Bottom Line Up Front at Tight End

Tight end lost its consensus TE1 to a knee procedure and then lost two more starters to injuries in games that have already been played. For a position with no depth to begin with, this was the worst possible opening week.

Of the 37 tight ends on this board, 16 are out or doubtful, 1 carries a Questionable tag that decides itself on gameday, and 18 were listed at some point this week but finished it with no designation at all. 2 got hurt in games that have already been played.

Below is every fantasy-relevant tight end across all 32 teams carrying an injury or an absence, with the final designation, what the injury actually is, how long that class of injury normally takes to heal, where each player sits on his team’s depth chart, and who stands to gain if he can’t go.

Who is on this report?

Jake Tonges (SF), Davis Allen (LAR), Brock Bowers (LV), Tip Reiman (ARI), Grant Calcaterra (PHI), Will Mallory (IND), Oscar Delp (NO), Joe Royer (CLE), DJ Rogers (DAL), Princeton Fant (DAL), Luke Musgrave (GB), Carson Towt (IND), Ben Yurosek (MIN), Moliki Matavao (NO), Jaren Kanak (TEN), Ben Sims (MIA), Cole Turner (MIA), Julian Hill (NE), Eli Stowers (PHI), Sam LaPorta (DET), Tucker Kraft (GB), Tyler Warren (IND), Tyler Higbee (LAR), AJ Barner (SEA), George Kittle (SF), Ben Sinnott (WAS), John Bates (WAS), Adam Trautman (DEN), Will Kacmarek (MIA), Theo Johnson (NYG), Kenyon Sadiq (NYJ), Erick All Jr. (CIN), Luke Schoonmaker (DAL), Andrew ‘Drew’ Ogletree (IND), Seydou Traore (MIA), Brevin Jordan (HOU), Terrance Ferguson (LAR)

What changed since Wednesday

Wednesday’s reports were practice participation only. Friday’s are the real thing — the final Out, Doubtful and Questionable tags that govern Sunday. Across the 37 tight ends here: 5 are new to the report, 4 improved, 3 got worse, and 5 cleared entirely. The pattern worth internalizing: a midweek Limited usually resolved upward, and the players who never practiced are the ones who ended up with a tag.

Waiver wire: who gains if these names sit

• If Jake Tonges (SF) can’t go — Luke Farrell (ACT) absorbs the TE2 snaps, with Brayden Willis and Khalil Dinkins on the practice squad as elevation candidates; Kittle’s own role grows
• If Davis Allen (LAR) can’t go — Tyler Higbee (ACT) and Colby Parkinson (ACT) are already ahead of him, with Terrance Ferguson (ACT) and Max Klare (ACT) next up
• If Brock Bowers (LV) can’t go — Michael Mayer starts at tight end, with Ian Thomas as the backup (both ACT on the nfl.com roster; confirmed by Sept. 11, 2026 beat reporting). Target volume also redistributes to WRs Tre Tucker, Jalen Nailor and Jack Bech.
• If Tip Reiman (ARI) can’t go — Elijah Higgins (ACT) is TE2 behind McBride, with Hunter Long (ACT) TE3
• If Grant Calcaterra (PHI) can’t go — Johnny Mundt (#83) is the TE2 in his absence, with Eli Stowers (#87) and E.J. Jenkins (#84) rotating behind.
• If Will Mallory (IND) can’t go — Already absorbed into the Week 1 chart. MO ALIE-COX (TE2, #81) and DREW OGLETREE (TE3, #85) hold the snaps behind TYLER WARREN (TE1, #84).
• If Oscar Delp (NO) can’t go — Juwan Johnson (TE1) and Noah Fant (TE2) are the only healthy active tight ends and absorb all the snaps; Stone Smartt and Treyton Welch are the practice-squad elevation candidates
• If Joe Royer (CLE) can’t go — Carsen Ryan holds the TE3 role in his absence, behind Harold Fannin Jr. and Blake Whiteheart.
• If DJ Rogers (DAL) can’t go — Luke Schoonmaker (#86) is the TE3; James Mitchell and Michael Trigg (#46) are practice-squad options.
• If Princeton Fant (DAL) can’t go — Luke Schoonmaker (#86) is the TE3 behind Jake Ferguson and Brevyn Spann-Ford; James Mitchell and Michael Trigg (#46) are practice-squad options.
• If Carson Towt (IND) can’t go — Already absorbed. TYLER WARREN, MO ALIE-COX and DREW OGLETREE are the three active tight ends; PHARAOH BROWN is the practice-squad option.
• If Moliki Matavao (NO) can’t go — Juwan Johnson (TE1) and Noah Fant (TE2) carry the position; with Oscar Delp also Out, practice-squad TEs Stone Smartt and Treyton Welch are the only remaining depth
• If Jaren Kanak (TEN) can’t go — Already absorbed into the Week 1 chart. GUNNAR HELM (TE1, #84) is the starter, with DANIEL BELLINGER (TE2, #82), DAVID MARTIN-ROBINSON (TE3, #88) and KYLEN GRANSON (TE4, #86) behind him.
• If Eli Stowers (PHI) can’t go — Johnny Mundt (#83) is already the TE2 and absorbs the in-line/rotational snaps; E.J. Jenkins (#84) becomes the TE3.

How to read this report

These are final designations, not midweek practice notes, so they mean what they say. A few timing wrinkles still apply:

• Four teams have already played. Seattle beat New England on Wednesday and San Francisco beat the Rams in Melbourne on Thursday. For those four clubs the Week 1 question is settled — what matters is who got hurt in the game and what it means for Week 2.
• Denver and Kansas City play Monday night, so their reporting week runs a day later and their final tags file Saturday. Anything listed for them here is Friday participation with the final designation still pending.
• A player listed with no designation is good news. Several names below appear on an official report with a blank game-status column — that is a club formally declining to tag them, which is stronger than never having been listed.

Reserve-list designations — IR, PUP, Commissioner’s Exempt List — are roster transactions and are settled regardless of the day.

Hurt in a game already played (2)

These injuries happened in Wednesday’s or Thursday’s games. Week 1 is already behind these players — the question is Week 2 and beyond.

Jake Tonges — SF (TE2 behind George Kittle and the club’s primary second receiving tight end)

• Status: (c) POST-GAME injury from an already-played game – Tonges went down late in the second quarter in Melbourne and needed help off the field; he was ruled out for the remainder of the game. He remains ACT on the official roster: NO IR placement has been announced as of Sept 12, and the 49ers.com transaction log shows no move on Sept 11-12.
• Practice this week: n/a – game already played. He has not practiced since.
• Injury: MCL sprain, right knee. Kyle Shanahan: ‘It’s not an ACL. It’s MCL, I believe. But there’s some issues with it that we’ve got to see how it is,’ and separately called it ‘not good.’
• When it happened: 2026-09-10 (second quarter vs. the Rams in Melbourne)
• Typical recovery for this injury: MCL sprains range widely: Grade 1 is 1-2 weeks, Grade 2 is 3-6 weeks, Grade 3 is 8-12 weeks or longer and sometimes surgical. Shanahan’s tone and the need for help off the field point to at least Grade 2.
• Expected back to full health: Highly uncertain pending imaging – mid-October 2026 in a moderate scenario, and reporting has floated a three-month absence if it is severe
• Next game: Week 2, Sunday Sept 20 vs. the MIAMI DOLPHINS (home): expected OUT. Treat an IR placement in the coming days as a live possibility.
• Next four weeks: Out for Week 2 and very likely Weeks 3-4. If San Francisco places him on IR he is unavailable through at least Week 5.
• Who benefits if he sits: Luke Farrell (ACT) absorbs the TE2 snaps, with Brayden Willis and Khalil Dinkins on the practice squad as elevation candidates; Kittle’s own role grows
• Change since Wednesday: NEW

Fantasy takeaway: Drop him in all but the deepest TE-premium leagues – the range of outcomes runs from three weeks to three months, and Kittle already owns the receiving work.

Davis Allen — LAR (TE3 – a rotational blocking/receiving tight end behind Tyler Higbee and Colby Parkinson)

• Status: (c) POST-GAME injury from an already-played game – Allen was hit by Dre Greenlaw and Ji’Ayir Brown after a third-quarter reception, was taken to the medical tent and then CARTED to the locker room. The Rams listed him questionable to return. He remains ACT on the official roster with no IR placement announced as of Sept 12.
• Practice this week: n/a – game already played. He has not practiced since.
• Injury: Head injury / concussion. Reporting conflicts on whether he returned to the game after being carted off – treat his current status as unresolved.
• When it happened: 2026-09-10 (third quarter vs. the 49ers in Melbourne)
• Typical recovery for this injury: Concussions typically cost an NFL player 1-2 weeks, but the timeline is governed entirely by the five-step league protocol rather than the calendar – a player must clear every stage and be cleared by an independent neurological consultant
• Expected back to full health: Late September 2026 – most players clear protocol within 7-14 days, and the Rams’ Monday-night Week 2 game gives him 11 days
• Next game: Week 2, Monday Sept 21 vs. the NEW YORK GIANTS (home, MNF): UNCERTAIN, pending concussion protocol. The extra Monday-night day helps, but he must clear every protocol stage first.
• Next four weeks: Possible Week 2 return if he clears protocol; healthy Weeks 3-5 barring setbacks. Even fully cleared he is the TE3 in a crowded room.
• Who benefits if he sits: Tyler Higbee (ACT) and Colby Parkinson (ACT) are already ahead of him, with Terrance Ferguson (ACT) and Max Klare (ACT) next up
• Change since Wednesday: NEW – he was a ‘Resolved, off the report’ entry on Sept 9 and is now a concussion case

Fantasy takeaway: Not startable regardless – he is a TE3 in a five-deep room, and the concussion only removes what little touchdown-dependent appeal he had.

Ruled out or unavailable (16)

Officially ruled out, or on a reserve list. Plan around these.

Brock Bowers — LV (TE1 when healthy (verified vs nfl.com roster — status ACT, NOT on IR); Michael Mayer starts at TE in his place for Week 1)

• Status: OUT — this is (a) a FINAL GAME-STATUS DESIGNATION, filed Friday Sept 11, 2026 on the Raiders’ official final Week 1 injury report and carried on nfl.com/injuries/league/2026/reg1. It is NOT a reserve-list designation: Bowers remains on the 53-man active roster with nfl.com status ACT and has not been placed on IR.
• Practice this week: DNP
• Injury: Right knee — torn meniscus; underwent an arthroscopic procedure to trim the meniscus on Tuesday, Sept. 8, 2026
• When it happened: 2026-09-08 (procedure date; injury sustained in the days immediately prior)
• Typical recovery for this injury: Arthroscopic partial meniscectomy (a ‘trim’) typically sidelines an NFL player 2-4 weeks, with fast healers back in 10-14 days. This is the short-recovery branch of the injury. A meniscus REPAIR (stitched rather than trimmed) is the long branch at 3-4 months — all reporting indicates a trim, not a repair.
• Expected back to full health: Late September to early October 2026 (roughly Week 3-Week 5). Bowers himself floated a 1-2 week absence; beat reporting on Sept 11 called that optimistic, and HC Klint Kubiak declined to give a timeline beyond Week 1.
• Next game: OUT for Sunday, Sept. 13 vs. the Miami Dolphins. Ruled out on the final report — this is settled, not a game-time decision.
• Next four weeks: Week 1 is a confirmed zero. Week 2 is live but should be treated as unlikely-to-limited given the procedure was Sept. 8. Weeks 3-4 are the realistic return window, with a snap-count ramp rather than a full workload in his first game back. Expect the Raiders to be conservative with a franchise tight end in September.
• Who benefits if he sits: Michael Mayer starts at tight end, with Ian Thomas as the backup (both ACT on the nfl.com roster; confirmed by Sept. 11, 2026 beat reporting). Target volume also redistributes to WRs Tre Tucker, Jalen Nailor and Jack Bech.
• Change since Wednesday: DOWNGRADED — the Sept. 9 Wednesday DNP (which carried no game status) has converted to an official final OUT. Confirmed NOT an IR placement.

Fantasy takeaway: Bench Bowers in Week 1 and stream a replacement tight end; Michael Mayer is the priority waiver add as a one-to-three-week bridge with standalone TE2 value.

Tip Reiman — ARI (Blocking/move TE2 behind Trey McBride when healthy; currently on the active/PUP list)

• Status: (b) OFFICIAL reserve-list designation – PUP (active/Physically Unable to Perform) per the official nfl.com Cardinals roster, confirmed at the 53-man cutdown. Must miss the first four games by rule.
• Practice this week: n/a – on active/PUP and barred from practicing until his window opens after Week 4
• Injury: Lower-body injury carried from training camp (undisclosed by the club)
• When it happened: 2026-08-26 (placed on active/PUP at roster cutdown)
• Typical recovery for this injury: Active/PUP is a fixed 4-game minimum by rule; most PUP players return between Weeks 5 and 9 depending on the underlying injury
• Expected back to full health: Week 5 at the earliest; realistically Weeks 5-8 after a practice ramp
• Next game: Sunday, Sept 13 at the LA Chargers (Week 1): OUT – ineligible by rule
• Next four weeks: OUT for all four games by rule
• Who benefits if he sits: Elijah Higgins (ACT) is TE2 behind McBride, with Hunter Long (ACT) TE3
• Change since Wednesday: unchanged

Fantasy takeaway: Irrelevant in all but the deepest TE-premium formats – McBride absorbs essentially all of Arizona’s receiving tight end value anyway.

Grant Calcaterra — PHI (Would be TE2/TE3 in the rotation behind Dallas Goedert; currently not on the active depth chart)

• Status: Reserve/Injured, DESIGNATED TO RETURN — this is (b) an OFFICIAL RESERVE-LIST DESIGNATION, a club transaction rather than a weekly game-status tag. Out a minimum of four games. Shows as RSR/Reserve on the nfl.com roster.
• Practice this week: DNP — on Reserve/Injured, so no practice participation is filed
• Injury: Undisclosed by the club as of this pass (placed on IR with a return designation before the season)
• When it happened: Preseason 2026 (exact date not independently verified this pass)
• Typical recovery for this injury: Not assessable without a disclosed injury. The designated-to-return tag itself signals a club expectation of roughly 4–8 weeks rather than a season-ending problem.
• Expected back to full health: Eligible to return no earlier than Week 5; a realistic window is Weeks 5–8.
• Next game: Sunday Sept 13 vs. the WASHINGTON COMMANDERS (4:25 PM ET, FOX) — OUT. Ineligible on Reserve/Injured.
• Next four weeks: OUT for all four by rule — the designated-to-return minimum is four games.
• Who benefits if he sits: Johnny Mundt (#83) is the TE2 in his absence, with Eli Stowers (#87) and E.J. Jenkins (#84) rotating behind.
• Change since Wednesday: Unchanged — same Reserve/Injured, designated-to-return status as on Sept 9.

Fantasy takeaway: Not rosterable in redraft — ineligible for four games and returning behind Dallas Goedert, so only deep dynasty and TE-premium leagues should stash.

Will Mallory — IND (Not on the active depth chart – ineligible to play. When activated he projects behind Tyler Warren, Mo Alie-Cox and Drew Ogletree as a receiving-oriented TE3/TE4.)

