NFL Player News

Okwuegbunam (hamstring) is expected to return to practice following the Broncos' Week 7 matchup with Washington, Ben Swanson of the team's official website reports.

Okwuegbunam has been on IR since Oct. 9. While he is expected to return to practice in the upcoming week, head coach Vic Fangio is uncertain whether he will be able to return in Week 9. Okwuegbunam projects primarily as a special-teams contributor when healthy.

Graham's placement on the reserve/COVID-19 list earlier Friday was the result of a positive test, Aaron Wilson of Sportstalk 790 Houston reports.

According to Jason Lieser of the Chicago Sun-Times, Graham is vaccinated, so he'll be eligible to rejoin the Bears as soon as he's asymptomatic and has tested negative on two occasions at least 24 hours apart. Graham won't have sufficient time to gain clearance ahead of Sunday's game against the Buccaneers, which kicks off at 4:25 p.m ET. The Bears are likely to turn to Jesse James as the primary backup at tight end behind starter Cole Kmet.

Arizona ruled Daniels (hamstring) out for Sunday's contest against the Texans, Darren Urban of the Cardinals' official site reports.

Daniels didn't practice at all this week, so his absence Sunday comes as little surprise. With the recently acquired Zach Ertz set to make his team debut Sunday while taking over as the Cardinals' No. 1 tight end moving forward, Demetrius Harris will operate as the clear top backup with Daniels out of the mix this week.

Kelce (neck) doesn't carry an injury designation for Sunday's game against the Titans after returning to a full practice Friday.

After logging back-to-back limited sessions Wednesday and Thursday, Kelce practiced in full Friday, paving the way for him to be cleared to face Tennessee. Six weeks into the 2021 season, Kelce continues to produce at a high level, having racked up 38 catches (on 53 targets) for 468 yards and four TDs in that span. Over his last two outings, the tight end has combined for 14 catches on 21 targets and has logged double-digit targets in three of his last four contests.

Korft (back) won't play in Sunday's game against the Patriots, Rich Cimini of ESPN reports.

Kroft was unable to practice at all this week, suggesting he's not particularly close to returning. He hasn't seen the field since Week 4, leaving the Jets bereft of talent at tight end. Ryan Griffin is expected to serve as the Jets' primary option at the position Week 7 but won't make for an especially appealing fantasy option.

Hockenson (knee) is listed as questionable for Sunday's game against the Rams.

The tight end logged limited practices Thursday and Friday after sitting out Wednesday's session. He'll likely continue playing through his knee injury, this time in a tough matchup against the stellar Rams defense.

Hill (concussion) didn't practice Friday, Nick Underhill of NewOrleans.Football reports.

Hill suffered the concussion during Week 5 action and remains in the NFL's protocol after a Week 6 bye. An absence for Monday's game in Seattle would improve red-zone projections for key parts of the Saints offense, namely Alvin Kamara and Jameis Winston.

Holtz (quadriceps) is listed as questionable for Sunday's game against Tampa Bay.

Holtz has missed the past two games due to this quad injury, but his practice participation this week was encouraging, as he upgraded to full participation Friday following a pair of limited sessions. With Jimmy Graham on the reserve/COVID-19 list, Holtz or Jesper Horsted will have the opportunity to work as Chicago's third-string tight end behind Cole Kmet and Jesse James.

The Bears placed Graham on the reserve/COVID-19 list Friday.

Per Jason Lieser of the Chicago Sun-Times, Graham is vaccinated, so his placement on the list is likely the result of a breakthrough positive test. While he'll theoretically have a chance at playing Sunday in Tampa Bay if he's asymptomatic and submits two negative test results at least 24 hours apart, he's highly unlikely to clear all protocols ahead of the game's 4:25 p.m. ET kickoff. Instead, the Bears will likely hope to have Graham available for their Week 8 matchup with the 49ers on Oct. 31. Jesse James will slide into the No. 2 tight end role behind Cole Kmet until Graham is cleared to return.

Smith (knee) has cleared the injury report ahead of Sunday's contest against the Panthers, Zack Rosenblatt of The Newark Star-Ledger reports.

As expected, Smith will once again play through the knee injury that he has dealt with all season. The 24-year-old is firmly supplanted behind Evan Engram and Kyle Rudolph on the depth chart and has played a minimal role for the Giants offense this year, catching three passes for 33 yards across six games.