NFL Player News

Pinkney was promoted to the Falcons' active roster Saturday.

Pinkney is slated to make his NFL debut Sunday against the Buccaneers, but playing time could be minimal for the rookie out of Vanderbilt with the team's corps of tight ends at full health.

Kroft has tested positive for COVID-19 and will not play in the regular-season finale against the Dolphins, the Bills' official site reports.

While Kroft did suit up Monday against the Patriots, he's a clear reserve behind Dawson Knox and is often a healthy scratch these days, so this development doesn't change the fantasy landscape unless any of Kroft's teammates are deemed close contacts.

Togiai (knee) was activated from injured reserve Saturday.

Togiai is on track to play in Sunday's matchup against the Jaguars, which will mark his first appearance since Week 10. The rookie out of Oregon State isn't expected to have much of an impact on offense, though, as Jack Doyle, Trey Burton and Mo Alie-Cox already command most of the reps at tight end.

Hill may handle more reps in Sunday's game against the Panthers following news that Alvin Kamara, Latavius Murray and Dwayne Washington are out after being placed on the COVID-19 list, Jay Glazer of Fox Sports reports.

It's unclear exactly how the backfield will shake out. The Saints are expected to promote running back Tony Jones from the practice squad, and Ty Montgomery has experience at the position, too. However, with none of the top backs available, Hill could be in line for a bulk of the goal-line rushes, providing an intriguing opportunity to add to the seven rushing scores he's accrued thus far.

Daniels (hamstring) is questionable for Sunday's game versus the Rams, Katherine Fitzgerald of The Arizona Republic reports.

Daniels made his first practice appearance of the week when he logged a limited session Friday. The 26-year-old followed the same practice schedule last week before playing 30 snaps in a loss to the 49ers. Daniels is in a good position to play in the season finale, but his workload is to be determined, as position mate Maxx Williams (ankle) is also questionable.

Ertz is slated to serve as the Eagles' clear No. 1 tight end Sunday against Washington with Dallas Goedert (calf) ruled out for the game, Chris McPherson of the team's official site reports.

Since Ertz returned from injured reserve Week 13 in Green Bay, he and Goedert have logged similar snap shares, but the latter has been the slightly more productive tight end, totaling 16 receptions on 24 targets to Ertz's nine and 21. Along with Goedert, the Eagles will be missing two other passing game contributors in running back Miles Sanders (knee) and receiver DeSean Jackson (ankle), so Ertz could see more looks funneled his way as a result. It's worth noting that quarterback Jalen Hurts has shown a preference to spread the ball around through his first three starts, with none of his pass catchers drawing more than eight targets in any of those games.

Sokol was elevated from the Chargers' practice squad Friday.

Positions have recently opened up on Los Angeles' active roster, with both Casey Hayward (hamstring) and Malik Jefferson (shoulder) getting moved to injured reserve. The 25-year-old tight end will have an opportunity at a second consecutive appearance to close out the 2020 campaign, this time against the defending-champion Chiefs. During his NFL debut Week 16 against Denver, Sokol fielded all 13 of his snaps on special teams.

Sternberger (concussion) won't carry an injury designation into Sunday's game against the Bears, Adam Caplan of SiriusXM NFL Radio reports.

Sternberger has cleared the league's five-step concussion protocol and will return to action after a three-game absence. Robert Tonyan has established himself as the top tight end in Green Bay's offense. Sternberger has yet to play more than 28 snaps in a game as a result.

Lewis (knee) won't carry an injury designation into Sunday's game against the Bears, Adam Caplan of SiriusXM NFL Radio reports.

Lewis went through his normal routine of load management through the week, including an absence from Thursday's practice. He'll nevertheless be ready to go for Sunday's divisional tilt. The veteran tight end rarely contributes in the pass-catching department, but he did snag a touchdown pass in the Week 12 matchup against the Bears.

The Chargers won't activate Henry from the reserve/COVID-19 list ahead of Sunday's season finale against the Chiefs, Jeff Miller of the Los Angeles Times reports.

Henry will thus conclude the 2020 campaign with consecutive absences after having yet to clear all health-related protocols since he was added to the list Dec. 24. While Henry was sidelined for the Week 16 loss to the Broncos, Donald Parham led Chargers tight ends in offensive snap share (81 percent), but Stephen Anderson (44 percent of snaps) doubled him up in targets, 6-3. Expect both Parham and Anderson to have prominent roles in the Week 17 passing game, as another key target in top wideout Keenan Allen (reserve/COVID-19 list) will also be sitting out.