• Status: RESERVE/INJURED – DESIGNATED TO RETURN. This is (b) an OFFICIAL RESERVE-LIST DESIGNATION, carried on nfl.com as status code RSR and on Ourlads as ‘IR^’. Minimum four games missed; eligible to return Week 5.
• Practice this week: not reported – not applicable; ineligible to practice until his 21-day window opens.
• Injury: Thumb
• When it happened: Late August 2026 (preseason / final roster-cut period).
• Typical recovery for this injury: Thumb fractures and ligament tears requiring surgical fixation in NFL players typically sideline 4-8 weeks, with 6-10 weeks before a player can catch cleanly without a protective splint. Tight ends are more affected than most positions because thumb integrity governs catch security directly. The four-game IR window matches the low end of that range almost exactly.
• Expected back to full health: Mid-to-late October 2026. He should be eligible in Week 5 and functionally sound shortly after.
• Next game: Sunday, Sept 13, 2026 vs the Baltimore Ravens – OUT. On Reserve/Injured and ineligible; cannot be activated before Week 5.
• Next four weeks: OUT for all of Weeks 1 through 4 by rule. Week 5 is the earliest return, and even then he re-enters as a depth tight end behind an established starter in Tyler Warren.
• Who benefits if he sits: Already absorbed into the Week 1 chart. MO ALIE-COX (TE2, #81) and DREW OGLETREE (TE3, #85) hold the snaps behind TYLER WARREN (TE1, #84).
• Change since Wednesday: unchanged – still on Reserve/Injured with the designated-to-return tag, still eligible in Week 5. No movement since the Sept 9 snapshot.

Fantasy takeaway: Ignore him entirely – he cannot play before Week 5 and returns to a TE room where Tyler Warren commands the receiving work.

Oscar Delp — NO (TE3 (rookie) behind Juwan Johnson and Noah Fant – verified ACT (#88) on nfl.com)

• Status: OUT – this is (a) a FINAL Friday game-status designation on the official Week 1 report
• Practice this week: DNP
• Injury: Hamstring
• When it happened: On or before 2026-09-09 (DNP on the first official Week 1 report)
• Typical recovery for this injury: Hamstring strains cost 1-3 weeks for a grade-1 and 3-6 weeks for a grade-2. A player who does not practice at all in the week of the game is typically at least two weeks away from full participation.
• Expected back to full health: Late September 2026 (roughly Weeks 3-4), assuming a routine grade-1 to grade-2 strain
• Next game: OUT at Detroit Lions (Sunday, Sept 13, 1:00 PM ET)
• Next four weeks: Miss Week 1 for certain. Hamstrings in rookies are frequently handled conservatively, so a Week 2 return would be aggressive; Weeks 3-4 is the realistic window. Even healthy he is the third tight end behind two established players.
• Who benefits if he sits: Juwan Johnson (TE1) and Noah Fant (TE2) are the only healthy active tight ends and absorb all the snaps; Stone Smartt and Treyton Welch are the practice-squad elevation candidates
• Change since Wednesday: DOWNGRADED – his Wednesday DNP (which carried no game status) has converted into a formal OUT. He did not practice at all this week.

Fantasy takeaway: Not rosterable – he is out Week 1 and buried behind two veterans even once healthy.

Joe Royer — CLE (TE4 — not on the active depth chart; Cleveland’s active tight ends are Harold Fannin Jr., Blake Whiteheart, Carsen Ryan)

• Status: Reserve/Non-Football Injury-Illness (NFI), designated to return — category (b), an official reserve-list designation (status code RSN on the nfl.com Browns roster). Note that sources describe the list slightly differently: the nfl.com code reads as Reserve/Non-Football Injury while the Aug 30 transaction wire reported it as the Non-Football Illness list. Either way it is the same reserve mechanism, it carries a return designation, and it requires a minimum four-game absence.
• Practice this week: not reported — ineligible to practice while on the reserve/NFI list
• Injury: Non-football injury or illness, unspecified. He missed the entire 2026 preseason. The condition is not football-related, which is what places him on NFI rather than IR.
• When it happened: Preseason 2026; placed on the reserve/NFI list with a return designation on Aug 30, 2026 at the 53-man cutdown
• Typical recovery for this injury: Cannot be stated meaningfully for an unspecified non-football condition; NFI placements range from a few weeks for an illness to a full season for a serious non-football injury. The four-game minimum absence is the only firm marker.
• Expected back to full health: Unknown — no public timeline. Earliest possible activation is Week 5 (early October 2026).
• Next game: OUT — ineligible for vs Jacksonville Jaguars, Sunday, Sept 13, 2026.
• Next four weeks: Out for all four by rule.
• Who benefits if he sits: Carsen Ryan holds the TE3 role in his absence, behind Harold Fannin Jr. and Blake Whiteheart.
• Change since Wednesday: unchanged — same reserve/NFI (designated to return) status.

Fantasy takeaway: Ignore in all formats — a fourth tight end on a reserve list with no return timeline.

DJ Rogers — DAL (Depth TE; not on the active depth chart)

• Status: Reserve/Injured — this is (b) an OFFICIAL RESERVE-LIST DESIGNATION, a club transaction rather than a weekly game-status tag. Listed RES on the official nfl.com roster. No return designation reported; treat as season-ending.
• Practice this week: DNP — on Reserve/Injured, so no practice participation is filed
• Injury: Undisclosed by the club as of this pass
• When it happened: Preseason 2026 (exact date not independently verified this pass)
• Typical recovery for this injury: Not assessable without a disclosed injury. An IR placement at final cuts with no return designation generally ends the player’s season.
• Expected back to full health: Unknown. Assume unavailable for 2026.
• Next game: Sunday Sept 13 vs. the NEW YORK GIANTS (8:20 PM ET, SNF) — OUT. Ineligible on Reserve/Injured.
• Next four weeks: OUT for all four and likely for the season.
• Who benefits if he sits: Luke Schoonmaker (#86) is the TE3; James Mitchell and Michael Trigg (#46) are practice-squad options.
• Change since Wednesday: Unchanged — same Reserve/Injured status as on Sept 9.

Fantasy takeaway: Irrelevant in all formats — a depth tight end on IR, listed only to close out a Sept 9 entry.

Princeton Fant — DAL (Depth TE; not on the active depth chart)

• Status: Reserve/Injured — this is (b) an OFFICIAL RESERVE-LIST DESIGNATION, a club transaction rather than a weekly game-status tag. Listed RES on the official nfl.com roster. No return designation reported; treat as season-ending.
• Practice this week: DNP — on Reserve/Injured, so no practice participation is filed
• Injury: Undisclosed by the club as of this pass
• When it happened: Preseason 2026 (exact date not independently verified this pass)
• Typical recovery for this injury: Not assessable without a disclosed injury. An IR placement at final cuts with no return designation generally ends the player’s season.
• Expected back to full health: Unknown. Assume unavailable for 2026.
• Next game: Sunday Sept 13 vs. the NEW YORK GIANTS (8:20 PM ET, SNF) — OUT. Ineligible on Reserve/Injured.
• Next four weeks: OUT for all four and likely for the season.
• Who benefits if he sits: Luke Schoonmaker (#86) is the TE3 behind Jake Ferguson and Brevyn Spann-Ford; James Mitchell and Michael Trigg (#46) are practice-squad options.
• Change since Wednesday: Unchanged — same Reserve/Injured status as on Sept 9.

Fantasy takeaway: Irrelevant in all formats — a depth tight end on IR, listed only to close out a Sept 9 entry.

Luke Musgrave — GB (Was TE depth behind Tucker Kraft and Jonnu Smith; currently NOT on the active depth chart (verified: nfl.com roster status PUP).)

• Status: RESERVE/PHYSICALLY UNABLE TO PERFORM (Reserve/PUP) – this is (b) an OFFICIAL RESERVE-LIST DESIGNATION, verified as status code PUP on nfl.com/teams/green-bay-packers/roster/ as of Sept 12 2026.
• Practice this week: not reported – players on Reserve/PUP do not practice with the team and do not appear on the weekly injury report. He is correctly absent from the Sept 11 final report.
• Injury: Neck injury
• When it happened: Summer 2026 – the injury carried over from training camp, which is what made him Reserve/PUP-eligible (he must have been unable to practice from the start of camp). Moved to the Reserve/PUP list at final roster cuts in late August 2026.
• Typical recovery for this injury: Neck injuries are among the most variable in the NFL: a cervical strain or stinger resolves in 1-3 weeks, but a disc or structural cervical issue runs 8-12 weeks to a full season, and some are career-altering. The club’s willingness to use Reserve/PUP rather than season-ending IR signals they expect a return.
• Expected back to full health: Mid-October 2026 at the earliest. Reserve/PUP requires him to miss at least the first four games; he cannot practice until Week 5 and cannot play until after a subsequent activation window. NBC Sports reported the Packers expect him to recover and play this season.
• Next game: Sunday Sept 13 at the Minnesota Vikings (4:25 PM ET) – OUT. Ineligible to play; on Reserve/PUP.
• Next four weeks: OUT for all four of Weeks 1-4 by rule. Even after activation he is buried behind Tucker Kraft and Jonnu Smith in a tight end room that also carries Josh Whyle and Mark Redman.
• Who benefits if he sits: Already covered – Tucker Kraft (ACT #85) is TE1, Jonnu Smith (ACT #18) TE2, Josh Whyle (ACT #81) TE3.
• Change since Wednesday: unchanged – still Reserve/PUP, exactly as captured in the Sept 9 baseline. No transaction since.

Fantasy takeaway: No redraft value – he is ineligible until Week 5 and would return as the fourth tight end on his own roster.

Carson Towt — IND (Not on the active depth chart – on Reserve/Injured. A developmental tight end with no established role.)

• Status: RESERVE/INJURED. This is (b) an OFFICIAL RESERVE-LIST DESIGNATION, confirmed on nfl.com as status code RES with no designated-to-return tag attached.
• Practice this week: not reported – not applicable; on Reserve/Injured.
• Injury: Undisclosed – the Colts did not publicly specify the injury at the time of placement.
• When it happened: Late August 2026 (placed on IR during the final roster-reduction period).
• Typical recovery for this injury: Cannot be estimated with any confidence because the injury was never disclosed. As a general matter, a player placed on IR at final cuts without a designated-to-return tag is out for the season or headed for an injury settlement.
• Expected back to full health: Unknown – no public timeline exists.
• Next game: Sunday, Sept 13, 2026 vs the Baltimore Ravens – OUT. On Reserve/Injured and ineligible.
• Next four weeks: OUT for all four games. With no designated-to-return tag, there is no near-term path back to the active roster.
• Who benefits if he sits: Already absorbed. TYLER WARREN, MO ALIE-COX and DREW OGLETREE are the three active tight ends; PHARAOH BROWN is the practice-squad option.
• Change since Wednesday: unchanged – still on Reserve/Injured. No movement since the Sept 9 snapshot.

Fantasy takeaway: No fantasy relevance in any format – a developmental tight end on IR with no return designation.

Ben Yurosek — MIN (Was TE depth behind T.J. Hockenson, Josh Oliver and Gavin Bartholomew; currently NOT on the active depth chart (verified: nfl.com roster status RES).)

• Status: RESERVE/INJURED (IR) – this is (b) an OFFICIAL RESERVE-LIST DESIGNATION, verified as status code RES on nfl.com/teams/minnesota-vikings/roster/ as of Sept 12 2026.
• Practice this week: not reported – players on Reserve/Injured do not practice with the team and do not appear on the weekly injury report. He is correctly absent from Minnesota’s Sept 11 final report.
• Injury: Undisclosed – the Vikings have not specified the injury type. Star Tribune’s Ben Goessling reported it is ‘not expected to be long-term.’
• When it happened: Sept 8, 2026 – placed on injured reserve that day (this was his second IR stint).
• Typical recovery for this injury: Cannot be bounded without a disclosed diagnosis. The binding constraint is procedural rather than medical: a standard in-season IR placement requires a minimum of four missed games regardless of how the injury heals.
• Expected back to full health: Mid-October 2026. Goessling reported the injury is not expected to be long-term and that Minnesota hopes he returns to provide depth later in the season, but the four-game IR minimum governs – he cannot play before Week 5.
• Next game: Sunday Sept 13 vs the Green Bay Packers (4:25 PM ET) – OUT. Ineligible to play; on Reserve/Injured.
• Next four weeks: OUT for all four of Weeks 1-4 by rule. Earliest return is Week 5, and he would come back as the fourth tight end behind Hockenson, Oliver and Bartholomew.
• Who benefits if he sits: Already covered – T.J. Hockenson (ACT #87) is TE1, Josh Oliver (ACT #84) TE2, Gavin Bartholomew (ACT #86) TE3.
• Change since Wednesday: unchanged – still RES/Reserve-Injured on the official roster, exactly as captured in the Sept 9 baseline. No transaction since.

Fantasy takeaway: No fantasy relevance in any format – ineligible until Week 5 and fourth on his own depth chart when he returns.

Moliki Matavao — NO (Depth TE – not on the active depth chart while on reserve)

• Status: (b) OFFICIAL RESERVE-LIST DESIGNATION – nfl.com’s official roster lists him RES (Reserve/Injured, no return designation, #80). Not a weekly game-status designation.
• Practice this week: not reported – players on Reserve/Injured are not listed on the weekly practice report
• Injury: Undisclosed injury sustained in the 2026 preseason
• When it happened: August 2026 (preseason)
• Typical recovery for this injury: Not applicable as a weekly question – a straight Reserve/Injured placement without a return designation ends the player’s season in almost all cases
• Expected back to full health: Not applicable for 2026 – season-ending placement
• Next game: OUT at Detroit Lions – ineligible, on season-ending Reserve/Injured
• Next four weeks: Out for the season. He cannot be activated from a straight RES placement.
• Who benefits if he sits: Juwan Johnson (TE1) and Noah Fant (TE2) carry the position; with Oscar Delp also Out, practice-squad TEs Stone Smartt and Treyton Welch are the only remaining depth
• Change since Wednesday: unchanged – still RES on the official roster.

Fantasy takeaway: Cut him everywhere – this is a season-ending designation.

Jaren Kanak — TEN (Not on the active depth chart – out for the season. A developmental/special-teams tight end behind Gunnar Helm, Daniel Bellinger, David Martin-Robinson and Kylen Granson.)

• Status: RESERVE/INJURED – SEASON-ENDING. This is (b) an OFFICIAL RESERVE-LIST DESIGNATION, confirmed on nfl.com as status code RES. Out for the 2026 season.
• Practice this week: not reported – not applicable; on season-ending Reserve/Injured.
• Injury: Pectoral (torn pectoral muscle)
• When it happened: August 2026 (training camp / preseason).
• Typical recovery for this injury: Torn pectoral muscles requiring surgical repair sideline NFL players 4-6 months, and the injury is typically season-ending when it occurs in camp or early in the year. Return to full pressing strength commonly takes 6 months or more.
• Expected back to full health: Early to mid 2027 – he should be available for the 2027 offseason program.
• Next game: Sunday, Sept 13, 2026 vs the New York Jets – OUT. On season-ending Reserve/Injured.
• Next four weeks: OUT for all four games and for the balance of the 2026 season.
• Who benefits if he sits: Already absorbed into the Week 1 chart. GUNNAR HELM (TE1, #84) is the starter, with DANIEL BELLINGER (TE2, #82), DAVID MARTIN-ROBINSON (TE3, #88) and KYLEN GRANSON (TE4, #86) behind him.
• Change since Wednesday: unchanged – still on season-ending Reserve/Injured. No movement since the Sept 9 snapshot.

Fantasy takeaway: No fantasy relevance in any format – a depth tight end on season-ending IR.

