice in a limited capacity Thursday, but his ankle injury was serious enough to prevent him from seeing the field Friday, and the 2020 fourth-round pick will be sidelined Sunday for the second time this season. With Bryant sidelined, Justin Shorter will serve as the Raiders' No. 2 tight end behind rookie starter Brock Bowers.

Pruitt (knee) is listed as doubtful ahead of Sunday's matchup against the Ravens, Teresa Varley of the Steelers' official site reports.

Pruitt appears to have worsened his knee injury in the Steelers' Week 10 win over the Commanders, as he's been unable to practice all week and is likely in line to miss his fifth game of the season Sunday. If Pruitt is sidelined in Week 11 as expected, Pittsburgh's tight end room will consist of Pat Freiermuth, Darnell Washington and Connor Heyward.

Kittle (hamstring) is listed as questionable for Sunday's game against Seattle, Cam Inman of The San Jose Mercury News reports.

Kittle was a limited practice participant Thursday and Friday after sitting out Wednesday. 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan said Wednesday that he expects Kittle to play, but fantasy managers will still want to make sure the tight end avoids the inactive list ahead of a 4:05 p.m. ET kickoff Sunday. Eric Saubert likely will step in as the starter if Kittle ends up inactive.

Hill (shoulder) was a full participant in Friday's practice and does not carry an injury designation into Sunday's game against the Raiders, David Furones of the South Florida Sun Sentinel reports.

Hill was limited in Thursday's practice due to a shoulder injury, but he was able to practice without restrictions Friday and will be good to go for Week 11. Hill has mostly been utilized as an extra blocker while serving as the Dolphins' No. 2 tight end behind starter Jonnu Smith.

Russell (foot) has been ruled out ahead of Sunday's matchup against the 49ers, Michael-Shawn Dugar of The Athletic reports.

Following Seattle's Week 10 bye, Russell logged back-to-back DNPs due to a foot issue, making it no surprise that he'll be sidelined in Week 11. With both Russell and Noah Fant (groin) ruled out for Sunday's divisional matchup, expect AJ Barner and Pharaoh Brown to serve as the Seahawks' top two tight ends

Zylstra and Brock Wright will take on larger roles with starting tight end Sam LaPorta (shoulder) ruled out for Sunday's game against Jacksonville, the Lansing State Journal reports.

Zylstra had a three-TD performance Week 16 of 2022, but he's seen just three targets in the NFL since then, and none this season. He did take five of the 14 snaps in 11 personnel after LaPorta left a Week 10 win over Houston, with Wright getting the other nine snaps and also finishing without a target. Wright is the favorite to lead Detroit's tight ends in snaps and routes this week, but Zylstra also figures to play more than usual, including some work in single-TE formations.

Mayer (personal) is listed as questionable for Sunday's contest at Miami.

The Raiders designated Mayer for return from the reserve/non-football illness list Tuesday, and he was listed as a full participant on all three Week 11 injury reports. The team will need to activate him by 4:00 p.m. ET on Saturday for him to have a chance to be active Sunday. If that comes to pass, Mayer's status will be confirmed, one way or another, about 90 minutes before a 1:00 p.m. ET kickoff. He's seeking his first game action since Week 3 while he tended to a personal matter in the meantime.

Likely (hamstring) doesn't have an injury designation for Sunday's game against the Steelers.

Likely will return from a one-game absence due to a hamstring injury. After being a limited participant Wednesday, he practiced without limitations Thursday and Friday. While Likely's healthy, he probably will continue to cede most of the targets among Ravens tight ends to Mark Andrews, which had usually been the case in the weeks leading up to Likely's injury.

Wright and Shane Zylstra will take on larger roles with starting tight end Sam LaPorta (shoulder) ruled out for Sunday's game against Jacksonville, the Lansing State Journal reports.

Wright is next up on the depth chart, but he won't necessarily be a one-for-one replacement for LaPorta in terms of snaps/routes, considering Zylstra took five of the 14 snaps in single-TE formations after LaPorta's early exit from a 26-23 win over Houston last week. Most of Wright's playing time has come in multi-TE formations this year, with more than half his receiving yards occurring in a single game Week 3 at Arizona (4-34-0 on five targets). Neither he nor Zylstra should be viewed as anything more than a desperation streamer or DFS punt play.