NFL Player News

Dwelley (ankle) will not play in Sunday's matchup with the Commanders.

Dwelley's absence will mark his fourth straight due to an ankle injury. As a result, Charlie Woerner and Brayden Willis figure to continue as depth tight end options behind George Kittle. Dwelley's next chance to suit up will come in the 49ers' regular-season finale versus the Rams.

Kieft (shoulder) is inactive Sunday against the Saints.

Kieft was technically ruled out Friday, but his appearance on the team's inactive list makes it official. Payne Durham and David Wells will be candidates to see extra snaps in his absence.

FitzPatrick (coach's decision) is inactive for Sunday's game at Chicago, Tori McElhaney of the Falcons' official site reports.

FitzPatrick will miss his third straight game in Week 17. In his absence, MyCole Pruitt and Tucker Fisk will continue to operate as Atlanta's depth tight ends behind Kyle Pitts and Jonnu Smith.

Henry (knee) is inactive for Sunday's game against the Bills.

Henry, who was also inactive in Week 16, was limited in all three of New England's practices this week before approaching the contest listed as questionable. In his continued absence Sunday, Mike Gesicki and Pharaoh Brown (who both caught two passes in last weekend's win over the Broncos) are slated to lead the Patriots' tight end corps in Week 17.

Kmet (knee) is active for Sunday's matchup against the Falcons.

Kmet caught four passes for a season-high 107 yards in the first half of last week's matchup versus the Cardinals but was forced out of the game due to a knee injury. His injury was described as soreness, and he didn't practice Wednesday or Thursday but returned Friday as a limited participant. The 2020 second-round pick has officially been cleared to extend his streak of consecutive games played to 66, but Kmet's snaps may be limited to avoid a potential setback. On the other hand, Darnell Mooney (concussion) isn't available, so Chicago may need everything they can get out of Kmet, who'll likely be Justin Fields' second-favorite target behind DJ Moore on Sunday.

Kmet is considered a game-time decision for Sunday's game against the Falcons and will test out his sore knee before the Bears make a call on his status, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reports.

Kmet is officially listed as questionable after he practiced just once (on Friday, and as a limited participant) this week. Though Rapoport reported earlier Sunday that Kmet was expected to be available for the Week 17 matchup, the tight end's status is now more muddled just a few hours later after he was more sore than expected after arriving at Soldier Field this morning. Fantasy managers considering Kmet for Week 17 lineups will get official word on his status when the Bears release their inactive list 90 minutes prior to the 1 p.m. ET kickoff. If Kmet is forced to miss the first game of his career Sunday, the Bears would be left with Robert Tonyan and Marcedes Lewis as their available tight ends.

Kmet (knee) remains listed as questionable for Sunday's game against the Falcons but is expected to play, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reports.

Kmet has yet to miss a game during his four-year NFL career, and he looks poised to continue his streak of consecutive appearances Sunday, despite managing just one limited practice this week while battling the knee injury. Because of his lack of full practice reps this week, Kmet could be at risk of having his snaps managed to some degree, though the Bears haven't indicated that will be the case. In any event, Kmet's status will be verified when Chicago releases its inactive list 90 minutes prior to Sunday's 1 p.m. ET kickoff.

Ferguson recorded four receptions on six targets for 33 yards in Saturday's 20-19 win over the Lions.

Ferguson entered the game having seen eight targets in four consecutive games, but he was overshadowed by Brandin Cooks as the secondary producer in Dallas' offense in Saturday's win. The end result was Ferguson's lowest yardage total since Week 12. Positively, he still has at least four catches in five consecutive games.

LaPorta secured seven of 12 targets for 84 yards in the Lions' 20-19 loss to the Cowboys on Saturday night.

LaPorta led the Lions in receptions and targets while checking in second to Amon-Ra St. Brown in receiving yards. The talented tight end was especially impressive on the final drive, kickstarting the march with two receptions for 35 yards and adding a 15-yard grab later in the possession that set up St. Brown's 11-yard touchdown catch. LaPorta's reception and yardage totals were his best since Week 13, and he'll have a chance to put a stamp on a stellar regular season against the Vikings in a Week 18 divisional home clash on Jan. 7.

The Raiders elevated Fotheringham to their active roster Saturday.

With both Michael Mayer (toe) and Jesper Horsted (hamstring) missing Sunday's affair, Fotheringham has been elevated to Las Vegas' active roster to ensure some extra depth at tight end. The 26-year-old is coming off his NFL debut in Week 16, where he caught his only target for six yards and played 27 total snaps (19 offensive and eight on special teams).