Ben Sims — MIA (Depth TE — not in the active rotation)

• Status: RESERVE/INJURED — (b) an official reserve-list designation (status code RES on the nfl.com roster).
• Practice this week: not reported — ineligible to practice while on Reserve/Injured.
• Injury: Undisclosed (club has not specified)
• When it happened: August 2026 (exact date not disclosed)
• Typical recovery for this injury: Roster status rather than a diagnosis; a designated-for-return activation requires a minimum four-game absence, and most initial-53 IR placements go the full season.
• Expected back to full health: Unknown — no published timeline.
• Next game: Week 1, Sunday Sept 13 vs Las Vegas Raiders — INELIGIBLE (Reserve/Injured).
• Next four weeks: Out for all four.
• Who benefits if he sits: Not applicable — depth TE.
• Change since Wednesday: NEW to the injury list — he was carried as Reserve/Injured in the Sept 9 depth-chart baseline but was never broken out as an injury-list entry. His roster status itself is unchanged.

Fantasy takeaway: No fantasy value in any format.

Cole Turner — MIA (Depth TE — not in the active rotation)

• Status: RESERVE/INJURED — (b) an official reserve-list designation (status code RES on the nfl.com roster), not a weekly game status.
• Practice this week: not reported — he cannot practice with the team while on Reserve/Injured.
• Injury: Undisclosed (club has not specified); placed on IR out of training camp / final cuts
• When it happened: August 2026 (exact date not disclosed)
• Typical recovery for this injury: Reserve/Injured is a roster status, not a diagnosis. A player placed on IR from the initial 53 is out for the season unless the club uses a designated-for-return slot, which requires him to miss at least four games.
• Expected back to full health: Unknown — no club timeline has been published. Earliest possible game action is Week 5 (October 2026) and only with a designated-for-return activation.
• Next game: Week 1, Sunday Sept 13 vs Las Vegas Raiders — INELIGIBLE (on Reserve/Injured).
• Next four weeks: Out for all four games. He cannot be activated before Week 5.
• Who benefits if he sits: Not applicable — Justin Joly already occupies the TE4 role he would compete for.
• Change since Wednesday: unchanged — still RES on the official roster.

Fantasy takeaway: No fantasy value — leave him on the wire.

Julian Hill — NE (Depth/blocking TE — not in the active rotation)

• Status: RESERVE/INJURED — (b) an official reserve-list designation (status code RES on the nfl.com roster).
• Practice this week: not reported — ineligible to practice while on Reserve/Injured.
• Injury: Undisclosed (club has not specified)
• When it happened: August 2026 (exact date not disclosed)
• Typical recovery for this injury: Roster status rather than a diagnosis; four-game minimum absence if designated for return, otherwise season-long.
• Expected back to full health: Unknown — no published club timeline.
• Next game: WEEK 2, Sunday Sept 20 vs Pittsburgh Steelers — INELIGIBLE (Reserve/Injured).
• Next four weeks: Out for Weeks 2-5.
• Who benefits if he sits: Not applicable — Cameron Latu and Tanner Arkin hold the TE3/TE4 roles behind Hunter Henry and Eli Raridon.
• Change since Wednesday: NEW to the injury list — carried as Reserve/Injured in the Sept 9 depth-chart baseline but never broken out as an entry. Roster status itself unchanged.

Fantasy takeaway: No fantasy value — ignore.

Questionable — game-time calls (1)

The genuine coin flips. Watch the inactives list, which posts about 90 minutes before kickoff, and have a replacement ready.

Eli Stowers — PHI (TE3 — behind Dallas Goedert and Johnny Mundt; rotational/situational role with Grant Calcaterra on Reserve/Injured)

• Status: QUESTIONABLE — this is (a) a FINAL Friday game-status designation on the Eagles’ official Week 1 report dated Friday Sept 11, 2026. Confirmed on nfl.com/injuries/league/2026/reg1 and Sept 12 reporting.
• Practice this week: Limited — Wednesday Limited, Thursday Limited, Friday Limited
• Injury: Hamstring
• When it happened: On the report from the first Week 1 practice, Wednesday Sept 9, 2026
• Typical recovery for this injury: Hamstring strain: Grade 1 roughly 1–2 weeks; Grade 2 roughly 3–6 weeks; Grade 3 / tendon avulsion 8–12 weeks or surgical. Three straight Limited practices without progression to Full is most consistent with a Grade 1 to low Grade 2.
• Expected back to full health: Likely off the report within 1–3 weeks. Hamstrings are notably prone to re-injury, so expect the Eagles to ramp him rather than restore a full rotational workload immediately.
• Next game: Sunday Sept 13 vs. the WASHINGTON COMMANDERS (4:25 PM ET, FOX) — TRUE COIN FLIP leaning play. Stowers himself said ‘I believe so, that’s the plan, so I’m excited’ about the opener, but he never practiced in full. One widely-read preview projected him inactive; that was a writer’s projection from a Wednesday/Thursday snapshot, not the club’s designation, which is Questionable.
• Next four weeks: Marginal either way. Even fully healthy he is the TE3 behind Goedert and Mundt. Calcaterra’s eventual return from IR (minimum four games) squeezes him further.
• Who benefits if he sits: Johnny Mundt (#83) is already the TE2 and absorbs the in-line/rotational snaps; E.J. Jenkins (#84) becomes the TE3.
• Change since Wednesday: DOWNGRADED (on paper). On Sept 9 he was an official practice-report entry with no game status; Wednesday’s Limited converted into a formal QUESTIONABLE on the final Friday report. Practice participation never improved from Limited across all three days.

Fantasy takeaway: Irrelevant in redraft — he is a TE3 on a Dallas Goedert team, so the only actionable read here is that Goedert’s target share is safe regardless of how Stowers’ Questionable resolves.

Cleared — listed this week but carrying no designation (18)

The good news. Every player here carried an injury at some point this week and finished it without a designation.

Sam LaPorta — DET (TE1 / starter (verified: nfl.com roster ACT #87; Ourlads lists him first))

• Status: Resolved – off the injury report. Confirmed ABSENT from Detroit’s FINAL Friday Sept 11 injury report on both nfl.com/injuries/league/2026/reg1 and detroitlions.com (posted Sept 11, 3:45 PM). No designation of any kind.
• Practice this week: Full – not listed on any day of the Week 1 injury report.
• Injury: None active
• When it happened: N/A
• Typical recovery for this injury: N/A – no active injury
• Expected back to full health: Already at full health as of Sept 11-12, 2026
• Next game: Sunday Sept 13 vs the New Orleans Saints (1:00 PM ET) – ACTIVE, no designation, expected to start.
• Next four weeks: Fully healthy TE1 through Weeks 1-4 with no usage restriction of any kind.
• Who benefits if he sits: Brock Wright (ACT #89), then Tyler Conklin (ACT #83).
• Change since Wednesday: unchanged – was already verified off Detroit’s Wednesday Sept 9 report in the baseline, and remains off the FINAL Friday report.

Fantasy takeaway: Start him with total confidence – Detroit listed zero offensive skill players on its final injury report.

Tucker Kraft — GB (TE1 / starter (verified: nfl.com roster ACT #85; Ourlads lists him first))

• Status: Resolved – off the injury report. Confirmed ABSENT from Green Bay’s FINAL Friday Sept 11 injury report on both nfl.com/injuries/league/2026/reg1 and the vikings.com official Week 1 final report (which lists both clubs). No designation of any kind.
• Practice this week: Full – not listed on any day of the Week 1 injury report.
• Injury: None active
• When it happened: N/A
• Typical recovery for this injury: N/A – no active injury
• Expected back to full health: Already at full health as of Sept 11-12, 2026
• Next game: Sunday Sept 13 at the Minnesota Vikings (4:25 PM ET) – ACTIVE, no designation, expected to start.
• Next four weeks: Healthy TE1 through Weeks 1-4. With Josh Jacobs unavailable and Green Bay leaning on a committee backfield, Kraft’s target share should be robust early.
• Who benefits if he sits: Jonnu Smith (ACT #18), then Josh Whyle (ACT #81).
• Change since Wednesday: unchanged – was already verified off Green Bay’s Wednesday Sept 9 report in the baseline, and remains off the FINAL Friday report.

Fantasy takeaway: Start him as a locked-in TE1 – fully healthy, and the Jacobs absence should funnel extra volume his way.

Tyler Warren — IND (TE1 – the clear starting tight end and a featured receiving weapon, listed first on the colts.com Week 1 chart)

• Status: Resolved – off the injury report
• Practice this week: Full – not listed on the Colts’ Week 1 practice report at any point, Wednesday through Friday.
• Injury: None active – the August 2026 abductor/groin strain has fully resolved.
• When it happened: Prior issue: August 19, 2026 (abductor strain sustained in a joint practice with Atlanta). No active injury as of Week 1.
• Typical recovery for this injury: n/a – no active injury. For reference, the mild abductor strain class he sustained typically costs 2-3 weeks, which is exactly what it cost him.
• Expected back to full health: Currently at full health. He returned to practice in early September and was never listed during Week 1 preparation.
• Next game: Sunday, Sept 13, 2026 vs the Baltimore Ravens – WILL PLAY, fully healthy, no designation.
• Next four weeks: Expected to play all four games as the featured tight end. The only residual concern is that groin and adductor strains recur at an elevated rate, so a maintenance day on a short week would not be surprising – but nothing currently indicates a problem.
• Who benefits if he sits: MO ALIE-COX (TE2, ACT, #81), with DREW OGLETREE (TE3, #85) behind him. Neither would replicate Warren’s receiving role.
• Change since Wednesday: RESOLVED – now off the report, and this holds through the final Friday report. He never appeared on any Week 1 practice report.

Fantasy takeaway: Start him with full confidence as a every-week TE1 – he is completely off the injury report and the abductor strain is behind him.

Tyler Higbee — LAR (TE1 – listed first among tight ends on the official nfl.com Rams roster)

• Status: Resolved – off the injury report. The Sept 9 baseline had him as a DNP practice-report entry, but the official final Week 1 report shows him a FULL participant with NO injury listed and NO game designation. He played.
• Practice this week: n/a – game already played (full participant beforehand)
• Injury: None active – the earlier practice-report entry resolved before kickoff
• When it happened: Early September 2026 (practice-report entry only)
• Typical recovery for this injury: n/a – no time was missed
• Expected back to full health: Already healthy as of Sept 9
• Next game: Week 2, Monday Sept 21 vs. the NEW YORK GIANTS (home, MNF): expected to PLAY, no designation
• Next four weeks: Healthy for all four, and his role grows if Davis Allen stays in concussion protocol
• Who benefits if he sits: Colby Parkinson (ACT) would lead the tight end room, with Terrance Ferguson (ACT) and Max Klare (ACT) behind him
• Change since Wednesday: RESOLVED – now off the report, and an upward correction to the baseline’s DNP entry

Fantasy takeaway: Healthy and the starting tight end, but a touchdown-dependent low-end TE2 in an offense that funnels through Nacua and Adams.

AJ Barner — SEA (TE1 ahead of Elijah Arroyo and Eric Saubert)

• Status: Resolved – off the injury report. He was listed on Seattle’s Sept 9 practice report but does NOT appear on the official nfl.com league Week 1 injury report, carried no game designation, was active and played.
• Practice this week: n/a – game already played (full participant beforehand)
• Injury: Undisclosed minor issue that produced a practice-report entry only; fully resolved
• When it happened: Early September 2026 (practice-report entry only)
• Typical recovery for this injury: n/a – no time was missed
• Expected back to full health: Already healthy as of Sept 9
• Next game: Week 2, Sunday Sept 20 at the Arizona Cardinals: expected to PLAY, no designation
• Next four weeks: Healthy and the starting tight end throughout, though the Darnold-to-Lock change and Jaxon Smith-Njigba’s target dominance cap his ceiling
• Who benefits if he sits: Elijah Arroyo (ACT) would step into the TE1 role, with Eric Saubert (ACT) behind him
• Change since Wednesday: RESOLVED – now off the report

Fantasy takeaway: Healthy but a low-end TE2 – Smith-Njigba is commanding the targets and a backup QB narrows the field further.

George Kittle — SF (TE1, unquestioned – and now, with Jake Tonges hurt, the only proven receiving tight end on the roster)

• Status: Resolved – off the injury report. He was REMOVED from San Francisco’s injury report before Week 1 and carried NO game designation on the official nfl.com league report. He PLAYED in Melbourne on Sept 10.
• Practice this week: n/a – game already played. He had been limited through the prior week and was cleared with no designation.
• Injury: Achilles – the 2025 tear he is returning from. No new injury; he came out of the Melbourne game healthy.
• When it happened: 2025 season (original tear); cleared and off the report as of Sept 10, 2026
• Typical recovery for this injury: A torn Achilles typically costs an NFL player 9-12 months, with explosiveness and change-of-direction often not fully back until 12-18 months post-surgery
• Expected back to full health: He is cleared and playing now; expect his snap count and route volume to build through late September as the club eases him back
• Next game: Week 2, Sunday Sept 20 vs. the MIAMI DOLPHINS (home): expected to PLAY with no designation, and likely a larger role than Week 1 now that Tonges is out
• Next four weeks: Playing all four, with production trending up. The snap-count caution that limited him in Week 1 should ease, and Tonges’s MCL injury removes the tight end who would have taken snaps from him.
• Who benefits if he sits: Luke Farrell (ACT) is now TE2 with Tonges hurt; Brayden Willis and Khalil Dinkins are practice-squad options
• Change since Wednesday: UPGRADED – he was an official practice-report entry (limited) on Sept 9 and has since been removed from the injury report entirely and played

Fantasy takeaway: Hold and start him – the 2 catches for 12 yards was a deliberate Week 1 easing-in, not a red flag, and Tonges’s injury clears the path for his volume to climb from Week 2 on.

Ben Sinnott — WAS (Backup behind Chig Okonkwo on the TE1 line of the club’s two-tight-end depth chart)

• Status: NO DESIGNATION — he appears on the Commanders’ final Friday Sept 11 report with a BLANK Game Status column. Stating explicitly per instruction: blank Game Status means NO designation, which is GOOD NEWS. This is (a) a final Friday game-status filing with an empty status field.
• Practice this week: Full — Wednesday Full, Thursday Full, Friday Full
• Injury: Oblique
• When it happened: On the report from the first Week 1 practice, Wednesday Sept 9, 2026
• Typical recovery for this injury: Oblique/abdominal strain: mild cases 1–2 weeks; moderate strains 3–6 weeks. Obliques are notoriously slow for rotational athletes, but full practice participation all week points to the mild end.
• Expected back to full health: Already functionally healthy. Watch for recurrence — obliques re-aggravate readily with contact and blocking torque.
• Next game: Sunday Sept 13 at the PHILADELPHIA EAGLES (4:25 PM ET, FOX) — PLAYING. No designation.
• Next four weeks: Available all four in a rotational role. Chig Okonkwo is the pass-catching TE1 in this offense.
• Who benefits if he sits: Chig Okonkwo (#85) already holds the receiving TE role; John Bates (#87) and Colson Yankoff (#80) handle the second TE line.
• Change since Wednesday: Unchanged. Sept 9 practice-report entry with no game status; still Full participation and a blank Game Status on the final Friday report.

Fantasy takeaway: Not startable — he is healthy but behind Chig Okonkwo, so this entry matters only as confirmation that Washington’s tight end room is intact.

