NFL Player News
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Josh Oliver TE | MIN
Vikings' Josh Oliver: Ruled out for Week 12
Oliver (ankle/wrist) has been uled out for Sunday's game against the Bears.
Oliver will sit out a game for the first time this season. T.J. Hockenson is expected to expand his role in his fourth game back from a torn ACL, while Johnny Mundt should see additional snaps in a depth role. Oliver's next chance to suit up will be Dec. 1 against the Cardinals.
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T.J. Hockenson TE | MIN
Vikings' T.J. Hockenson: Playing time likely to trend upward
Hockenson said Friday that he expects his playing time to start trending upward over the course of the remainder of the season, Kevin Seifert of ESPN.com reports.
Hockenson has played just under 50 percent of the offensive snaps in each of the three games he's played in since his activation from the reserve/PUP list, but that was by design, according to the Vikings' star tight end. With Josh Oliver (ankle) battling an injury, Hockenson has been seeing more practice reps in packages he hasn't played in since his 2024 debut in Week 9. Getting on the field more should directly lead to an increase in routes and potential targets, raising both Hockenson's fantasy floor and ceiling.
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Darnell Washington TE | PIT
Steelers' Darnell Washington: Racks up three catches in defeat
Washington secured all three of his targets for 14 yards during Thursday's 24-19 loss to the Browns.
Washington recorded a season-high 42 receiving yards in last week's win over Baltimore, and he tallied three receptions in Thursday's Week 12 matchup against Cleveland, his second-highest mark of the season. Although he wasn't very efficient with his catches, he's now been targeted at least three times in each of Pittsburgh's three games since the team's Week 9 bye.
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Pat Freiermuth TE | PIT
Steelers' Pat Freiermuth: Records four catches in loss
Freiermuth secured all four of his targets for 59 yards in Thursday's 24-19 loss to Cleveland.
Freiermuth had been held under 20 receiving yards in four of his last five appearances, but he bounced back in Thursday's primetime matchup with a season-high 59 receiving yards. Over the first 11 games of the season, the 26-year-old has secured 35 of 40 targets for 354 yards and three touchdowns.
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Blake Whiteheart TE | CLE
Browns' Blake Whiteheart: One big grab in win
Whiteheart secured his only target for 29 yards in Thursday's 24-19 win over the Steelers in Week 12.
Whiteheart, who was elevated from the practice squad, was surprisingly on the receiving end of Cleveland's longest play. He managed to make a twisting, juggling catch in the snowy conditions on the first play of a drive that led to the Browns taking a lead. Whiteheart was moved to the active roster with Geoff Swaim (concussion) inactive.
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Jordan Akins TE | CLE
Browns' Jordan Akins: Three catches in win
Akins caught three of four targets for 38 yards in Thursday's 24-19 win over Pittsburgh in Week 12.
Akins continued a renaissance in a Jameis Winston-led offense. The outing was his fourth in the last five games in which was targeted four times. The lone blemish Thursday was a drop on a play that looked like he had a clear path to the end zone if he secured the ball. David Njoku remains the clear No. 1 at tight end, but he had an off night in the wind and snow of Cleveland, holding to jus one of his five targets.
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David Njoku TE | CLE
Browns' David Njoku: Modest numbers in win
Njoku brought in one of five targets for nine yards and caught a two-point conversion pass in the Browns' 24-19 win over the Steelers on Thursday night.
Njoku's inefficient night could have been much better had he reeled in a would-be touchdown pass from Jameis Winston early in the fourth quarter that hit the veteran tight end right in the hands before slipping away. However, Njoku partly made for it with a leaping two-point conversion grab two plays later following a Winston touchdown run. Njoku's reception total tied a season low, while his yardage total was his sparsest of the campaign. However, he should have nowhere to go but up in a Week 13 road matchup against the Broncos on Monday night, Dec. 2 as long as the weather is better than the blizzard-like conditions Thursday's contest was primarily played in.
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Noah Fant TE | SEA
Seahawks' Noah Fant: Returns to practice Thursday
Fant (groin) practiced in a limited capacity Thursday, John Boyle of the Seahawks' official site reports.
This marks Fant's first notable on-field work since Oct. 30 as he recovers from a groin injury that has sidelined him for Seattle's last two games. He may have to log a full practice Friday in order to emerge from Week 12 prep without a designation. In any case, if Fant is inhibited or sidelined Sunday against the Cardinals AJ Barner would be the biggest beneficiary among Seahawks tight ends.
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George Kittle TE | SF
49ers' George Kittle: Remains limited at practice
Kittle (hamstring) practiced in a limited fashion Thursday, Nick Wagoner of ESPN.com reports.
Kittle maintained his activity level for a second day in a row and in a fourth straight session going back to last week due to hamstring irritation that sidelined him for this past Sunday's loss to the Seahawks. No matter, he relayed to David Lombardi of SFStandard.com on Wednesday that he intends to return to action Sunday in Green Bay. The 49ers can confirm as much Friday when they post their final injury report of the week, but a decision also could come down to about 90 minutes before a 4:25 p.m. ET kickoff.
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Ben Sinnott TE | WAS
Commanders' Ben Sinnott: Practices in full Thursday
Sinnott (illness) was listed as a full practice participant on Thursday's injury report.
Sinnott was limited in Wednesday's session due to an illness, but he appears to be over the issue as he was able to log a full practice Thursday. The rookie second-round pick has logged three catches for 18 yards and a touchdown over his last five outings, though he has failed to see a target across the Commanders' last two games.