NFL Player News

Hockenson was a non-participant at Wednesday's practice due to a hip injury.

The Lions were without running back D'Andre Swift (shoulder) and wide receivers Amon-Ra St. Brown (ankle) and DJ Chark (ankle) in Week 4 against the Seahawks, and Hockenson benefited mightily, gathering in eight of 12 targets for 179 yards and two touchdowns. The aforementioned trio of players joined Hockenson on the sideline Wednesday, while Josh Reynolds (ankle) and Quintez Cephus (foot) also didn't practice. Considering the uncertainty in the skill-position ranks, Hockenson could be in line for another huge workload Sunday at New England, but first he'll have to practice and get rid of his injury designation.

Bryant didn't practice Wednesday due to an illness, Jake Trotter of ESPN.com reports.

Bryant is coming off a season-high six targets in Week 4, so the timing of the aliment is unfortunate. The backup tight end will have two more practices to clear the issue before the team needs to make decision on his status for Week 5.

Hill (rib) was a limited practice participant Wednesday.

His ability to practice in any capacity at the beginning of the week bodes well for his chances of playing Sunday against the Seahawks. Hill has scored rushing touchdowns in two of his three appearances this season, but he's yet to top five touches or 16 snaps in a game.

Hurst (groin) was a limited practice participant Wednesday, Geoff Hobson of the Bengals' official site reports.

Hurst played through the groin injury the past two weeks, improving to a 56 percent snap share and a 3-27-1 receiving line in last Thursday's win over the Dolphins after seeing just 38 percent of snaps and two targets four days earlier against the Jets. He had larger workloads the first two weeks of the season before he was listed on the injury report, totaling 15 targets on 75 and 81 percent of snaps in a pair of Bengals losses. In any case, Hurst should play through the injury again this Sunday in Baltimore, so long as he's able to continue practicing on at least a limited basis. The Ravens took him 25th overall in the 2018 NFL Draft, seven picks before quarterback Lamar Jackson.

Njoku was held out of Wednesday's practice, with the Browns designating his injury as "knee/rest", Jake Trotter of ESPN.com reports.

The addition of "rest" rather than just the "knee" label alone comes as a comfort to fantasy managers who intend to use Njoku in lineups for his Week 5 matchup with the Chargers -- a team he roasted for a career-high 149 receiving yards last season. It was one of his few productive receiving outings of 2021, but Njoku now is averaging 4.5 catches for 50.3 yards per game in a three-down role through the first four weeks of 2022. He'll likely return to practice later this week and suit up Sunday.

Pitts missed Wednesday's practice with a hamstring injury, Scott Bair of the Falcons' official site reports.

The hamstring issue may have played a role in his season-low 62 percent snap share this past Sunday against the Browns, but it may also have just been a product of Atlanta going run-heavy, considering his share was only slightly larger (67 percent) the week before in his one productive receiving outing (5-87-0) this season. Whether Pitts is in serious danger of missing Sunday's game in Tampa Bay is uncertain, as head coach Arthur Smith didn't have any comment Wednesday beyond referring reporters to the official injury report.

Moreau (knee) didn't practice Wednesday, Tashan Reed of The Athletic reports.

Moreau picked up the knee injury during the team's Week 3 loss to the Titans and has yet to practice since. He's trending towards a second straight absence Monday in Kansas City, but he'll have three more opportunities to return to practice before the team needs to make a decision on his status for Week 5. If he's ruled out again, expect Jesper Horsted to continue operating as the top backup behind Darren Waller.

Knox didn't practice Wednesday due to foot and hamstring injuries, Chris Brown of the Bills' official site reports.

Heading into Week 4 action, Knox had been limited by back and hip issues, but the tight end suited up this past Sunday against the Ravens and recorded 48 snaps on offense while catching three of his six targets for 40 yards. Now that Knox is contending with a pair of new injuries, his status will need to be monitored ahead of this weekend's game against the Steelers.

Chargers head coach Brandon Staley said Parham (hamstring) was a full participant during Wednesday's practice, Bridget Condon of NFL Network reports.

Parham logged his first full practice Friday ahead of Week 4, but the team opted to still keep the tight end sidelined for the Chargers' win over the Texans out of an abundance of caution. Barring any setbacks, it appears Parham will make his season debut in Week 5 against the Browns, but it's unclear what his role will be. Gerald Everett has emerged as Los Angeles' top tight end, but Parham figures to carve out a role ahead of Tre' McKitty and Richard Rodgers.

Pitts isn't participating in the open portion of practice Wednesday, D. Orlando Ledbetter of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports.

Health is the one thing that's gone right for Pitts this season, while his target volume (5.5 per game) and per-target efficiency (6.8 YPT, 45.5 percent catch rate) have left much to be desired in an offense quarterbacked by a struggling Marcus Mariota. No injury has been reported, but that's the most likely explanation for the tight end's absence Wednesday. If it's nothing serious, Pitts should see more looks this coming Sunday against a stout Tampa Bay defense that typically faces a lot of passes and not as many runs.