John Bates — WAS (TE2-line starter (blocking tight end) on the Commanders’ two-tight-end depth chart)

• Status: Resolved — off the injury report. He does not appear on the Commanders’ final Friday Sept 11 report and carries no designation of any kind.
• Practice this week: not reported — not on the injury report
• Injury: None reported
• When it happened: N/A
• Typical recovery for this injury: N/A — no active injury
• Expected back to full health: Healthy now
• Next game: Sunday Sept 13 at the PHILADELPHIA EAGLES (4:25 PM ET, FOX) — PLAYING. No designation.
• Next four weeks: Available all four in a blocking-first role with minimal target volume.
• Who benefits if he sits: Colson Yankoff (#80) backs him on the TE2 line; Jack Westover is the practice-squad option.
• Change since Wednesday: Unchanged — off the report on Sept 9 and still off it on the final Friday report.

Fantasy takeaway: Not rosterable in any format — a blocking tight end with no target path, listed here only to close out a Sept 9 entry.

Adam Trautman — DEN (TE2 behind Evan Engram (verified vs nfl.com roster — status ACT))

• Status: Resolved — off the injury report. Trautman does not appear on Denver’s official Week 1 injury reports (Thursday Sept. 10 or Friday Sept. 11, 2026). Marvin Mims Jr. is the only Bronco listed.
• Practice this week: Full
• Injury: None currently — no active injury designation
• When it happened: not applicable — no current injury
• Typical recovery for this injury: not applicable — no current injury
• Expected back to full health: Healthy now.
• Next game: ACTIVE, no designation, for Monday, Sept. 14 vs. Kansas City (MNF).
• Next four weeks: Available all four weeks, but as a blocking-first TE2 behind Evan Engram he has minimal receiving upside in Denver’s offense.
• Who benefits if he sits: Nate Adkins, then Dallen Bentley.
• Change since Wednesday: RESOLVED — now off the injury report. Flagged Sept. 9 as unofficial with participation unclear; Denver’s two official filings do not list him.

Fantasy takeaway: No fantasy relevance in standard leagues — healthy, but he is the TE2 behind Engram; ignore.

Will Kacmarek — MIA (TE2 behind Greg Dulcich; rotational inline/blocking role with situational routes)

• Status: NO GAME-STATUS DESIGNATION — (a) he appears on the FINAL Friday Sept 11 report as a practice-participation entry only. Miami assigned no Out/Doubtful/Questionable tag to any player, so he is cleared to play.
• Practice this week: Full (Friday Sept 11). Full week: Limited Wed → Limited Thu → Full Fri.
• Injury: Calf strain
• When it happened: Early September 2026 (first appeared on the Sept 9 Wednesday report as Limited)
• Typical recovery for this injury: Calf strains: Grade 1 roughly 1-2 weeks, Grade 2 roughly 3-6 weeks, Grade 3 8-12 weeks. Progressing from Limited to Full inside three days is the signature of a Grade 1 — effectively resolved.
• Expected back to full health: Already effectively full as of Friday Sept 11, 2026.
• Next game: Week 1, Sunday Sept 13 vs Las Vegas Raiders — AVAILABLE, no designation. HC Jeff Hafley said Friday he expects Kacmarek to play.
• Next four weeks: No restriction expected Weeks 1-4. Calf strains do carry a re-aggravation tail, so a random Wednesday Limited over the next month would not be alarming.
• Who benefits if he sits: Seydou Traore would absorb the TE2 snaps, with Justin Joly as TE3.
• Change since Wednesday: UPGRADED — the Sept 9 Wednesday Limited converted to a Friday Full and, critically, to NO final designation rather than a Questionable.

Fantasy takeaway: He’s healthy but he’s the TE2 behind Greg Dulcich — waiver-wire depth only in deep TE-premium leagues.

Theo Johnson — NYG (TE2 — behind Isaiah Likely, ahead of Chris Manhertz and Thomas Fidone II)

• Status: NO DESIGNATION — he appears on the Giants’ final Friday Sept 11 report with a BLANK Game Status column. Stating this explicitly per instruction: blank Game Status means NO designation, which is GOOD NEWS — he is cleared to play. This is (a) a final Friday game-status filing with an intentionally empty status field.
• Practice this week: Full — Wednesday Full, Thursday Full, Friday Full
• Injury: Shoulder
• When it happened: On the report from the first Week 1 practice, Wednesday Sept 9, 2026
• Typical recovery for this injury: Minor shoulder strain/contusion or AC joint irritation: roughly 0–2 weeks with no missed time when the player practices in full. A Grade 2 AC sprain would be 2–4 weeks; nothing about three Full practices suggests that severity.
• Expected back to full health: Already functionally healthy — three Full practices and no designation. Expect him off the report entirely by Week 2.
• Next game: Sunday Sept 13 vs. the DALLAS COWBOYS (8:20 PM ET, SNF) — PLAYING. No designation.
• Next four weeks: Available all four. His fantasy ceiling is capped by role, not health — Isaiah Likely is the clear TE1 in this offense.
• Who benefits if he sits: Chris Manhertz (#85) would take the blocking-TE snaps and Thomas Fidone II (#86) the receiving snaps, but Isaiah Likely (#9) would absorb the meaningful targets.
• Change since Wednesday: Unchanged, and confirmed clean. He was a Sept 9 practice-report entry with no game status and remains exactly that on the final Friday report — Full participation all three days, blank Game Status.

Fantasy takeaway: No action needed — he is healthy but stuck as the TE2 behind Isaiah Likely, so he stays a waiver-wire name rather than a starter.

Kenyon Sadiq — NYJ (TE2 behind Mason Taylor — rookie first-round pick with a growing route-running role)

• Status: NO GAME-STATUS DESIGNATION — (a) a FINAL Friday Sept 11 practice-participation entry with a groin listing and no Out/Doubtful/Questionable tag; cleared to play.
• Practice this week: Full (Friday Sept 11). Full week: Full Wed → Full Thu → Full Fri — a full participant throughout.
• Injury: Groin (maintenance listing — never limited)
• When it happened: Early September 2026
• Typical recovery for this injury: Groin/adductor strains run 1-2 weeks (Grade 1) up to 3-6 weeks (Grade 2). Three full practices indicate no functional limitation and effectively no recovery time needed.
• Expected back to full health: Already fully healthy as of Friday Sept 11, 2026.
• Next game: Week 1, Sunday Sept 13 vs Tennessee Titans — AVAILABLE, no designation.
• Next four weeks: Available Weeks 1-4. As a rookie first-rounder behind Mason Taylor, his snap share should climb across the month — health is not the limiting factor.
• Who benefits if he sits: Jeremy Ruckert would take the TE2 snaps, with Jelani Woods as TE4.
• Change since Wednesday: UPGRADED / effectively resolved — the Sept 9 Wednesday Full held through Friday with NO final designation.

Fantasy takeaway: A dynasty stash whose health is now a non-issue — in redraft he needs Mason Taylor’s role to shrink before he matters.

Erick All Jr. — CIN (TE3 behind Drew Sample and Mike Gesicki — verified on Ourlads and ACT on the nfl.com Bengals roster)

• Status: Resolved — off the injury report. He carries no designation of any kind: not on the Wednesday, Thursday or Friday Week 1 practice report, not on nfl.com/injuries/league/2026/reg1, and listed ACT (not PUP, not NFI, not IR) on the nfl.com Bengals roster. Cincinnati has stated he will be used with no restrictions in Week 1.
• Practice this week: not reported — he is absent from the injury report entirely, which under NFL rules means full, unrestricted participation
• Injury: None active. His history is a prior major knee injury (ACL) that cost him most of the 2024-25 stretch; he returned to the field in the 2026 preseason and has been cleared without limitation since.
• When it happened: n/a — no current injury. The underlying knee injury dates to the 2024 season.
• Typical recovery for this injury: n/a for Week 1. For reference, ACL reconstruction in an NFL skill player typically costs 9-12 months to return and 12-18 months to full pre-injury explosiveness; All is well beyond both markers and is medically cleared with no snap cap.
• Expected back to full health: Already at full health — cleared with no restrictions entering the 2026 opener.
• Next game: Active and unrestricted — vs Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Sunday, Sept 13, 2026, 1:00 PM ET. No designation.
• Next four weeks: Healthy but buried. He is TE3 in a room where Drew Sample blocks and Mike Gesicki runs the routes, so availability is not his problem — opportunity is. If Gesicki misses time, All becomes a streaming-relevant name; otherwise he is a bench stash at best over Weeks 1-4.
• Who benefits if he sits: Jack Endries (TE4). Not applicable — All is healthy and active.
• Change since Wednesday: unchanged — he was already off the injury report on Sept 9 and remains off it, now with explicit club confirmation of no Week 1 restrictions.

Fantasy takeaway: Leave him on waivers in redraft: he is fully healthy but third in line for tight end targets, so his health news is a dynasty datapoint rather than a Week 1 start.

Luke Schoonmaker — DAL (TE3 — behind Jake Ferguson and Brevyn Spann-Ford on the official Cowboys depth chart)

• Status: NO DESIGNATION — he appears on the Cowboys’ final Friday Sept 11 report with a BLANK Game Status column. Stating this explicitly per instruction: blank Game Status means NO designation, which is GOOD NEWS. Important qualifier: his report entry is ‘NIR — Personal’ (Not Injury Related), so this is not an injury at all. This is (a) a final Friday game-status filing, status field empty.
• Practice this week: DNP — he did not participate Thursday Sept 10 or Friday Sept 11, both logged as Not Injury Related / personal
• Injury: NONE — Not Injury Related (personal matter). The Cowboys explicitly stated the absence was not injury related.
• When it happened: N/A — first listed Thursday, September 10, 2026 as NIR-Personal
• Typical recovery for this injury: N/A — no injury to recover from. Personal-matter absences carry no medical timeline and typically resolve within days.
• Expected back to full health: He is healthy now. The only question is availability, which is a personal-circumstances question rather than a medical one.
• Next game: Sunday Sept 13 vs. the NEW YORK GIANTS (8:20 PM ET, SNF) — no designation, so formally available, but note he missed two straight practices for personal reasons. Confirm via the Sunday inactives list roughly 90 minutes before the 8:20 PM ET kickoff.
• Next four weeks: Expected available for all four with no medical restriction. His role, not his health, is the limiter — Brevyn Spann-Ford has taken over as TE2.
• Who benefits if he sits: Brevyn Spann-Ford (#89) is already ahead of him as TE2; James Mitchell (practice squad) or Michael Trigg (#46, practice squad) would be the elevation candidates for a third TE.
• Change since Wednesday: NEW — he was not on the Sept 9 (Wednesday) report. He was added Thursday Sept 10 as a DNP for a personal reason and finished the week with no game-status designation. Flagged here only because a new DNP on a final report would otherwise look alarming; it is not an injury.

Fantasy takeaway: Not rosterable — he is the TE3 behind Jake Ferguson and Brevyn Spann-Ford, and his absence is personal rather than injury, so there is no downstream fantasy consequence.

Andrew ‘Drew’ Ogletree — IND (TE3 on the colts.com Week 1 chart, behind Tyler Warren and Mo Alie-Cox; a blocking-first tight end with limited receiving usage)

• Status: NO DESIGNATION – CLEARED. This is (a) a final Friday game-status outcome: listed on the official Sept 11 report as a full participant with NO game-status tag assigned. Confirmed available.
• Practice this week: Full (Friday Sept 11). Full week: Limited Wednesday, then Full participation through Friday.
• Injury: Neck
• When it happened: Early September 2026 – first surfaced on the Colts’ Wednesday Sept 9 practice report; no acute game or practice incident was publicly identified.
• Typical recovery for this injury: Minor neck strains and stingers/burners in NFL players typically resolve in a few days to 2 weeks once symptoms and strength normalize. The class is unusual in that clearance is binary – a player is either symptom-free with full strength and plays, or is held out entirely. More serious cervical injuries (disc, stenosis) run 6 weeks to season-ending, but Ogletree’s rapid return to full participation rules that tier out.
• Expected back to full health: Already healthy. Full participation by Thursday and Friday with no designation indicates the issue is resolved.
• Next game: Sunday, Sept 13, 2026 vs the Baltimore Ravens – WILL PLAY, no designation, no restriction.
• Next four weeks: Expected to play all four games in his established TE3 role. No lingering risk is indicated. Neck issues can recur on contact, but nothing in the reporting suggests an ongoing problem.
• Who benefits if he sits: MO ALIE-COX (TE2, ACT, #81) absorbs the in-line blocking snaps; TYLER WARREN (TE1) is unaffected as the receiving tight end. Practice-squad TE PHARAOH BROWN would be the elevation candidate if Indianapolis needed a third body.
• Change since Wednesday: UPGRADED. On Sept 9 he was Limited with no final status. He returned to full participation Thursday and Friday and that Wednesday Limited converted to NO FINAL DESIGNATION. Effectively resolved.

Fantasy takeaway: No fantasy action required – he is healthy but remains a blocking TE3 with no standalone value in any format.

Seydou Traore — MIA (TE3 behind Greg Dulcich and Will Kacmarek)

• Status: NO GAME-STATUS DESIGNATION — (a) a FINAL Friday Sept 11 practice-participation entry with no Out/Doubtful/Questionable tag; cleared to play.
• Practice this week: Full (Friday Sept 11). Full week: Full Wed → Full Thu → Full Fri.
• Injury: Thumb / Achilles (both listed on Miami’s official report — maintenance entries, he has practiced in full every day)
• When it happened: Training camp / early September 2026 (carried as a maintenance listing)
• Typical recovery for this injury: Non-surgical thumb sprains: 1-3 weeks (4-6 with a fracture requiring a cast). Achilles tendinopathy/soreness, as distinct from a rupture: days to 2 weeks with load management. Full participation on all three days indicates neither is functionally limiting.
• Expected back to full health: Already practicing in full; no meaningful limitation as of Sept 11, 2026.
• Next game: Week 1, Sunday Sept 13 vs Las Vegas Raiders — AVAILABLE, no designation.
• Next four weeks: Available throughout Weeks 1-4 barring a new injury. The Achilles listing is worth a passive watch only — a genuine Achilles problem escalating would be a separate, far more serious story.
• Who benefits if he sits: Justin Joly would move up to TE3.
• Change since Wednesday: unchanged — Full on Wednesday, Full on Friday, no designation either day.

Fantasy takeaway: Third on the tight end depth chart with no designation — no redraft relevance.

Brevin Jordan — HOU (TE5 – the fifth tight end behind Dalton Schultz, Foster Moreau, Marlin Klein and Cade Stover. He has slipped down the chart, in part because of the knee issue he was managing in August.)

• Status: Resolved – off the injury report
• Practice this week: Full – not listed on any Texans Week 1 practice report, Wednesday through Friday.
• Injury: None active – the August 2026 knee issue that had him listed day-to-day has resolved.
• When it happened: Prior issue: early August 2026 (day-to-day knee). No active injury as of Week 1.
• Typical recovery for this injury: n/a – no active injury. For reference, the minor knee sprain class he was managing typically resolves in 1-3 weeks, which matches his return to full participation.
• Expected back to full health: Currently at full health.
• Next game: Sunday, Sept 13, 2026 vs the Buffalo Bills – available and healthy, no designation, though as TE5 he may be a game-day inactive for depth reasons rather than health reasons.
• Next four weeks: Healthy, but buried at TE5 with essentially no path to offensive snaps behind Schultz, Moreau and a rising Marlin Klein. Worth noting his career injury history – he has previously lost seasons to a torn ACL and a separate camp knee injury – which makes him a recurrence candidate.
• Who benefits if he sits: Irrelevant to the offense at TE5; CADE STOVER (#8) sits directly ahead of him.
• Change since Wednesday: RESOLVED – now off the report. Confirmed absent from all three Texans Week 1 practice reports. IMPORTANT SOURCING NOTE: multiple ‘Brevin Jordan suffers season-ending injury’ articles surface in search and are STALE (August 2025); he is healthy and on the ACTIVE 2026 roster.

