NFL Player News

Ferguson (illness) doesn't have an injury designation for Sunday's game in Green Bay, Jon Machota of The Athletic reports.

Ferguson's availability for the Week 10 contest was temporarily put in flux after the illness prevented him from practicing Thursday, but he was able to return to the field Friday as a full participant. The fourth-round rookie out of Wisconsin is thus on track to play Sunday, when he'll likely operate as the top backup to starting tight end Dalton Schultz. Ferguson most recently played more than half of the Cowboys' snaps on offense in the team's 49-29 win over the Bears in Week 8 and scored his second touchdown of the season in the process, but his playing time could drop off a bit if the Packers are able to keep Sunday's game more competitive than the Bears did.

Engram (back) doesn't carry an injury designation for Sunday's game against the Chiefs after practicing fully Friday.

Per Adam Stites of USA Today, Engram played a season-low 55 percent of the Jaguars' snaps in last Sunday's win over the Raiders and was seen on the sideline receiving treatment on his back during that contest. In the process, Engram caught just one of his two targets for eight yards. Now that he's logged a full practice ahead of this week's game, Engram will be available Sunday and is a bounce-back candidate in the absence of any in-game setbacks. Prior to his quiet effort last weekend, Engram had racked up 19 catches for 231 yards on 29 targets and a touchdown over his previous four games.

Conner (knee) is questionable for Sunday's game against the Browns, Daniel Oyefusi of the Miami Herald reports.

Conner also dealt with a knee injury earlier in the year, and he was limited during each of the Dolphins' three practice sessions this week due to a knee issue. He's played mainly on special teams this year, so his status for Sunday's Week 10 matchup shouldn't significantly impact the offensive rotation.

Long (concussion/illness) has been ruled out for Sunday's game against the Browns, Scott Petrak of the Elyria Chronicle-Telegram reports.

Long was placed in concussion protocol Wednesday and was unable to practice at all during Week 10 as a result. The 24-year-old is now also dealing with an unspecified illness, though he'll have an extra week to work his way back before Miami's next contest against Houston on Sunday, Nov. 27. Long has not recorded a catch while playing 58 offensive snaps over five games this season, so his absence shouldn't play much of a factor in Sunday's game against Cleveland.

Woods (shoulder) has been ruled out for Sunday's game against the Raiders, Kevin Bowen of 107.5 The Fan Indianapolis reports.

Woods was held out of practice this week with a shoulder injury he sustained in Week 9 at New England, and he'll now be forced to miss his first game of the season as he recovers. In the rookie's absence, Kylen Granson should see an uptick in targets in Week 10.

Njoku (ankle) has been ruled out for Sunday's game against the Dolphins, Jake Trotter of ESPN.com reports.

With Njoku -- who last suited Week 7 -- still sidelined, Harrison Bryant is in line to lead the Browns' tight end corps Sunday. Meanwhile, Pharaoh Brown should serve as Bryant's main backup, and Miller Forristall is a candidate to be elevated from the practice squad to add further depth to the position group. Njoku's next chance to play will arrive Week 11, when Cleveland faces Buffalo on the road.

Bellinger (eye) is ruled out for Sunday's game against the Texans, Art Stapleton of The Bergen Record reports.

Bellinger will miss at least one more contest due to a fractured left eye socket suffered Week 7 versus the Jaguars, though the team has expressed optimism he could return Week 11 against Detroit. Chris Myarick and Tanner Hudson will hold down the fort at tight end during Sunday's contest against Houston.

Pitts secured two of eight targets for 28 yards in the Falcons' 25-15 loss to the Panthers on Thursday night.

Pitts led the team in targets for the second time in four days, but he once again was limited to just two receptions. Pitts now has an encouraging 21 targets over the last three games overall, yet his 9-135-1 line in that span is underwhelming to a degree. Pitts' upside is likely to remain capped while Marcus Mariota is under center and restricted to a game-manager role, but the 2021 first-round pick will aim for a boost in production and better efficiency against the vulnerable Bears defense in a Week 11 home matchup a week from Sunday.

Ricci (neck) is questionable to return to Thursday's contest against the Falcons, Mike Kaye of The Charlotte Observer reports.

Ricci was forced to exit early and he's currently being evaluated for a neck injury. While the severity of the injury is uncertain at this time, it's possible Raheem Blackshear and Laviska Shenault see more snaps while Ricci isn't on the field.

The Rams signed Blanton to the practice squad Thursday.

Blanton started the season on Kansas City's practice squad before signing with the Rams' active roster in late September. The 27-year-old then played 25 offensive snaps from Weeks 3 through 6, catching two passes (on two targets) for 35 yards, but he was then waived Tuesday after fellow tight end Brycen Hopkins returned from a suspension. Blanton should serve as a potential game-day elevation if Hopkins and/or Tyler Higbee are forced to miss time with injury at any point this season.