NFL Player News

Ferguson (knee) didn't practice Wednesday, Joe Hoyt of AllDLLS.com reports.

While he never stood much chance to practice three days after suffering a bone bruise and MCL sprain, Ferguson said Wednesday that his pain is already down to a "zero" on a 1-to-10 scale, per Patrick Walker of the Cowboys' official site. The injury clearly isn't as bad as it initially looked when he made an early exit from the Week 1 win at Cleveland, with Calvin Watkins of The Dallas Morning News reporting Wednesday that head coach Mike McCarthy is optimistic about Ferguson's chances of playing against the Saints this Sunday. Even if he doesn't end up playing this week, Ferguson should avoid a stint on injured reserve and push to return within the next few games.

Tremble (hamstring) returned to practice Wednesday as a limited participant, Darin Gantt of the Panthers' official site reports.

Tremble has been sidelined since August and missed Week 1, but he now has a shot at playing this Sunday against the Chargers. Rookie tight end Ja'Tavion Sanders handled a 71 percent snap share and 66 percent route share in the season opener at New Orleans, catching his lone target for four yards, with Jordan Matthews taking on 36 percent snap share as the No. 2 tight end for an offense that was missing Tremble and Ian Thomas (hamstring). Both Sanders and Matthews could lose playing time once Tremble returns.

Head coach Mike McCarthy said that Ferguson (knee) will work with the rehab group at practice Wednesday, and the Cowboys remain optimistic about his chances of playing Sunday against the Saints, Calvin Watkins of The Dallas Morning News reports.

Ferguson suffered an MCL sprain and bone bruise in his knee during Dallas' win over the Browns in Week 1, but he's surprisingly not yet been ruled out for Week 2. The tight end will have two more opportunities to upgrade his practice participation before receiving an injury designation for the weekend. If Ferguson is able to make enough progress, the Cowboys may not hesitate to clear him to play versus New Orleans. Backup tight end Luke Schoonmaker and fullback Hunter Luepke will both be candidates to handle increased offensive reps in the event that Ferguson misses any time.

Firkser reverted to the Jets' practice squad Wednesday.

Firsker was promoted by the team to the active roster ahead of their Monday night loss to the 49ers, which saw him play one snap on offense and nine on special teams.

Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski said Wednesday that Njoku (ankle) will be out Sunday against the Jaguars, Daniel Oyefusi of ESPN.com reports.

Njoku's looming absence isn't surprising, as Stefanski said Monday that the tight end is week-to-week with an ankle injury that he sustained Week 1. For any length of time Njoku misses, Jordan Akins should benefit from extra snaps and targets as the Browns' top healthy tight end.

Hurst reeled in two of his three targets for 33 yards in Sunday's 22-10 win over the Raiders.

It appeared Hurst was the preferred pass-catching option at tight end in Week 1, as the veteran led all Chargers tight ends with three targets and a 61 percent offensive snap share. Though it was an underwhelming performance for Hurst, his usage should provide some optimism about his role in Los Angeles. The 31-year-old will look to take a step forward in the Chargers' offense in a Week 2 matchup against Carolina.

Dissly caught his lone target for 13 yards in Sunday's 22-10 win over the Raiders.

Dissly operated as the Chargers' second tight end in the contest, playing 25 of 57 offensive snaps Sunday. Teammate Hayden Hurst, however, was more involved in the game plan, as he played 35 snaps and saw three targets from quarterback Justin Herbert. If this type of usage were to continue, it would be difficult to trust Dissly to produce consistently for fantasy purposes. The veteran will have his next opportunity to be more involved in a Week 2 matchup against the Panthers.

Hudson caught two of his three targets for 18 yards in Sunday's 16-10 loss to the Patriots.

Hudson was on the field for just nine of the Bengals 51 offensive snaps Sunday, playing well behind Drew Sample (27) and Mike Gesicki (18). Despite the limited playing time, the 29-year-old's three targets were just one fewer than that of Gesicki, who is likely the preferred pass-catching tight end in Cincinnati. Going forward, Hudson should find it very difficult to see consistent usage as the Bengals' third tight end, keeping him off the fantasy radar heading into a Week 2 matchup with the Chiefs.

Sample failed to record a single target in Sunday's 16-10 loss to the Patriots.

Despite not seeing a target Sunday, Sample played the most offensive snaps (27) of any Cincinnati tight end. The Bengals found it hard to move the ball against a formidable New England defense, and the veteran tight end wasn't a factor in the passing game. Teammate Mike Gesicki was the preferred target at tight end for Joe Burrow, seeing four targets in the contest. Sample will likely continue to see an uphill battle for targets when the Bengals square off against the Chiefs in Week 2.

Gesicki caught three of his four targets for 18 yards in Sunday's 16-10 loss to the Patriots.

Gesicki played the second-most offensive snaps (18) of any Bengals tight end, behind only Drew Sample, who finished the contest with 27 snaps. He did, however, pace the position group in targets. Even so, the fact that the Bengals appear content to take a committee approach at tight end -- Erick All and Tanner Hudson also played 12 and nine snaps, respectively -- will likely limit the fantasy upside of Gesicki and all other members of the position group.