NFL Player News

The Saints activated Hill (illness) from the reserve/COVID-19 list Wednesday, Field Yates of ESPN reports.

Considering this activation occurred two days after the Saints' last game Monday against the Dolphins, Hill wasn't particularly close to gaining clearance to play Week 16. Trevor Siemian (illness) also came off the COVID-19 list Wednesday, setting him up to act as the No. 2 quarterback on New Orleans' active roster while pushing rookie Ian Book to his usual spot as the third signal-caller. Hill will resume working with the first-team offense in advance of Sunday's contest versus the Panthers.

The Raiders placed Waller (knee/back) on the reserve/COVID-19 list Wednesday.

According to Vincent Bonsignore of the Las Vegas Review-Journal, Waller is vaccinated, which means he tested positive for the virus but will have the opportunity to exit the protocol as soon as he's asymptomatic or has tested negative on two straight occasions at least 24 hours apart. That being said, Waller hasn't been able to practice in any capacity since suffering knee and back injuries in the Raiders' Thanksgiving Day win over the Cowboys, so he'll more than likely spend a fifth consecutive game on the sideline this weekend in Indianapolis. Expect Foster Moreau to make another start at tight end.

Ertz (hamstring) was a limited practice participant Wednesday, Darren Urban of the Cardinals' official site reports.

Ertz has tended to hamstring injuries this season while with both Philadelphia and Arizona, with the current one nagging him for a third straight week. Still, he hasn't missed a game and has increased his snap share in each of the past five games from 76 to 97 percent. Ertz has gobbled up 28 of 42 targets for 268 yards and two touchdowns during that span, so he should be set for a decent amount of work over the final two contests of the campaign, especially with DeAndre Hopkins (knee) on injured reserve and running backs James Conner (heel) and Chase Edmonds (back) both banged up at the moment.

Waller (knee/back), who has missed the Raiders' past four games, is expected to be placed on the reserve/COVID-19 list Wednesday, Paul Gutierrez of ESPN.com reports.

Raiders interim head coach Rich Bisaccia had previously been hopeful that Waller might practice Wednesday, but the tight end's impending move to the COVID-19 list will thwart those plans. Even if he's able to test out of the NFL's COVID-19 protocol in expedient fashion, he'll more than likely miss multiple practices this week, which could make it difficult for him to gain clearance for Sunday's game against the Colts.

The Falcons placed Hurst on the reserve/COVID-19 list Wednesday after he tested positive for the virus, Scott Bair of the team's official site reports.

Hurst is among 10 Falcons on the active roster and two more on the practice squad that have landed in COVID-19 protocols in recent days. The entire team is vaccinated, so the tight end still has a chance to test out of the protocol and make himself available for Sunday's game at Buffalo.

Yeboah (illness) activated from the reserve/COVID-19 list Wednesday, Ethan Greenberg of the Jets' official site reports.

Yeboah was signed to the active roster before Week 10 and has mostly appeared on special teams. However, with Tyler Kroft on the reserve/COVID-19 list and Ryan Griffin (knee) Trevon Wesco (knee) on injured reserve, Yeboah could be returning at an opportune time. If Kroft doesn't clear the NFL's return-to-play protocols in time for Sunday's game against the Buccaneers, Yeboah could find himself in a starting role.

Kelce (illness) is on track to return from the reserve/COVID-19 list to take part in practice Wednesday, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reports.

Kelce's impending return to practice puts him on track to play in Sunday's game against the Bengals, following his absence during the Chiefs' win over the Steelers last weekend. Most of his vacated snaps went to backup tight end Noah Gray, but wide receivers Byron Pringle and Mecole Hardman did most of the damage in the passing game with Kelce out and Tyreek Hill playing limited snaps. Kelce should have time to ramp up before Sunday, assuming all goes well in practice Wednesday.

Blanton failed to see a single target in Sunday's 30-23 win over the Vikings.

Blanton reverted back to his role as the Rams' No. 2 tight end with starter Tyler Higbee activated from the reserve/COVID-19 list ahead of Week 16. The 26-year-old played on just eight of the team's 70 offensive snaps. With Higbee and the Rams' pass catchers healthy, Blanton will likely continue to be a non-factor on offense.

Engram caught four of five targets for 17 yards and a touchdown in Sunday's 34-10 loss to the Eagles.

Engram's score was the Giants' only touchdown in the blowout loss. With New York's offense being led by either Mike Glennon or Jake Fromm, Engram will likely need to hit paydirt again Week 17 against the Bears to pay dividends for fantasy managers.

Okwuegbunam failed to catch either of his two targets in Sunday's 17-13 loss to the Raiders.

The Denver passing game struggled as a whole Week 16, and Okwuegbunam wasn't immune to quarterback Drew Lock's struggles to move the offense. The second-year tight end played just one third of the team's offensive snaps in the loss, and his two targets were his lowest total since Week 12. Okwuegbunam should remain far off the fantasy radar in a Week 17 matchup with the Chargers.