Fantasy takeaway: No fantasy relevance – healthy, but a TE5 who may not even dress.

Terrance Ferguson — LAR (Rotational tight end behind Higbee, Parkinson and Allen)

• Status: Resolved – off the injury report. Not listed on the Rams’ official Week 1 injury report and carried no designation.
• Practice this week: n/a – game already played (full participant beforehand)
• Injury: None active
• When it happened: n/a
• Typical recovery for this injury: n/a – no injury
• Expected back to full health: Currently healthy
• Next game: Week 2, Monday Sept 21 vs. the New York Giants: expected to PLAY, no designation
• Next four weeks: Healthy, with a modest snap bump available while Davis Allen is in concussion protocol
• Who benefits if he sits: Max Klare (ACT); Dan Villari is a practice-squad elevation option
• Change since Wednesday: unchanged – remains off the report

Fantasy takeaway: Not startable – he is fourth in a five-deep tight end room even with Allen hurt.

Rosters and depth charts for all 32 teams were verified against official league roster pages before this report was compiled, and every player listed was confirmed to be on the roster shown. Designations come from the final official club and league injury reports filed Friday, September 11, 2026. Recovery timelines describe how long a class of injury typically sidelines an NFL player and are not a prediction for any individual.

NFL Week 1 Fantasy Football Injury Report Friday TE first appeared on Game On Media.

Tight end is thin enough that a single absence reshapes the position, and Week 1 delivered one: the consensus TE1 had a knee procedure this week. Below that, most of the position’s August scares have cleared.

What changed since the weekend

Clubs filed their first official injury reports of the season on Wednesday, which replaces the guesswork of the preseason with real practice participation. Across the 33 tight ends on this board: 6 are new to the report, 7 improved, 0 got worse, and 8 cleared entirely and are no longer listed by their teams.

How to read this report

Week 1 spans six days, so teams are at different points in their reporting week and their designations do not mean the same thing:

• Seattle–New England played Wednesday, September 9. Those teams have final designations and published inactives.
• San Francisco–LA Rams play Thursday, September 10 in Melbourne — final or near-final.
• Everyone else plays Sunday, September 13 or Monday, September 14. Their Wednesday filing is practice participation only. Final Out/Doubtful/Questionable tags land Friday, September 11. A Wednesday “Full” is a strong signal, not a guarantee.

Anything on the reserve list — IR, PUP, Commissioner’s Exempt List — is an official roster transaction and is settled regardless of the day.

Ruled out or unavailable (12)

Official reserve-list designations and confirmed absences. Plan around these.

Tip Reiman — ARI (Not on the active roster — would be the TE2 blocking tight end behind Trey McBride)

• Wednesday practice: DNP
• Official status: (c) Official reserve-list designation — Reserve/PUP. Official team filing made at the Aug 26, 2026 cutdown to 53; nfl.com’s official roster confirms PUP today.
• Injury: Ankle, surgically repaired
• When it happened: 2026-06-15 (approximate — offseason surgery ahead of camp)
• Typical recovery for this injury: Surgically repaired ankles typically sideline an NFL player 3-5 months, with tight ends needing extra time to regain push-off strength for blocking.
• Expected back to full health: October to November 2026
• Week 1: OUT for Sunday, Sept 13 at the Chargers. On reserve/PUP he must miss the first four games and cannot be activated before Week 5.
• Weeks 1-4: Ineligible for all four games by rule. A blocking tight end with minimal receiving usage, so his return has little fantasy consequence either way.
• Who benefits if he sits: Elijah Higgins is the TE2 in his absence, with Hunter Long as the No. 3 behind Trey McBride
• Change since the weekend: unchanged

Fantasy takeaway: Irrelevant for fantasy — ineligible until Week 5 and a blocking specialist when he does return. His absence marginally helps Trey McBride’s route share.

Grant Calcaterra — PHI (Reserve/Injured (designated to return) – occupies no active depth-chart position. Would compete with Johnny Mundt for TE2 snaps on return. Verified reserve status on nfl.com roster.)

• Wednesday practice: DNP (on Reserve/Injured – not eligible to practice with the team until his return window opens)
• Official status: (c) OFFICIAL RESERVE-LIST DESIGNATION – Reserve/Injured, DESIGNATED TO RETURN, listed as such on the Eagles’ initial 53-man roster cycle and officially placed on IR 2026-09-01. He must miss a MINIMUM OF FOUR GAMES (through Week 4) before activation, and does not appear on the weekly practice report.
• Injury: Back injury per the Sept 6 baseline. NOTE ON SOURCING: the reporting confirming his 09/01/2026 IR placement explicitly states the injury was not disclosed by the club (‘It is unclear what injury he is dealing with’), so the ‘back’ characterization is carried forward from the baseline and is NOT independently confirmed by an official source. Treat the specific diagnosis as unverified; the IR placement itself is fully confirmed.
• When it happened: Late August 2026 (preseason; IR placement 2026-09-01)
• Typical recovery for this injury: Non-surgical lumbar back injury (disc irritation or facet/muscular strain) in a tight end: 4-8 weeks, occasionally longer if there is nerve involvement, and recurrence is common under blocking load. The four-game administrative minimum and a back injury’s typical timeline line up closely, so a Week 5-7 return is the realistic band.
• Expected back to full health: October 2026 – earliest activation is Week 5, with Weeks 5-7 the realistic return band
• Week 1: OUT for Sunday, Sept 13 (4:25 PM ET vs. Washington) – ineligible on Reserve/Injured
• Weeks 1-4: Weeks 1-4: OUT for all four, mandatory. Earliest return Week 5, and he would come back into a TE room where Goedert holds the receiving work and Mundt has the No. 2 snaps.
• Who benefits if he sits: Already replaced – Johnny Mundt (TE, ACT) is TE2, with rookie Eli Stowers (TE, ACT) as TE3 and E.J. Jenkins (TE, ACT) as TE4
• Change since the weekend: unchanged

Fantasy takeaway: Drop in redraft – a mandatory four-game absence with an undisclosed back injury and no clear role waiting for him.

Luke Musgrave — GB (Would be the TE3/TE4 in a room already fronted by Tucker Kraft and Jonnu Smith; currently off the active depth chart.)

• Wednesday practice: Not applicable – Reserve/PUP players cannot practice until their Week 5 window opens.
• Official status: (c) OFFICIAL RESERVE-LIST DESIGNATION – Reserve/Physically Unable to Perform. Verified as status code ‘PUP’ on nfl.com/teams/green-bay-packers/roster/ and by the club’s Aug. 30 transaction. Reserve/PUP mandates a minimum four-game absence and is outside the weekly game-status process.
• Injury: Neck injury sustained during June 2026 minicamp. He did not practice at any point in training camp or the preseason. GM Brian Gutekunst said he is ‘really hopeful’ Musgrave plays at some point in 2026 but set no timeline, and the team’s signing of Jonnu Smith as insurance signals he is far from a lock to be activated when first eligible.
• When it happened: June 2026 (minicamp); placed on Reserve/PUP Aug. 30, 2026.
• Typical recovery for this injury: Highly variable by pathology and the single least predictable class of injury in football. A cervical strain or stinger costs 1-4 weeks; a disc issue requiring surgery costs 3-6 months plus a clearance process; a structural cervical finding can end a season or a career. The team’s refusal to give a timeline after three-plus months is the tell.
• Expected back to full health: Genuinely unknown. First eligible to be activated in Week 5, but no medical clearance has been reported and the front office language is hopeful rather than definite.
• Week 1: OUT for Sunday, Sept. 13 at Minnesota, and ineligible through at least Week 4 by rule.
• Weeks 1-4: Out for all four by rule. Even after Week 5 eligibility, activation is speculative – a neck case with no timeline this deep into the calendar frequently extends much further.
• Who benefits if he sits: Josh Whyle is the TE3 in his absence, behind Kraft and Jonnu Smith; Mark Redman is fourth.
• Change since the weekend: unchanged – still Reserve/PUP with no reported change in status or timeline.

Fantasy takeaway: Not rosterable – he is buried behind two established tight ends even at full health, and the neck situation has no timeline.

Ben Yurosek — MIN (Was the TE3 on the Sept 6 baseline chart behind T.J. Hockenson and Josh Oliver; now off the active depth chart entirely, which promotes Gavin Bartholomew to TE3.)

• Wednesday practice: Not applicable – players on Reserve/Injured cannot practice.
• Official status: (c) OFFICIAL RESERVE-LIST DESIGNATION – Reserve/Injured. Verified as status code ‘RES’ on nfl.com/teams/minnesota-vikings/roster/ and by the club’s own transaction announcement (vikings.com, Sept. 8, 2026, 6:00 PM), which placed him on IR to clear a roster spot for the signing of S Harrison Smith. He does not appear on Minnesota’s three-man Week 1 injury report because IR players are outside that process.
• Injury: Undisclosed. Minnesota did not specify the injury in its transaction announcement. Star Tribune’s Ben Goessling reported the injury ‘isn’t expected to be a long-term issue’ and that Yurosek ‘should be back this season,’ which suggests a placement driven partly by roster mechanics rather than a severe injury.
• When it happened: Placed on Reserve/Injured Sept. 8, 2026; injury date not disclosed.
• Typical recovery for this injury: Cannot be pinned down without a disclosed pathology. The ‘not long-term, back this season’ framing is most consistent with a soft-tissue or minor joint injury in the 4-8 week band, which is also the practical minimum for a standard IR stint plus activation.
• Expected back to full health: Reported as expected back at some point in the 2026 season, with no specific date. A standard IR placement requires activation to a roster spot before he can play.
• Week 1: OUT for Sunday, Sept. 13 vs. Green Bay – on Reserve/Injured and ineligible.
• Weeks 1-4: Out for the near term with no published return date. Even a favorable recovery has him competing for the No. 3 tight end job behind Hockenson and Oliver.
• Who benefits if he sits: Gavin Bartholomew (No. 86) is now the TE3 behind T.J. Hockenson and Josh Oliver on the vikings.com official Week 1 depth chart.
• Change since the weekend: NEW – Yurosek was on the Sept 6 baseline depth chart as an active TE3 with no injury entry; he was placed on Reserve/Injured on Sept 8, 2026.

Fantasy takeaway: No fantasy impact of his own – the only thing worth noting is that Minnesota’s tight end depth behind Hockenson is now thinner, which marginally raises Josh Oliver’s contingency value.

Moliki Matavao — NO (Was competing for TE3 snaps; currently off the active roster.)

• Wednesday practice: not yet reported – on the reserve list.
• Official status: (c) Official reserve-list designation – NFL.com lists him RES (Reserve/Injured) with no return designation, so he is out for the season.
• Injury: Knee.
• When it happened: Logged Aug 25, 2026.
• Typical recovery for this injury: N/A for 2026 – a straight Reserve/Injured placement ends the season. A knee injury serious enough for season-ending IR typically implies a 6-12 month rehab.
• Expected back to full health: Targeting the 2027 offseason.
• Week 1: Out for Sunday, Sept 13 at Detroit – and for the season.
• Weeks 1-4: Out for all of Weeks 1-4 and the balance of 2026.
• Who benefits if he sits: Oscar Delp holds the TE3 job in his place, behind Juwan Johnson and Noah Fant.
• Change since the weekend: unchanged – already on IR as of Sept 6.

Fantasy takeaway: Ignore in all formats – he is on season-ending reserve.

Joe Royer — CLE (TE4 (on reserve; not on the active depth chart))

• Wednesday practice: not applicable – on the reserve list, ineligible to practice
• Official status: (a) FINAL OFFICIAL ROSTER-STATUS DESIGNATION: Reserve/Non-Football Injury list (nfl.com roster code RSN), filed Aug 30, 2026. NOTE – the Sept 6 baseline described this as ‘Reserve/NFI – personal.’ The ‘personal’ characterization is NOT supported by any source I could verify; report it as Reserve/NFI only.
• Injury: Non-football injury; the nature was not disclosed by the club. By definition it was sustained away from team activities.
• When it happened: Prior to Aug 30, 2026 (the date of the NFI placement).
• Typical recovery for this injury: Not estimable without a disclosed injury. Reserve/NFI placed before the season requires the player to miss at least the first four games; the club then has a window to activate him.
• Expected back to full health: Unknown – insufficient public information. Earliest possible return is Week 5.
• Week 1: OUT – ineligible for Week 1 at Jacksonville, Sunday, Sept 13, 2026, 1:00 p.m. ET.
• Weeks 1-4: Weeks 1-4: OUT for all four, by rule.
• Who benefits if he sits: Already covered – Harold Fannin Jr. is TE1, Blake Whiteheart TE2, Carsen Ryan TE3.
• Change since the weekend: unchanged

Fantasy takeaway: Irrelevant in all formats – he was TE4 before the injury.

Will Mallory — IND (Was the TE4. On IR-designated-to-return; Andrew Ogletree currently occupies the TE3 role.)

• Wednesday practice: not applicable — ineligible to practice until the Week 5 window at the earliest
• Official status: (a-equivalent) OFFICIAL ROSTER DESIGNATION: Reserve/Injured, DESIGNATED TO RETURN. Confirmed by his ‘RSR’ status code on the official nfl.com Colts roster. Must miss a minimum of four games (Weeks 1-4).
• Injury: Thumb
• When it happened: Late August 2026; the Colts placed him on IR-designated-to-return when setting the initial 53-man roster on Aug 30, 2026.
• Typical recovery for this injury: Thumb fractures or UCL tears requiring surgical fixation typically cost 6-8 weeks; non-surgical thumb sprains run 2-4 weeks. His four-game IR placement implies the surgical/longer end.
• Expected back to full health: Mid-to-late October 2026 (Weeks 6-8) for a full return to football activity.
• Week 1: OUT — Week 1 vs. Baltimore. Ineligible.
• Weeks 1-4: OUT for Weeks 1-4 (vs BAL, @ KC, vs HOU, vs WAS in London). Eligible for the return designation only after Week 4.
• Who benefits if he sits: Already accounted for — Tyler Warren is the every-down TE1, Mo Alie-Cox the TE2, Andrew Ogletree the TE3.
• Change since the weekend: unchanged — same official IR-designated-to-return status as the Sept 6 report.

Fantasy takeaway: No redraft relevance — he is a TE4 who cannot play until Week 5 at the earliest and would not have a role even then.

Jaren Kanak — TEN (Was a developmental TE5/special-teamer. On season-ending reserve; the active room is Helm, Bellinger, Martin-Robinson and Granson.)

• Wednesday practice: not applicable — on season-ending IR
• Official status: (a-equivalent) OFFICIAL ROSTER DESIGNATION: Reserve/Injured (IR) — out for the 2026 season. Confirmed by his ‘RES’ status code on the official nfl.com Titans roster, and by the Titans’ own transaction announcement placing him and DE Jaylen Harrell on IR.
• Injury: Pectoral (torn pec)
• When it happened: August 2026, during training camp / preseason.
• Typical recovery for this injury: Torn pectoral requiring surgical repair: 4-6 months, which is why these are routinely season-ending when they occur in August.
• Expected back to full health: Roughly December 2026 to February 2027 — i.e., the 2027 offseason.
• Week 1: OUT — Week 1 vs. the Jets and all of 2026.
• Weeks 1-4: Out for the season.
• Who benefits if he sits: Already accounted for — Gunnar Helm is the TE1, Daniel Bellinger the TE2, with David Martin-Robinson and Kylen Granson co-listed third.
• Change since the weekend: unchanged — same official season-ending IR designation as the Sept 6 report.

