NFL Player News

Ricci (shoulder) is listed as out for Sunday's game at Miami.

Ricci presumably aggravated a lingering shoulder injury at practice during the week, missing practice Thursday and Friday after not being listed on the injury report Wednesday. The lion's share of his contributions through five games this season have come on special teams, so Carolina will have to try to find a way to replace his production in that phase.

Sullivan (hip) is listed as questionable for Sunday's game at the Dolphins.

Since being designated to return from Carolina's injured reserve list last week, Sullivan has managed three limited practices and two full practices, a promising sign he could suit up for Week 6. If active, he figures to step into a depth role at tight end while contributing primarily on special teams.

Njoku (face/hand) is questionable for Sunday's game against the 49ers, Mary Kay Cabot of The Cleveland Plain Dealer reports.

Njoku, who suffered burn injuries to his face and arm during a household accident last week, missed practice Wednesday and Thursday, but he was able to re-take the field Friday. With that, it appears as though the tight end is now trending in the right direction, with Scott Petrak of the Elyria Chronicle-Telegram relaying that coach Kevin Stefanski indicated Friday that he's feeling good about Njoku being available Sunday.

LaPorta (calf) returned to practice Friday, Colton Pouncy of The Athletic reports.

He'll likely be a limited participant, one day after being added to the injury report as a non-participant due to a calf strain. The quick return, even if he's limited, suggests LaPorta is unlikely to be ruled out on the final injury report Friday, with a 'questionable' designation the probable outcome at this point. It is possible that changes if he doesn't look good at practice or deals with significant pain/discomfort afterward.

Njoku (hand) is participating in practice Friday and is expected to be listed as questionable for Sunday's game against the 49ers, Mary Kay Cabot of The Cleveland Plain Dealer reports.

Njoku is practicing for the first time this week after suffering burn injuries to his face and arm during a household accident last week. Cabot previously reported that the tight end is trending in the wrong direction for Week 6, but he hasn't yet been ruled out to take on San Francisco. In the event that Njoku is ultimately sidelined, though, Jordan Akins and Harrison Bryant will stand to work as Cleveland's top tight ends.

Mary Kay Cabot of The Cleveland Plain Dealer notes that Njoku (face/hand) is trending toward missing Sunday's game against the 49ers.

Njoku, who suffered burn injuries to his face and arm during a household accident last week, didn't practice Wednesday or Thursday and it appears as though the tight end is in line to be sidelined in Week 6. Njoku's status will be officially clarified once the Browns' Friday injury report is posted, but if he is unavailable this weekend, Jordan Akins and Harrison Bryant would be next up for Cleveland's TE reps versus San Francisco.

Kincaid remains in the NFL's concussion protocol ahead of Friday's practice, Alaina Getzenberg of ESPN.com reports.

That said, coach Sean McDermott noted that Kincaid is in line to practice in some capacity Friday. However, unless the tight end gains medical clearance in short order, it looks like he'll head into the weekend with an injury designation for Sunday night's game against the Giants.

Coach Dan Campbell said that LaPorta (calf) took part in Friday's walk-through practice and that his status for Sunday's game against the Buccaneers is uncertain, Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press reports.

Campbell also clarified that LaPorta is dealing with a calf strain. The rookie tight end will be tagged with an official game designation when Friday's injury report is released, but at this point it looks likely that he's destined for 'questionable' status. LaPorta didn't show up on Wednesday's injury report before being sidelined Thursday, so his calf strain may have been sustained during practice. No. 2 tight end Brock Wright would likely start versus Tampa Bay if LaPorta were to miss time, especially with James Mitchell (hamstring) also nicked up.

Kelce (ankle) secured all nine targets for 124 yards in the Chiefs' 19-8 win over the Broncos on Thursday night.

As expected, Kelce fought through an ankle issue after also having done so in the second half of the Chiefs' Week 5 win over the Vikings on Sunday. In the process, the perennial All-Pro led the team in receptions, receiving yards and targets with game-high figures. Kelce left no doubt about his readiness early on Kansas City's first possession, recording five-and six-yard gains on Patrick Mahomes' first two pass attempts. Kelce's yardage figure was also a season high, and he'll now have extra time to recover ahead of a Week 7 home divisional clash against the Chargers on Sunday, Oct. 22.

Dulcich is questionable to return to Thursday's game against the Chiefs due to a hamstring injury, Troy Renck of Denver 7 News reports.

Dulcich returned from a four-game absence Thursday, caused by a hamstring injury. He apparently aggravated the issue in the second half of Thursday's game and could be looking at additional missed time. Prior to his exit, he managed one catch for three yards.