NFL Player News
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Tyler Conklin TE | NYJ
Jets' Tyler Conklin: Good to go moving forward
Conklin (personal) hasn't been listed on the Jets' injury reports during Week 16 prep.
Conklin sat out this past Sunday's win at Jacksonville due to the birth of his child, but he has since joined his teammates in the meantime and will retain his standing as the team's top tight end. Through 13 games this season, he's posted a 36-317-2 line on 54 targets.
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Noah Fant TE | SEA
Seahawks' Noah Fant: Full practice Thursday
Fant (knee) practiced in full Thursday, John Boyle of the Seahawks' official site reports.
This follows a limited showing at Wednesday's session for Fant. Since sitting out three games from Weeks 9-12 due to a groin injury, he's had only modest results in Seattle box scores, accounting for a 9-59-0 line on 15 targets over the last three contests.
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Hayden Hurst TE | LAC
Chargers' Hayden Hurst: Back in action Thursday
Hurst (hip) is listed as active for Thursday night's game against the Broncos, Eric Smith of the Chargers' official site reports.
Hurst, who had been sidelined since Week 10, was activated from IR ahead of the contest, and in his return to action he'll provide added depth to a tight end corps that will be without Will Dissly (shoulder). In that context, Hurst has an opportunity to get back into the Chargers' passing game mix in short order while working in tandem with fellow TE Stone Smartt, who logged five catches for 50 yards last weekend in Dissly's absence. With a possible timeshare looming, Hurst profiles as a speculative Week 16 fantasy lineup option.
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Tyler Higbee TE | LAR
Rams' Tyler Higbee: Comes down with illness
Higbee (knee) missed Thursday's practice due to an illness, Jourdan Rodrigue of The Athletic reports.
The Rams waited until the very end of Higbee's 21-day window to activate him from the reserve/PUP list Tuesday. As of Wednesday, he was listed as a full participant on seven consecutive injury reports, but he's now dealing with an illness. With another hurdle in his path to returning to action Sunday at the Jets, it remains to be seen if Higbee will be able to make his first appearance since sustaining ACL and MCL tears in his right knee in a playoff loss Jan. 14 at Detroit.
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Tanner Hudson TE | CIN
Bengals' Tanner Hudson: Dealing with knee injury
Hudson (knee) was a limited participant in Thursday's practice, Kelsey Conway of The Cincinnati Enquirer reports.
Hudson was absent from Wednesday's practice report, so it appears the knee injury is a recent one. His practice participation Friday will provide clarity on his status ahead of Sunday's game against the Browns. Over his last six games, Hudson has caught 16 passes (on 18 targets) for 125 yards and one touchdown.
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Cade Stover TE | HOU
Texans' Cade Stover: Ruled out for Week 16
Stover (appendix) has been ruled out for Saturday's game against the Texans.
Stover will be sidelined for a second straight game after undergoing an emergency appendectomy this past Saturday. It's unclear whether he'll be able to progress in his recovery enough to play against the Ravens on Christmas Day. With no other healthy tight end on the active roster outside of starter Dalton Schultz, the Texans will likely elevate Irv Smith from the practice squad ahead of Saturday's game due to Stover's injury.
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Brenton Strange TE | JAC
Jaguars' Brenton Strange: Another limited practice
Strange (shoulder) remained limited at practice Thursday.
Per Juston Lewis of the Florida Times-Union, Strange, who also was limited Wednesday, sustained an AC joint sprain in last week's loss to the Jets. However, head coach Doug Pederson indicated that the tight end should be good to go Sunday against the Raiders after logging 11 catches for 73 yards on 12 targets versus New York this past Sunday. Friday's final injury report will reveal whether Strange heads into the weekend with an injury designation or cleared for Week 16 action.
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Juwan Johnson TE | NO
Saints' Juwan Johnson: Remains limited by foot issue
Johnson (foot) was limited at practice Thursday.
For a third week in a row, Johnson is tending to a foot injury, but he's been able to log a typical workload the last two games en route to six catches (on eight targets) for 62 yards and one touchdown over that span. With Taysom Hill out for the season due to a torn ACL, Johnson and Foster Moreau have been handling the TE reps the last three games, and neither player has topped 50 receiving yards in any given week. Both have recorded one TD catch apiece. In any case, Johnson's status will need to be monitored as the week goes on to ensure he isn't in danger of sitting out Monday's visit to the Packers.
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Cade Otton TE | TB
Buccaneers' Cade Otton: DNP again Thursday
Otton (knee) was a non-participant at Thursday's practice.
Otton has yet to take part in drills this week while donning a knee brace on the side at practice, per Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times. In the event that Otton isn't able to play Sunday in Dallas, offensive coordinator Liam Coen expressed confidence that Payne Durham, Ko Kieft and even rookie seventh-rounder Devin Culp will be able to fill in capably for Otton, according to Greg Auman of Fox Sports. Ultimately, the Buccaneers may make a ruling on Otton's upcoming availability as soon as they post their final Week 16 injury report Friday.
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Hayden Hurst TE | LAC
Chargers' Hayden Hurst: Activated from IR
Hurst (hip) has been activated from IR ahead of Thursday night's game against the Broncos.
Hurst, who last saw game action Week 10, still carries a questionable designation for the contest, but he's on track to bolster a Chargers' tight end corps that will be without Will Dissly, who's still sidelined with a shoulder injury. Hurst thus should have an opportunity to get right back into the mix Thursday while working alongside fellow TE Stone Smartt, who caught five passes for 50 yards in Week 15 in Dissly's absence.