NFL Player News

Hooper (neck) will participate in practice Wednesday, Jake Trotter of ESPN.com reports.

Hooper sat out Cleveland's last two practices before being made inactive ahead of Monday's loss to the Ravens. The tight end's return to practice Wednesday in either limited or full capacity has him trending in the right direction in advance of this weekend's contest against the Giants.

Coach Vic Fangio said that Fant (illness) is "fine" ahead of Wednesday's practice, Mike Klis of 9News Denver reports.

Fant would ideally practice in full capacity Wednesday to put to rest any concerns about his health, but regardless, the tight end looks like he'll be ready to go once Saturday's game against the Bills arrives. He played just five snaps in last week's win over the Panthers before exiting due to what he believes was a case of the stomach flu.

Parkinson caught both targets for 16 yards in Sunday's 40-3 win over the Jets.

Parkinson caught both passes from Geno Smith, who relieved Russell Wilson near the end of the third quarter due to the blowout nature of the game. The rookie tight end also logged a season-high 19 snaps on offense. He nevertheless remains the odd man out behind Will Dissly and Jacob Hollister, and he could wind up in healthy scratch territory if Greg Olsen (foot) returns this year as planned.

Sternberger (concussion) was listed as a non-participant on Tuesday's practice estimate.

Sternberger is trending in the wrong direction to begin the week. He has two more practice sessions to take the field and have a chance to play in Saturday's matchup against the Panthers. Robert Tonyan and Marcedes Lewis will handle nearly all the tight end reps if Sternberger misses a second straight game, and Dominique Dafney should rotate in as well.

Lewis (knee) was listed as a limited participant on Tuesday's practice estimate.

The 36-year-old typically is limited or absent altogether during practices early in the week. He should be fine for Saturday's game against the Panthers, operating in a blocking role with occasional pass-catching upside.

Henry (hip) was limited on Tuesday's estimated injury report.

All of the Chargers' key non-QB skill-position players are tending to injuries, but all of Keenan Allen (hamstring), Austin Ekeler (quadricep), Mike Williams (back) and Henry would have practiced in some capacity Tuesday after DNPs one day prior. The pattern indicates coach Anthony Lynn is taking a similar approach with each of the quartet, but Wednesday's report will reveal if any of them are in danger of being limited or sitting out Thursday in Las Vegas.

Fant (illness) is listed as a non-participant on Tuesday's practice estimate, Aric DiLalla of the Broncos' official site reports.

Fant made an early exit from Sunday's game at Carolina after coming down with an illness. He remained in Charlotte until Monday, when he tested negative for COVID-19 and was cleared to return to Denver. Still, Fant wouldn't have taken the field Tuesday if the Broncos had held a session. He'll aim to do so at some point before Saturday's contest against the Bills, but if Fant eventually isn't able to suit up, Denver will turn to Nick Vannett and Troy Fumagalli at tight end.

Hollister caught his lone target for a 20-yard gain in Sunday's 40-3 win over the Jets.

Hollister out-snapped Will Dissly 37-36 in another game without Greg Olsen (foot). The two have been close to even in terms of playing time, and neither tight end has been consistent enough for fantasy purposes. It's possible Olsen returns before the end of the season, too.

Coach Kevin Stefanski hopes Hooper (neck) will be back for Sunday's road game against the Giants, Nate Ulrich of the Akron Beacon Journal reports.

Hooper capped Week 14 prep with no reps in back-to-back practices, the result of a neck issue. Ulrich later noted Hooper's health concern wasn't believed to be serious, but the tight end still sat out Monday's loss to the Ravens. That assessment will be telling if Hooper is listed as full or limited on Wednesday's injury report, but in any case his status there will give a sense of his ability to play Week 15.

Hurst secured one of his three targets for seven yards during Sunday's 20-17 loss to the Chargers.

After serving as a high-floor fantasy tight end for much of the first half of 2020, Hurst has fallen into a slump over the past quarter of the regular season. The South Carolina standout posted 45.7 receiving yards per game with three total touchdowns Weeks 1 through 9; however, he's been held under 10 receiving yards in three of his past four outings. Hurst has gone seven straight contests without finding the end zone as the Falcons prepare to host Tampa Bay in Week 15.