NFL Player News

Smartt (shoulder) is questionable for Sunday's game against the Chiefs.

Smartt was upgraded to full practice Friday after being limited Wednesday and Thursday, a sign he has a decent chance to suit up versus Kansas City. Smartt has nine catches for 141 yards and one touchdown on 18 targets this season.

Mayer (toe) has been ruled out for Sunday's season finale against the Broncos, Anthony Galaviz of The Fresno Bee reports.

Mayer's rookie season will end with three consecutive absences. Austin Hooper should continue to fill in as Vegas' top tight end against a Denver defense that has struggled to defend the position. Mayer finishes his first NFL campaign with 27 catches on 40 targets for 304 yards and two touchdowns.

Brown (ribs) is listed as questionable ahead of Sunday's game against the Jets.

Brown likely suffered a ribs injury during New England's Week 17 loss to the Bills, but he was able to practice in a limited fashion throughout the week, and he has a chance to play Sunday. The 29-year-old saw his highest snap share of the season (68 percent) in last Sunday's loss, and he could have the opportunity to see increased work on a Patriots offense that's without Hunter Henry (knee) again in Week 18.

Kelce (neck) doesn't have an injury designation for Sunday's game against the Chargers.

Kelce was limited in all three of Kansas City's practices but will be available for the regular-season finale. Locked into the No. 3 seed in the AFC either way, the Chiefs have the option to rest some of their top players in preparation for the playoffs, and they will be starting Blaine Gabbert rather than Patrick Mahomes under center. Kelce needs just 16 receiving yards to reach 1,000 for the eighth consecutive season, but it's likely that he'll play just long enough to reach that threshold before joining Mahomes on the sidelines.

LaPorta (calf) doesn't have an injury designation for Sunday's game against the Vikings.

LaPorta closed out the week with a full practice after being listed as limited Wednesday and Thursday. There's some question about the extent of Detroit's motivation Week 18 given that playoff seeding (No. 3) can only change if both the Cowboys and Eagles lose to inferior opponents, but it at least appears any limitations for LaPorta would be more about rest/caution and not as a result of his calf injury. LaPorta needs one more catch to break a tie at 81 for the rookie TE record, and by many measures he's already produced the most valuable debut season from a rookie tight end in the fantasy era.

Henry (knee) has been ruled out for Sunday's season finale against the Jets.

With Henry slated to miss a third straight game, Mike Gesicki and Pharaoh Brown (ribs) -- if available -- are in line to lead the Patriots' tight end corps in Week 18. Henry, who is eligible to become an unrestricted free agent this offseason, thus finishes his third campaign in New England with 42 catches for 419 yards and six touchdowns on 61 targets through 14 contests.

Johnson (chest) is listed as questionable for Sunday's game against Atlanta, Mike Triplett of NewOrleans.Football reports.

Johnson returned to New Orleans' Week 17 win over Tampa Bay after injuring his chest in the first half, ultimately finishing with season highs for yards (90), targets (12) and catches (eight) while scoring a TD for the third straight game. The Saints listed him as a non-participant Wednesday and then a limited practice participant Thursday and Friday, with Johnson seemingly on the right track to play ahead of Sunday's 1 p.m. ET kickoff. Taysom Hill and Foster Moreau will take on more snaps at tight end if Johnson unexpectedly can't go.

Njoku (knee/illness) doesn't have an injury designation for Sunday's game against the Bengals, Mary Kay Cabot of The Cleveland Plain Dealer reports.

Njoku has been cleared to play in the season finale, despite having not managed anything more than limited participation in practice this week while dealing with the illness and a knee injury. Though he's on track to be active Week 18, Njoku could end up taking on well below a full workload, as the Browns are already locked into the No. 5 seed in the AFC playoffs and aren't likely to overextend key players. If Njoku plays only limited snaps or sits out the game entirely, Harrison Bryant and Jordan Akins would see expanded roles at tight end.

Kmet (knee) is questionable for Sunday's game against the Packers.

While nursing the same knee injury last week, Kmet was listed as questionable and viewed as a true game-time decision leading up to the Bears' matchup with the Falcons. He was active for the contest, but Kmet was limited to a season-low 13 snaps in the Bears' 37-17 win. Kmet once again carries a questionable tag into the season finale, and though he's probably still less than 100 percent, he's presumably healthier than he was a week ago after he was able to put in a full practice Friday. Whether that translates to him handling the three-down role he's typically maintained for most of the season remains to be seen, but expect Kmet to at least receive clearance to play in advance of Sunday's 4:25 p.m. ET kickoff.

Musgrave (kidney) is listed as questionable for Sunday's game against the Bears, Rob Demovsky of ESPN.com reports.

Musgrave was designated to return from injured reserve Dec. 21, but he will need to be officially activated prior to Sunday's game in order to play. He was able to practice on a limited basis for a second consecutive week in hopes of returning to game action for the first time since Week 11. Fellow rookie tight end Tucker Kraft has been filling in atop the depth chart in Musgrave's absence.