NFL Player News

Trautman (foot) attempted to return to Sunday's game versus the Bengals after halftime but ultimately went to the locker room after a few plays, Luke Johnson of The New Orleans Times-Picayune reports.

After he was rolled up on in the second quarter, Trautman paid a visit to the locker room but came back with a heavy tape job on his left foot. However, he didn't last long before departing a second time. If he doesn't reenter the contest, he'll finish Week 6 with one catch (on one target) for eight yards.

Higbee (ankle) is active for Sunday's Week 6 clash against the Panthers, Sarah Barshop of ESPN.com reports.

Higbee entered the weekend sporting a questionable tag but with optimism surrounding his availability as well, and his active status for Sunday's contest is now confirmed. The veteran, who's seen 24 targets in his last two games alone, should therefore be available to log his typically heavy workload against Carolina.

Trautman exited Sunday's game against the Bengals due to a foot injury, John Hendrix of SI.com reports.

Trautman was rolled up on in the second quarter and needed assistance to get to the sideline. After visiting the blue medical tent, he emerged without a shoe on his left foot and was carted to the locker room. It's unclear if Trautman will be able to return, but if he doesn't he'll end Week 6 with one catch (on one target) for eight yards.

Hudson is active for Sunday's game against the Ravens, Dan Salomone of the Giants' official site reports.

Hudson landed on the injury report Thursday as a non-participant due to an illness and didn't practice Friday. However, he appears to have cleared the aliment and will be good to go Sunday. The reserve tight end has caught three of five targets for 40 yards across 130 offensive snaps during the first five games of the campaign.

Firkser (coach's decision) is inactive for Sunday's game against San Francisco.

After the Falcons elevated MyCole Pruitt from the practice squad Saturday, Firkser will not play. Pruitt played 11 of the team's offensive snaps in last week's matchup against Tampa Bay.

Smythe (hamstring) is inactive for Sunday's game against the Vikings.

Smythe has led all Miami tight ends with 169 snaps on offense this season, but the playing time hasn't translated to much volume in the passing game, as he's drawn just seven targets through five contests. His absence Week 6 is likely to hurt Miami more from a blocking standpoint, especially with starting left tackle Terron Armstead (toe) also inactive and with starting right tackle Austin Jackson (ankle) on injured reserve. The more pass-catching-oriented Mike Gesicki could pick up some extra snaps as a result of Smythe sitting out, but Gesicki will still be drawing targets from a third-string quarterback (Skylar Thompson) rather than No. 1 signal-caller Tua Tagovailoa (concussion/ankle), who is out for a second straight game.

Kroft (knee) is out Sunday against the Falcons, Matt Barrows of The Athletic reports.

Kroft hasn't played since Week 2 with the injury. He'll work to return in Week 7 against the Chiefs.

Smith (ankle) is listed as active for Sunday's game against the Browns.

Smith, who was inactive for last weekend's win over the Lions, will give it a go Sunday and is thus slated to step back into a time share with fellow TE Hunter Henry. In that ongoing arrangement, Smith -- who has caught seven of his 11 targets for 58 yards in four games to date -- is a hit-or-miss fantasy option

Hurst (groin) is active for Sunday's game against the Saints.

Hurst took a questionable tag into the weekend after practicing on a limited basis Wednesday through Friday, but the Bengals never seemed to have much concern about his availability for Sunday's contest. With Tee Higgins (ankle) also getting the green light to play Sunday after being listed as questionable heading into the day, the Bengals will have all of their key pass-catching weapons available for quarterback Joe Burrow. Assuming Higgins isn't handling limited reps Sunday, Hurst could struggle to replicate the 6-53-1 receiving line he delivered on seven targets in last week's loss to the Ravens, a game in which Higgins played just 10 snaps before exiting with the injury.

Pitts (hamstring) is active for Sunday's game versus the 49ers, Tori McElhaney of the Falcons' official site reports.

Pitts is back from a one-game absence due to a hamstring injury, and he'll be a welcome sight for quarterback Marcus Mariota against San Francisco's third-ranked pass defense (177.8 yards per game). Through four appearances in his second campaign, Pitts has one outing with 87 yards and three others with 25 or fewer yards. He also has no touchdowns on 22 targets.