Fantasy takeaway: No fantasy relevance in any format.

DJ Rogers — DAL (Reserve/Injured – no active depth-chart position. Was a depth tight end. Verified RES status on nfl.com roster (#49).)

• Wednesday practice: DNP (on Reserve/Injured – not eligible to practice with the team)
• Official status: (c) OFFICIAL RESERVE-LIST DESIGNATION – Reserve/Injured (IR), official club transaction. Does not appear on the weekly practice report.
• Injury: Knee injury (specific structure not disclosed by the club)
• When it happened: August 2026 (training camp / preseason; IR placement in the roster-cutdown cycle)
• Typical recovery for this injury: Undisclosed knee injuries span a wide range: meniscus or MCL, 4-8 weeks; ACL or multi-ligament, 9-14 months. With no designated-to-return notation reported and no club-disclosed timeline, the conservative read is that he is unlikely to contribute in 2026.
• Expected back to full health: Indeterminate – no club-disclosed timeline
• Week 1: OUT for Sunday, Sept 13 (8:20 PM ET vs. New York Giants) – ineligible on Reserve/Injured
• Weeks 1-4: Weeks 1-4: OUT for all four. Even on a return he would be the fourth or fifth tight end with no fantasy-relevant role.
• Who benefits if he sits: Already replaced – Brevyn Spann-Ford (TE, ACT) and Luke Schoonmaker (TE, ACT) hold the backup roles behind Jake Ferguson
• Change since the weekend: unchanged

Fantasy takeaway: Drop in all formats – on IR with an undisclosed knee injury and no path to snaps behind Jake Ferguson.

Princeton Fant — DAL (Reserve/Injured – no active depth-chart position. Was a backup/blocking tight end. Verified RES status on nfl.com roster (#85).)

• Wednesday practice: DNP (on Reserve/Injured – not eligible to practice with the team)
• Official status: (c) OFFICIAL RESERVE-LIST DESIGNATION – Reserve/Injured (IR), official club transaction, season-ending. Not eligible to return in 2026 and does not appear on the weekly practice report.
• Injury: Torn ACL plus MCL damage in the knee (multi-ligament injury)
• When it happened: August 2026 (training camp / preseason)
• Typical recovery for this injury: Combined ACL/MCL reconstruction: 10-14 months, meaningfully longer than an isolated ACL because the medial-side repair must be protected before rotational loading begins. Return-to-play rates for multi-ligament knee injuries are lower than for isolated ACL tears. An August 2026 injury projects to roughly mid-to-late 2027.
• Expected back to full health: Mid-to-late 2027 – no 2026 availability whatsoever
• Week 1: OUT for Sunday, Sept 13 (8:20 PM ET vs. New York Giants) and every remaining 2026 game – season-ending IR
• Weeks 1-4: Weeks 1-4: OUT, and out for the entire 2026 season. Zero fantasy relevance.
• Who benefits if he sits: Already replaced – Brevyn Spann-Ford (TE, ACT) is TE2 and Luke Schoonmaker (TE, ACT) TE3; James Mitchell and Michael Trigg are practice-squad depth
• Change since the weekend: unchanged

Fantasy takeaway: Drop in all formats – season-ending multi-ligament knee reconstruction with no 2026 return path.

Carson Towt — IND (Depth/blocking tight end, no active depth-chart role. On season-ending reserve.)

• Wednesday practice: not applicable — on IR
• Official status: (a-equivalent) OFFICIAL ROSTER DESIGNATION: Reserve/Injured (IR). Confirmed by his ‘RES’ status code on the official nfl.com Colts roster. No designated-to-return tag has been reported.
• Injury: Undisclosed. The Colts have not specified the injury and no credible reporting has filled the gap — flagged here rather than guessed at.
• When it happened: Not disclosed; the IR placement dates to the initial 53-man roster construction in late August 2026.
• Typical recovery for this injury: Cannot be estimated — the injury has not been disclosed. Any range given here would be invention.
• Expected back to full health: Unknown. Without a designated-to-return tag reported, the working assumption is he is out for 2026.
• Week 1: OUT — Week 1 vs. Baltimore.
• Weeks 1-4: OUT for Weeks 1-4; assume out for the season absent a return designation.
• Who benefits if he sits: No impact — Warren, Alie-Cox and Ogletree handle the tight end room, with Pharaoh Brown and Kenny Fletcher Jr. on the practice squad.
• Change since the weekend: unchanged — same official IR designation as the Sept 6 report.

Fantasy takeaway: No fantasy relevance in any format.

Cole Turner — MIA (TE depth — not in the Week 1 rotation)

• Wednesday practice: Not applicable — on the reserve list, does not appear on the weekly practice report.
• Official status: (a) FINAL official roster designation — Reserve/Injured (status code RES on the nfl.com official roster).
• Injury: Undisclosed
• When it happened: Late August 2026 (placed on IR on or about Aug 27, 2026)
• Typical recovery for this injury: Undisclosed, but an in-season IR placement carries a mandatory minimum four-game absence.
• Expected back to full health: Not before Week 5, and only if designated to return.
• Week 1: OUT — on Reserve/Injured, ineligible for Week 1.
• Weeks 1-4: Ineligible Weeks 1-4.
• Who benefits if he sits: Justin Joly holds the TE4 spot on the active roster.
• Change since the weekend: unchanged — already on IR in the Sept 6 baseline.

Fantasy takeaway: Ignore — no fantasy relevance in any format this season.

Did not practice Wednesday (3)

A Wednesday DNP four days out is the clearest warning sign on the report. Have a replacement ready and check Friday.

Brock Bowers — LV (TE1 — verified No. 1 tight end on nfl.com roster (ACT) and Ourlads (Sept 8); the featured pass-catcher in Klint Kubiak’s offense)

• Wednesday practice: DNP
• Official status: (b) OFFICIAL PRACTICE-REPORT ENTRY, NO FINAL GAME STATUS YET. Bowers appears on the Raiders’ first official injury report of 2026, filed Wednesday Sept 9, as a non-participant with a knee injury. A final Out/Doubtful/Questionable tag is not due until Friday Sept 11, 4:00 PM ET. He is NOT on injured reserve — he remains ACT on the nfl.com roster. Reporting universally expects him to be ruled Out for Sunday.
• Injury: Knee — meniscus tear, treated with an arthroscopic meniscus trim (partial meniscectomy) performed by Dr. Daniel Cooper in Dallas. This is the shorter-recovery option; a meniscus repair would have been a months-long absence. Second straight season of knee trouble: a PCL injury and bone bruise limited him to 12 games in 2025.
• When it happened: Aggravated during training camp and diagnosed the week of Aug 31–Sept 4, 2026; surgery Tuesday, Sept 8, 2026
• Typical recovery for this injury: Arthroscopic meniscus trim: 2–6 weeks to return to play for an NFL skill player (commonly 1–3 missed games); a meniscus repair, by contrast, is 4–6 months
• Expected back to full health: Late September 2026 — realistically Week 3–4 for a full, unrestricted snap share, given the Raiders’ stated intent to protect a knee that has now been an issue two years running
• Week 1: Expected OUT vs Miami, Sunday Sept 13, 4:25 PM ET. Treat as out pending Friday’s official designation.
• Weeks 1-4: Reported as ‘a game or two.’ Base case: misses Week 1, coin-flip for Week 2, back but possibly snap-limited Week 3, near-normal by Week 4. Downside case is a third missed game if the knee swells — the club has openly said Bowers is prioritizing durability over playing through it this year, which cuts against an aggressive return.
• Who benefits if he sits: Michael Mayer (verified TE2) takes the bulk of the snaps, with Ian Thomas (verified TE3) as the No. 2. Practice-squad TE Chris Myarick could be elevated for blocking snaps.
• Change since the weekend: NEW

Fantasy takeaway: Sit Bowers in Week 1 and stream a replacement TE now; Michael Mayer is the priority waiver add in every format and a usable TE1 streamer against Miami.

Tyler Higbee — LAR (TE2 — second tight end behind Colby Parkinson)

• Wednesday practice: DNP
• Official status: (b) Official practice-report entry with no final game status — listed as DID NOT PARTICIPATE on the Rams’ official Week 1 report, but flagged as a veteran REST day (not injury related), alongside Alaric Jackson and Byron Young. No game-status designation.
• Injury: None — ‘not injury related, resting player’ (scheduled veteran rest day)
• When it happened: not applicable — no injury
• Typical recovery for this injury: Not applicable — a veteran rest day carries no recovery timeline
• Expected back to full health: Already at full health — he is not injured
• Week 1: Expected to PLAY Thursday, Sept 10 in Melbourne — a non-injury rest DNP does not threaten availability
• Weeks 1-4: Available for all four. His fantasy problem is competition, not health: the Rams carry five active tight ends and Colby Parkinson is ahead of him.
• Who benefits if he sits: Terrance Ferguson and Davis Allen are the next tight ends up behind Colby Parkinson
• Change since the weekend: NEW

Fantasy takeaway: Do not read the DNP as an injury — it was veteran rest, but a five-deep TE room still makes him a touchdown-dependent streamer at best.

Oscar Delp — NO (TE3 behind Juwan Johnson and Noah Fant; 2026 third-round rookie.)

• Wednesday practice: DNP
• Official status: (b) Official practice-report entry without a final game status – Did Not Participate on the Saints’ Wednesday, Sept 9 report. Final designation comes Friday, Sept 11.
• Injury: Hamstring.
• When it happened: Sustained in August 2026; he has been carrying it since before the Sept 6 checkpoint.
• Typical recovery for this injury: 1-2 weeks for a Grade 1 hamstring strain, 3-6 weeks for Grade 2. A DNP this deep into the injury suggests it is lingering rather than resolving.
• Expected back to full health: Uncertain – a Wednesday DNP roughly three weeks in points to a Grade 2 and a return around mid-to-late September.
• Week 1: Not yet determined, trending poorly. Sunday, Sept 13 at Detroit – Wednesday was practice participation only; Friday’s Sept 11 report sets his official status.
• Weeks 1-4: Wk1 at DET, Wk2 at BAL, Wk3 vs LV, Wk4 vs ATL. Even healthy he is the TE3 in a room with Juwan Johnson and Noah Fant – minimal standalone value across the stretch.
• Who benefits if he sits: Noah Fant is the TE2 and would take the extra snaps; Treyton Welch and Stone Smartt are practice-squad options.
• Change since the weekend: unchanged – still sidelined with the same hamstring, now confirmed by an official DNP rather than an aggregator projection.

Fantasy takeaway: Not startable – a TE3 who did not practice Wednesday has no viable Week 1 path to targets.

Limited Wednesday (4)

Limited on Wednesday usually means trending toward playing, but it is exactly the group whose Friday designation decides your lineup.

George Kittle — SF (TE1 — starting tight end)

• Wednesday practice: Limited
• Official status: (b) Official practice-report entry with no final game status. Kittle appeared on San Francisco’s official Week 1 practice reports as LIMITED on BOTH Sept 8 and Sept 9 with an Achilles designation. No final game-status designation (Out/Doubtful/Questionable) for the Melbourne game could be verified from any official source as of this filing. Aggregators listing him ‘questionable’ are unofficial; see excluded_and_why for the 2024 Week 3 stories that falsely surface as current.
• Injury: Right Achilles tear (surgically repaired); currently managed as workload/soreness, not a new injury — Kyle Shanahan clarified that ‘taken a step back’ referred to reps, not a setback
• When it happened: 2026-01-15 (approximate — original Achilles tear in January 2026; activated off active/PUP Aug 23, 2026)
• Typical recovery for this injury: A full Achilles tendon repair typically sidelines an NFL player 9-12 months, and skill players often need a further 4-8 weeks of in-season ramp-up before they carry a normal workload.
• Expected back to full health: October 2026 for an unrestricted snap count; he is functional but rep-managed right now
• Week 1: Expected to PLAY on Thursday, Sept 10 in Melbourne, but on a managed snap count. Shanahan: ‘We got to be smart with that. They both look great and stuff, but we also definitely have to be smart with that.’ OC Klay Kubiak: ‘Kittle looks good… he’s practicing full speed, he’s getting a ton of reps.’ Treat as a game-time snap-share question, not an availability question.
• Weeks 1-4: Should play in all four but with the 49ers deliberately throttling reps early. Expect his snap share and route volume to climb week over week, approaching normal by late September/early October. Elevated soft-tissue re-aggravation risk on a short turnaround into Week 2.
• Who benefits if he sits: Jake Tonges (TE2); Luke Farrell is the blocking TE, and the 49ers signed Brayden Willis to the practice squad Sept 6 specifically as Kittle insurance
• Change since the weekend: NEW

Fantasy takeaway: Startable but shade your projection down 20-30% for Week 1 — he is playing on a leash in Melbourne, so pair him with a safe floor elsewhere in your lineup.

Will Kacmarek — MIA (TE2 on the official club depth chart, but he is Miami’s only true blocking tight end and is expected to play a heavy in-line role in 12-personnel and run-game packages)

• Wednesday practice: Limited (Wednesday Sept 9)
• Official status: (b) Official practice-report entry, no final game status yet. Miami plays Sunday Sept 13, so designations are not due until Friday Sept 11.
• Injury: Undisclosed (the club has not specified). He was absent from practice from Aug 22 through roughly Sept 6, missed the preseason finale, and was doing individual work with a trainer as recently as Sept 7.
• When it happened: On or about Aug 22, 2026
• Typical recovery for this injury: Without a named injury, the honest read is the timeline itself: a roughly two-and-a-half-week absence followed by a Limited return most often reflects a moderate soft-tissue strain or a joint sprain, which typically runs 2-4 weeks total.
• Expected back to full health: Best estimate for 100%: Week 1-2. He returned to team practice Sept 7 and is already up to Limited, which is a healthy trajectory.
• Week 1: Likely to play Sunday Sept 13 at Las Vegas, most plausibly with a Questionable tag on Friday. If he progresses to Full by Thursday or Friday, expect no designation at all.
• Weeks 1-4: Week 1: expected to play in a blocking-first role. Weeks 2-4: full participation, with the Dolphins leaning on him to stabilize a run game that has no other in-line blocker.
• Who benefits if he sits: Seydou Traore slides into the TE2 role, with Justin Joly as TE3 — but neither blocks at Kacmarek’s level, so Miami would likely shift to more 11-personnel rather than replace him one-for-one.
• Change since the weekend: UPGRADED — on Sept 6 he had not practiced at all since Aug 22; he has now returned and logged a Limited Wednesday.

Fantasy takeaway: Not a startable fantasy TE — his value is indirect: his health props up De’Von Achane’s rushing efficiency, so track him as an Achane input rather than a roster add.

Andrew ‘Drew’ Ogletree — IND (TE3, behind Tyler Warren and Mo Alie-Cox (verified on the Colts’ official Sept 8 depth chart))

• Wednesday practice: Limited
• Official status: (b) OFFICIAL PRACTICE-REPORT ENTRY, no final game status yet. Listed as a limited participant on the official NFL Week 1 injury report. No Out/Doubtful/Questionable tag filed; Colts play Sunday.
• Injury: Neck. The Colts have not disclosed a mechanism or severity beyond the ‘neck’ designation on the report.
• When it happened: Not disclosed. He was not on the Sept 6 tracking, so the issue most likely arose in the final days of camp prep or at Wednesday’s practice itself.
• Typical recovery for this injury: Extremely wide range by class. A neck strain / ‘stinger’ type issue is commonly 3-10 days. A cervical disc or structural injury runs 4-8+ weeks and can be season-altering. With no disclosed mechanism, the limited-not-DNP participation is the single best signal that this is at the mild end.
• Expected back to full health: If this is a strain/stinger — as the Limited participation suggests — expect full health within 1-2 weeks (by Week 2, Sept 20). Unknowable with confidence until the Colts disclose more or the Thursday/Friday participation trend appears.
• Week 1: Likely available Sunday, Sept 13 vs. Baltimore, but with genuine uncertainty. Watch the Thursday and Friday reports — a move to DNP would be a significant downgrade for a neck issue.
• Weeks 1-4: Even fully healthy he is the TE3 in a room fronted by Tyler Warren, who is the clear focal point. Ogletree’s Weeks 1-4 fantasy value is negligible in all but the deepest tight-end-premium formats regardless of how this resolves.
• Who benefits if he sits: No practical change — Tyler Warren and Mo Alie-Cox already absorb essentially all meaningful tight end usage. Practice-squad TEs Pharaoh Brown and Kenny Fletcher Jr. would be elevation candidates for blocking snaps.
• Change since the weekend: NEW — not on the Sept 6 report.

Fantasy takeaway: Ignore for fantasy purposes; the only reason to track this is the small chance a Warren injury later promotes the TE2/TE3 chain, and neck injuries are worth monitoring for their own sake.

Eli Stowers — PHI (TE3 behind Dallas Goedert and Johnny Mundt, verified ACT on nfl.com roster and Ourlads 09/08/2026. Rookie, 54th overall pick in the 2026 draft out of Vanderbilt.)

• Wednesday practice: Limited
• Official status: (b) OFFICIAL PRACTICE-REPORT ENTRY WITHOUT FINAL GAME STATUS. Filed on the Eagles’ Wednesday, Sept 9 report as ‘hamstring – Limited Participation’. No Out/Doubtful/Questionable tag until Friday, Sept 11.
• Injury: Hamstring strain, sustained late in the preseason. He missed practice with it on 2026-08-25. Beat reporter Jeff McLane noted Wednesday that Stowers and other players ‘who got dinged up late in the preseason are dressed to practice in some capacity.’
• When it happened: Approximately 2026-08-24 (late preseason; first reported missing practice 2026-08-25)
• Typical recovery for this injury: Grade 1 hamstring strain in a tight end: 1-3 weeks. Grade 2: 3-6 weeks. Grade 3: 8-12 weeks. Highest recurrence rate of any NFL soft-tissue injury, roughly 1 in 3 within the same season, so clubs routinely hold rookies to Limited work longer than veterans. Two-plus weeks out and practicing Limited is consistent with a Grade 1 nearing resolution.
• Expected back to full health: Mid-to-late September 2026 (Weeks 2-3) for unrestricted work; likely available but not fully unrestricted for Week 1
• Week 1: LIKELY TO PLAY Sunday, Sept 13 (4:25 PM ET vs. Philadelphia’s opponent Washington), but NOT official. A Limited Wednesday four days out most often resolves to a Full Friday and no designation, or a ‘Questionable’ tag with a light snap count. Watch the Thursday and Friday reports.
• Weeks 1-4: Weeks 1-4: expected to be available for most or all four in a rotational TE3 role. Reporting notes he still needs development as a blocker, so his snap share should stay low regardless of health. Hamstring recurrence is the main absence risk.
• Who benefits if he sits: E.J. Jenkins (TE, ACT) is TE4 and would absorb the rotational snaps. Grant Calcaterra (TE) is on IR-designated-to-return and unavailable for a minimum of four games.
• Change since the weekend: UPGRADED

Fantasy takeaway: Not startable in Week 1 as the third tight end behind a healthy Dallas Goedert – a dynasty stash only, and one whose hamstring warrants patience.

Practiced in full (on the report, trending to play) (5)

On the report but practicing fully — typically maintenance or the tail of something that has resolved. Start them, but note the injury is on file.

Theo Johnson — NYG (TE2 behind Isaiah Likely per Ourlads 09/08/2026, though Empire Sports (09/01) describes him as the nominal every-down starter with Likely featured as the pass-catching weapon – treat as a genuine committee. Verified ACT on nfl.com roster.)

• Wednesday practice: Full
• Official status: (b) OFFICIAL PRACTICE-REPORT ENTRY WITHOUT FINAL GAME STATUS. Filed Wednesday, Sept 9 as ‘shoulder – Full Participation’. No Out/Doubtful/Questionable tag until Friday, Sept 11.
• Injury: Shoulder injury (AC-joint-type contusion/sprain; no structural damage reported). Sustained in a training-camp collision with teammate Kayvon Thibodeaux; he missed two subsequent practices. Head coach John Harbaugh: ‘He’s going to be fine. He’s going to be good. He’ll be ready.’ Harbaugh also explicitly corrected reports of him limping – the issue is the shoulder, not a lower-body problem.
• When it happened: Approximately 2026-08-20 (training-camp collision; first publicly reported 2026-08-27)
• Typical recovery for this injury: Grade 1-2 AC joint sprain / shoulder contusion in a tight end: 1-3 weeks to full participation, and players frequently play through it once they can absorb contact and extend the arm overhead. Grade 3 separations run 4-8 weeks. His full-contact Wednesday practice ~3 weeks out places this firmly at the mild end.
• Expected back to full health: Effectively full health now – practicing without restriction as of Wednesday, Sept 9, 2026.
• Week 1: EXPECTED TO PLAY Sunday, Sept 13 (8:20 PM ET vs. Dallas). Not yet official; Friday, Sept 11 brings the final designation. A Full practice with no restriction makes a game-status tag unlikely.
• Weeks 1-4: Weeks 1-4: expected to play all four with no absence risk from this injury. His fantasy ceiling is capped by the Likely acquisition rather than by the shoulder.
• Who benefits if he sits: Isaiah Likely (TE, ACT) – already the featured receiving tight end and would absorb virtually all pass-catching work; Chris Manhertz (TE, ACT) would take the blocking snaps.
• Change since the weekend: UPGRADED

Fantasy takeaway: Shoulder is a non-issue after a Full Wednesday, but the Likely signing – not the injury – is the reason to leave Johnson on your bench in Week 1.

AJ Barner — SEA (TE1 — starting tight end)

• Wednesday practice: Full
• Official status: (b) Official practice-report entry with no final game status — listed with an oblique injury on Seattle’s official Week 1 report but practiced FULL both reported days and received NO game-status designation. He is active tonight.
• Injury: Oblique
• When it happened: 2026-09-05 (approximate — surfaced during the Week 1 practice week)
• Typical recovery for this injury: Oblique/abdominal strains typically cost an NFL player 1-3 weeks; minor ones that allow full practice resolve inside a week. Full participation on consecutive days indicates the minor end.
• Expected back to full health: Already effectively full health — no restriction reported
• Week 1: ACTIVE and expected to start tonight (Wednesday, Sept 9)
• Weeks 1-4: Should hold the starting job through the next four games. The real risk to his fantasy value is Elijah Arroyo’s snap share, not the oblique.
• Who benefits if he sits: Elijah Arroyo (Eric Saubert is the No. 3; Nick Kallerup is inactive tonight)
• Change since the weekend: NEW

Fantasy takeaway: Start him as normal in TE-premium formats — the oblique never limited him in practice and he is active tonight.

Kenyon Sadiq — NYJ (TE2 behind Mason Taylor — a first-round rookie whose health opens up the Jets’ 12-personnel packages)

• Wednesday practice: Full (Wednesday Sept 9, estimated)
• Official status: (b) Official practice-report entry, no final game status yet. Jets play Sunday Sept 13; Wednesday levels are estimated.
• Injury: Groin, following core-muscle (sports hernia) surgery
• When it happened: Surgery in the offseason/early camp, summer 2026; the residual groin issue limited him through August
• Typical recovery for this injury: Core-muscle/sports-hernia repair: 6-10 weeks to return to football activity, and commonly 12+ weeks before full explosiveness. Residual groin soreness after such a repair typically resolves over an additional 2-4 weeks.
• Expected back to full health: Best estimate for 100%: Weeks 1-2. He has cleared the groin issue and reached Full participation, which is the milestone that matters after this class of surgery.
• Week 1: Expected to play Sunday Sept 13 at Tennessee with no designation.
• Weeks 1-4: Weeks 1-4: available, with a snap share that should climb as the Jets add two-TE packages. His usage curve, not his health, is the variable.
• Who benefits if he sits: Jeremy Ruckert is the blocking TE and would take those snaps; Jelani Woods is TE4.
• Change since the weekend: UPGRADED — the post-surgical groin was an open question on Sept 6; he is now a Full participant and the Jets expect him to play.

Fantasy takeaway: STASH in dynasty and deeper redraft leagues — a healthy first-round rookie TE with a rising snap share is exactly the profile that pays off in the second half of a season, but do not start him in Week 1.

Seydou Traore — MIA (TE3 — receiving-oriented depth behind Greg Dulcich and Will Kacmarek)

• Wednesday practice: Full (Wednesday Sept 9)
• Official status: (b) Official practice-report entry, no final game status yet. Miami plays Sunday Sept 13.
• Injury: Undisclosed minor issue that limited his availability in the final week of the preseason
• When it happened: Late August 2026
• Typical recovery for this injury: Minor undisclosed soft-tissue issues of this type generally resolve in under two weeks.
• Expected back to full health: Already effectively at 100% — a Full Wednesday participation is the clearest signal available.
• Week 1: Expected to play Sunday Sept 13 at Las Vegas with no designation.
• Weeks 1-4: Healthy and available Weeks 1-4; role is limited by the depth chart, not by the injury.
• Who benefits if he sits: Justin Joly is the next tight end up.
• Change since the weekend: UPGRADED — carried a minor availability question on Sept 6, now a Full participant and appears on the report only as a cleared entry.

Fantasy takeaway: Waiver-wire irrelevant in redraft; only worth a deep-dynasty stash if Dulcich gets hurt.

Ben Sinnott — WAS (TE3 behind Chig Okonkwo and John Bates, verified ACT on nfl.com roster and Ourlads 09/09/2026)

• Wednesday practice: Full
• Official status: (b) OFFICIAL PRACTICE-REPORT ENTRY WITHOUT FINAL GAME STATUS. Filed Wednesday, Sept 9 as ‘oblique – Full Participation’. No game-status tag until Friday, Sept 11.
• Injury: Oblique strain
• When it happened: August 2026 (training camp)
• Typical recovery for this injury: Oblique/abdominal strain in a tight end: 2-4 weeks for a mild strain, 4-8 weeks for a moderate one. Obliques are notoriously slow to settle because trunk rotation is unavoidable in blocking and route-running, and recurrence is common if a player is rushed. A Full practice indicates a mild strain that has fully resolved.
• Expected back to full health: Effectively full health now – unrestricted Full participation as of Wednesday, Sept 9, 2026
• Week 1: EXPECTED TO PLAY Sunday, Sept 13 (4:25 PM ET vs. Philadelphia). Not yet official; Full Wednesday makes a Friday designation unlikely.
• Weeks 1-4: Weeks 1-4: expected to be available for all four in a rotational TE3 role. With Okonkwo and Bates both healthy, his target volume should be minimal.
• Who benefits if he sits: Colson Yankoff (TE, ACT) is TE4; Jack Westover (TE) is on the practice squad. NOTE: Quentin Moore, listed as a Commanders TE in the Sept 6 baseline, was WAIVED FROM IR on 09/09/2026 and is no longer on the roster.
• Change since the weekend: UPGRADED

Fantasy takeaway: Healthy but boxed in as the third tight end – no startable value in Week 1 absent an injury ahead of him.

No official designation yet (unconfirmed) (1)

Either the team’s reporting week is shifted (the Monday-night clubs file a day later) or the situation is beat-reported without an official entry. Real, but unconfirmed — verify before you rely on it.

Adam Trautman — DEN (TE2 — verified ACT on nfl.com and listed second behind Evan Engram on Denver’s Week 1 unofficial depth chart (Sept 9); the team’s primary blocking tight end)

• Wednesday practice: not yet reported (participant at Monday Sept 7 practice)
• Official status: (c) STILL UNOFFICIAL — no filing exists; Denver’s first official report is due Thursday Sept 10. He returned to practice Monday Sept 7 alongside Mims Jr. and OLB Que Robinson.
• Injury: Undisclosed — the club did not specify the ailment that cost him practice time in late August/early September
• When it happened: Late August 2026 (exact date not disclosed)
• Typical recovery for this injury: Not determinable without a disclosed diagnosis; the practice absence was short enough that it never threatened his Week 1 availability
• Expected back to full health: Already there — back at practice a week before the opener
• Week 1: Expected to PLAY at Kansas City, Monday Sept 14, 8:15 PM ET
• Weeks 1-4: Available throughout, in a blocking-first role. Minimal receiving upside behind Engram in all four weeks.
• Who benefits if he sits: Nate Adkins (verified TE3), then Dallen Bentley (TE4)
• Change since the weekend: UPGRADED

Fantasy takeaway: Irrelevant for fantasy purposes — he matters only as the reason Evan Engram isn’t asked to block, which protects Engram’s route volume.

Cleared since the weekend — off the report entirely (8)

The good news. These players carried an injury question into the weekend and are no longer listed by their teams at all.

Sam LaPorta — DET (TE1 – confirmed as the starter on both nfl.com (ACT, No. 87) and the Ourlads 09/08 chart, ahead of Brock Wright and Tyler Conklin.)

• Wednesday practice: Full – not listed on the Wednesday report; the club’s estimated report names Full participants explicitly and he is not among the injured group at all.
• Official status: Resolved – off the injury report. Verified absent from Detroit’s official Wednesday Sept 9, 2026 Week 1 injury report – checked on nfl.com/injuries/league/2026/reg1 (which lists eight Lions, ALL defensive: Abney, Harper, Izien, Derrick Moore, Nowaske, Rakestraw, Rolder, Wingo) and cross-checked against Sept 9 club-sourced reporting from Athlon and Crescent City Sports, both of which state LaPorta was REMOVED from the report. He is ACT on nfl.com. With no practice entry there is nothing for Friday Sept 11 to designate.
• Injury: Resolved. Two separate items have now both cleared: back surgery in November 2025, and a hip injury from a hit taken in an Aug. 17, 2026 training-camp practice. Beat reporting describes him as ‘ready to go for Week 1’ and ‘fully healthy now,’ and Detroit is characterized as entering Week 1 with a clean bill of health on offense.
• When it happened: Hip: Aug. 17, 2026 (training camp). Prior back surgery: November 2025.
• Typical recovery for this injury: Hip contusion or mild hip-flexor strain in an NFL player: 1-3 weeks, with a labral or deeper joint injury running 6 weeks to surgical. LaPorta is roughly 3.5 weeks from the hip incident and unrestricted, consistent with the benign end. Post-operative recovery from a lumbar procedure typically runs 3-6 months, and he is ~10 months out.
• Expected back to full health: Fully healthy as of Wednesday, Sept. 9, 2026, with both the hip and the 2025 back surgery behind him.
• Week 1: Expected to PLAY, no designation, Sunday, Sept. 13 vs. New Orleans at Ford Field.
• Weeks 1-4: Every-week starter across all four with no restrictions reported. Detroit’s offense is fully intact around him at the skill positions, which supports his target floor.
• Who benefits if he sits: Brock Wright (No. 89) would step in as the primary tight end, with Tyler Conklin next.
• Change since the weekend: RESOLVED – now off the injury report. The Sept 6 baseline carried an aggregator-projected ‘Questionable’ on the hip; Detroit’s own Week 1 filing removed him entirely.

Fantasy takeaway: Start him as a top-tier tight end – clearing the first official report of the year with no entry closes out both the hip and the 2025 back surgery, and the earlier aggregator ‘Questionable’ is obsolete.

Tucker Kraft — GB (TE1 – confirmed as the top tight end on both nfl.com (ACT) and the Ourlads 09/08 chart, ahead of Jonnu Smith.)

• Wednesday practice: Full – not listed on the Wednesday report, which for Green Bay means unrestricted participation.
• Official status: (a)/RESOLVED – Resolved – off the injury report. Kraft does NOT appear on Green Bay’s official eight-man Wednesday Sept 9 Week 1 injury report (verified against both nfl.com/injuries/league/2026/reg1 and the club-published Packers-Vikings report), and he is ACT on the roster. Because he carries no practice-report entry at all, there is nothing for Friday Sept 11 to convert into a game status – he is on track to be fully available with no designation.
• Injury: Torn ACL suffered in Week 9 of the 2025 season (vs. Carolina). He opened 2026 rehabbing, took part in full-contact work in the joint practice with Arizona, and sat out the preseason finale purely as Week 1 preparation. ESPN’s Rob Demovsky reported he was expected to be ‘full go’ for the opener, and he cleared Week 1 practice without an injury-report entry.
• When it happened: ACL tear: Week 9 of the 2025 season (early November 2025).
• Typical recovery for this injury: ACL reconstruction in an NFL player: 9-12 months to return to play, with 12+ months usually needed to regain pre-injury explosiveness. Kraft is roughly 10 months post-injury at Week 1.
• Expected back to full health: Cleared and unrestricted as of Wednesday Sept 9, 2026. Expect the final 10-15 percent of explosiveness and route separation to arrive over the first month as he passes the 12-month mark.
• Week 1: Expected to PLAY, no designation, Sunday, Sept. 13 at Minnesota. Note this is a Wednesday-practice-based read; the official final status is not filed until Friday, Sept. 11 – but with no practice entry there is no realistic path to a Questionable tag.
• Weeks 1-4: Full every-week starter. The only caveat is snap-count management in the opening weeks as the staff eases a 10-month ACL return into a full workload, plus real target competition from Jonnu Smith, so the volume may build rather than start at a ceiling.
• Who benefits if he sits: Jonnu Smith (No. 18) would take over as the primary receiving tight end, with Josh Whyle third.
• Change since the weekend: RESOLVED – now off the report. The Sept 6 baseline carried him as ‘Questionable’ from a CBS Sports aggregator page; the club’s own official Week 1 filing lists him nowhere. This is the clearest upgrade of the week.

Fantasy takeaway: Start him with confidence – clearing the first official injury report of the year with no entry is the strongest possible signal for a 10-month ACL return, and the earlier ‘Questionable’ floating around aggregators is now dead.

Tyler Warren — IND (TE1 and the focal point of the Colts’ tight end usage)

• Wednesday practice: Full — the Colts reported that ALL 53 players practiced Wednesday and that only four were limited (Haulcy, Ogletree, Pierce, Van Pran-Granger). Warren was not among them.
• Official status: Resolved — off the injury report
• Injury: Groin/adductor strain — cleared
• When it happened: Late August 2026
• Typical recovery for this injury: Grade 1 groin/adductor strains: 1-3 weeks; grade 2: 3-6 weeks. His clean Week 1 participation indicates the mild end.
• Expected back to full health: Now — full participant with no designation.
• Week 1: Available, no designation, Sunday Sept 13 vs. Baltimore.
• Weeks 1-4: Healthy and unrestricted for Weeks 1-4 (vs BAL, @ KC, vs HOU, vs WAS in London). Groin strains do carry some recurrence risk, so a future Wednesday ‘Limited’ would not be shocking, but nothing suggests it now.
• Who benefits if he sits: Mo Alie-Cox would be the primary replacement, with Andrew Ogletree next — not applicable, Warren is healthy.
• Change since the weekend: RESOLVED — now off the report. On Sept 6 he carried an unofficial ‘Questionable’ for a groin/adductor strain, amplified by a widely circulated social post; he practiced fully Wednesday and is not on the official report.

Fantasy takeaway: This is the most valuable resolution on the board — start him as a locked-in TE1 with zero health discount, because a groin issue that was clouding him three days ago is now completely gone from the report.

John Bates — WAS (TE2 / co-starter with Chig Okonkwo per Yahoo’s Week 1 depth chart (09/09); TE2 per Ourlads 09/09/2026. Verified ACT on nfl.com roster.)

• Wednesday practice: Full (practiced Wednesday; not listed on the injury report, so no participation level was formally filed for him)
• Official status: Resolved – off the injury report. He does NOT appear on the Commanders’ official Wednesday, Sept 9 injury report.
• Injury: Hamstring strain. ESPN’s John Keim reported at the time that he would ‘miss a couple weeks’; head coach Dan Quinn confirmed a multi-week absence. That window closed in mid-August and he has now cleared the report entirely.
• When it happened: 2026-07-30 (training-camp practice; reported 2026-08-01)
• Typical recovery for this injury: Grade 1-2 hamstring strain in a tight end: 2-4 weeks, consistent with the ‘couple weeks’ timeline given. Recurrence risk stays elevated for roughly 4-6 weeks post-return. He is now about six weeks out from the injury, which is past the elevated-risk window.
• Expected back to full health: Already at full health – roughly six weeks post-injury and off the injury report as of Sept 9, 2026
• Week 1: WILL PLAY Sunday, Sept 13 (4:25 PM ET vs. Philadelphia) with no restriction. Off the report, so no Friday designation is expected.
• Weeks 1-4: Weeks 1-4: expected to play all four in a blocking-first co-starter role alongside Okonkwo. Low target volume by design; his recovery matters more for Washington’s run blocking than for fantasy scoring.
• Who benefits if he sits: Ben Sinnott (TE, ACT) – who was the direct beneficiary of Bates’ camp absence – followed by Colson Yankoff (TE, ACT)
• Change since the weekend: RESOLVED – now off the report

Fantasy takeaway: Fully recovered and off the report, which caps Ben Sinnott’s breakout path and leaves Chig Okonkwo as the only Commanders tight end worth a roster spot.

Erick All — CIN (TE3 on the verified active depth chart (up from TE4 in the baseline, because Tanner Hudson is on the practice squad))

• Wednesday practice: Full (by omission – he is not listed on the Wednesday report, which means unrestricted participation)
• Official status: Resolved – off the injury report. He carries NO designation of any kind. nfl.com lists him ACT with no PUP, IR or NFI code, and he did not appear on Cincinnati’s official Wednesday, Sept 9 participation report.
• Injury: None currently. He is two seasons removed from the torn ACL suffered in Week 9 of his 2024 rookie year, which cost him all of 2025 on the reserve/PUP list.
• When it happened: Original ACL tear: November 2024. Fully cleared for the 2026 season.
• Typical recovery for this injury: ACL reconstruction: 9-12 months to clearance, with performance typically normalizing in the second season back. All is now in that second season, which is when tight ends historically regain their pre-injury explosiveness.
• Expected back to full health: Already at 100%. He is practicing without restriction and holds an active roster spot.
• Week 1: AVAILABLE, no designation, vs. Tampa Bay, Sunday, Sept 13, 2026, 1:00 p.m. ET.
• Weeks 1-4: Weeks 1-4: healthy and available, but buried behind Drew Sample and Mike Gesicki. Snap share, not health, is the constraint.
• Who benefits if he sits: Not applicable – he is the backup. Jack Endries is TE4.
• Change since the weekend: RESOLVED – now off the injury report

Fantasy takeaway: Healthy but not startable behind Sample and Gesicki – a watchlist name only if one of them goes down.

Terrance Ferguson — LAR (TE3 — third tight end behind Colby Parkinson and Tyler Higbee)

• Wednesday practice: Full
• Official status: Resolved — off the injury report. Not listed on the Rams’ official Week 1 injury report. The Sept 6 baseline rested on an aggregator ‘Questionable’ tag with ‘general soreness’ and no body part disclosed by the team; no official designation ever issued.
• Injury: General soreness, no specific body part disclosed by the team — resolved
• When it happened: 2026-08-28 (approximate — late preseason)
• Typical recovery for this injury: Undiagnosed general soreness usually resolves in days and carries no meaningful absence risk.
• Expected back to full health: Already at full health as of Sept 8, 2026
• Week 1: ACTIVE, no designation, available Thursday, Sept 10 in Melbourne
• Weeks 1-4: Healthy for all four. As a developing tight end he could grow into snaps over the stretch, but Parkinson and Higbee are ahead of him now.
• Who benefits if he sits: Davis Allen and Max Klare are the tight ends behind him
• Change since the weekend: RESOLVED — now off the report

Fantasy takeaway: Clean bill of health and a dynasty name to watch, but leave him on the wire in redraft this week.

Davis Allen — LAR (TE4 — fourth tight end behind Colby Parkinson, Tyler Higbee and Terrance Ferguson)

• Wednesday practice: Full
• Official status: Resolved — off the injury report. Not listed on the Rams’ official Week 1 injury report. The Sept 6 baseline rested on an aggregator ‘Questionable’ tag; no official designation ever issued.
• Injury: Quad strain (soft-tissue) — resolved
• When it happened: 2026-08-24 (approximate — late training camp)
• Typical recovery for this injury: Mild quad strains typically sideline an NFL player 1-3 weeks; he cleared the report inside that window.
• Expected back to full health: Already at full health as of Sept 8, 2026
• Week 1: ACTIVE, no designation, available Thursday, Sept 10 in Melbourne
• Weeks 1-4: Healthy for all four but fourth in a five-man tight end room. No projectable fantasy role.
• Who benefits if he sits: Max Klare is the next tight end up; Dan Villari is the practice-squad depth
• Change since the weekend: RESOLVED — now off the report

Fantasy takeaway: Off the report but unrosterable — he is the No. 4 tight end on a team that spreads TE targets four ways.

Brevin Jordan — HOU (TE5, behind Schultz, Moreau, Klein and Stover)

• Wednesday practice: Full (not listed on the Texans’ Wednesday Sept 9 report)
• Official status: Resolved — off the injury report
• Injury: Knee — cleared
• When it happened: August 2026
• Typical recovery for this injury: Minor knee sprains/contusions: 1-3 weeks.
• Expected back to full health: Now — no designation entering Week 1.
• Week 1: Available, no designation, Sunday Sept 13 vs. Buffalo.
• Weeks 1-4: Healthy, but buried at TE5 in a five-deep room. No meaningful role projected for Weeks 1-4.
• Who benefits if he sits: Not applicable — he is healthy and is himself the last man in the tight end room.
• Change since the weekend: RESOLVED — now off the report. Was an unofficial ‘Questionable’ (knee) on Sept 6.

Fantasy takeaway: Not rosterable — Dalton Schultz remains the only Texans tight end worth a lineup slot.

Waiver wire: who gains if these names sit

• Elijah Higgins is the TE2 in his absence, with Hunter Long as the No. 3 behind Trey McBride — if Tip Reiman (ARI) can’t go.
• Already replaced – Johnny Mundt (TE, ACT) is TE2, with rookie Eli Stowers (TE, ACT) as TE3 and E.J. Jenkins (TE, ACT) as TE4 — if Grant Calcaterra (PHI) can’t go.
• Josh Whyle is the TE3 in his absence, behind Kraft and Jonnu Smith; Mark Redman is fourth. — if Luke Musgrave (GB) can’t go.
• Gavin Bartholomew (No. 86) is now the TE3 behind T.J. Hockenson and Josh Oliver on the vikings.com official Week 1 depth chart. — if Ben Yurosek (MIN) can’t go.
• Oscar Delp holds the TE3 job in his place, behind Juwan Johnson and Noah Fant. — if Moliki Matavao (NO) can’t go.
• Already covered – Harold Fannin Jr. is TE1, Blake Whiteheart TE2, Carsen Ryan TE3. — if Joe Royer (CLE) can’t go.
• Already accounted for — Tyler Warren is the every-down TE1, Mo Alie-Cox the TE2, Andrew Ogletree the TE3. — if Will Mallory (IND) can’t go.
• Already accounted for — Gunnar Helm is the TE1, Daniel Bellinger the TE2, with David Martin-Robinson and Kylen Granson co-listed third. — if Jaren Kanak (TEN) can’t go.
• Already replaced – Brevyn Spann-Ford (TE, ACT) and Luke Schoonmaker (TE, ACT) hold the backup roles behind Jake Ferguson — if DJ Rogers (DAL) can’t go.
• Already replaced – Brevyn Spann-Ford (TE, ACT) is TE2 and Luke Schoonmaker (TE, ACT) TE3; James Mitchell and Michael Trigg are practice-squad depth — if Princeton Fant (DAL) can’t go.
• No impact — Warren, Alie-Cox and Ogletree handle the tight end room, with Pharaoh Brown and Kenny Fletcher Jr. on the practice squad. — if Carson Towt (IND) can’t go.
• Justin Joly holds the TE4 spot on the active roster. — if Cole Turner (MIA) can’t go.
• Michael Mayer (verified TE2) takes the bulk of the snaps, with Ian Thomas (verified TE3) as the No. 2. Practice-squad TE Chris Myarick could be elevated for blocking snaps. — if Brock Bowers (LV) can’t go.
• Terrance Ferguson and Davis Allen are the next tight ends up behind Colby Parkinson — if Tyler Higbee (LAR) can’t go.
• Noah Fant is the TE2 and would take the extra snaps; Treyton Welch and Stone Smartt are practice-squad options. — if Oscar Delp (NO) can’t go.
• Jake Tonges (TE2); Luke Farrell is the blocking TE, and the 49ers signed Brayden Willis to the practice squad Sept 6 specifically as Kittle insurance — if George Kittle (SF) can’t go.
• Seydou Traore slides into the TE2 role, with Justin Joly as TE3 — but neither blocks at Kacmarek’s level, so Miami would likely shift to more 11-personnel rather than replace him one-for-one. — if Will Kacmarek (MIA) can’t go.
• No practical change — Tyler Warren and Mo Alie-Cox already absorb essentially all meaningful tight end usage. Practice-squad TEs Pharaoh Brown and Kenny Fletcher Jr. would be elevation candidates for blocking snaps. — if Andrew ‘Drew’ Ogletree (IND) can’t go.
• E.J. Jenkins (TE, ACT) is TE4 and would absorb the rotational snaps. Grant Calcaterra (TE) is on IR-designated-to-return and unavailable for a minimum of four games. — if Eli Stowers (PHI) can’t go.

Bottom line at tight end

12 of the 33 tight ends here are unavailable, 3 did not practice Wednesday, and 4 were limited. 8 cleared since the weekend. The Friday reports settle the middle two groups — that is where Week 1 lineups get decided.

Rosters and depth charts for all 32 teams were verified against official league roster pages before this report was compiled, and every player listed was confirmed to be on the roster shown. Designations come from official club and league injury reports filed Wednesday, September 9, 2026. Recovery timelines describe how long a class of injury typically sidelines an NFL player and are not a prediction for any individual.

NFL Week 1 Fantasy Football Injury Report Wednesday TE first appeared on Game On Media.