NFL Player News

Pruitt (knee) will not play in Sunday's contest against the Colts, Erik Bacharach of The Tennessean reports.

Pruitt returned to practice this week after suffering a knee sprain Week 9. It appears the Titans will not push it, and will wait until he has fully recovered. His next chance to suit up will come in Week 13 versus the Browns.

Higbee (elbow) is listed as questionable for Sunday's contest against the 49ers, Kevin Modesti of the Los Angeles Daily News reports.

Higbee was unable to practice all week due to an elbow injury that he suffered during a Week 11 win at Tampa Bay. During a media session Friday, coach Sean McVay said Higbee will be a game-time call as a result, meaning his availability likely will come down to how he looks during a pregame warmup. The Rams will make a ruling on Higbee's status about 90 minutes before Sunday's 4:05 p.m. ET kickoff. If Higbee is limited or doesn't play at all, Gerald Everett and Johnny Mundt will take on extra TE reps.

Andrews (thigh) was listed as limited on Friday's practice estimate, Jeff Zrebiec of The Athletic reports.

The Ravens are holding all team activities virtually due to a COVID-19 outbreak among teammates and staff members, but Andrews has maintained a 'limited' listing on all five injury reports this week. With their Week 12 matchup rescheduled a second time to Tuesday, when they're slated to visit Pittsburgh, he likely will be on the receiving end of passes from Robert Griffin due to Lamar Jackson (illness) residing on the reserve/COVID-19 list. And that's assuming the game is played at all.

Tonyan (ankle) doesn't have a designation for Sunday's contest versus the Bears, Wes Hodkiewicz of the Packers' official site reports.

Tonyan was listed as limited on the Packers' first two injury reports of Week 12, but a full session Friday has cleared him for game action. He'll look to take advantage of a Chicago defense that has allowed the sixth-most touchdown catches (six, tied with eight other teams) to opposing tight ends this season.

Hurst (ankle) is listed as questionable for Sunday's game against Las Vegas, D. Orlando Ledbetter of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports.

Listed as DNP on the first two practice reports this week, Hurst then returned to the field Friday as a limited participant. We may not know for sure until the Falcons release their inactive list approximately 90 minutes prior to the 1 p.m. ET kickoff. If Hurst doesn't end up playing, Luke Stocker and Jaeden Graham likely would split snaps at tight end, with the former mostly a blocker and the latter a better bet to contribute in the passing game.

Smith (groin) is listed as doubtful for Sunday's game against Carolina.

Smith sat out Week 10 with the groin injury, but he returned for the Week 11 loss to Dallas and played 53 percent of snaps on offense. His likely absence could benefit Kyle Rudolph, who had season highs for targets (five) and yards (63) in the previous game Smith missed, though it was No. 3 TE Tyler Conklin who took on most of the vacated snaps.

Schultz caught all five of his targets for 24 yards in Thursday's loss to Washington.

With Andy Dalton under consistent pressure from Chase Young and the Washington pass rush, Schultz was utilized as little more than a bail-out option by the veteran quarterback, with his longest reception going for only seven yards. The tight end has still caught at least four passes in four straight games, giving him a steady floor in PPR formats heading into Week 13's road clash with the Ravens.

Browns played 30 snaps and was not targeted in Thursday's 41-25 win over Detroit.

Brown led the position group in snaps, but it was a slim margin as Darren Fells (28 snaps) and Jordan Akins (26) also had significant run. And Houston added a fourth tight end to the mix when Kahale Warring was activated from injured reserve. One week after the position group tied a season-high with 11 targets, the four tight ends combined for three targets and zero catches.

Akins was targeted twice in Thursday's 41-25 win over the Lions.

Akins and the rest of tight ends did not play a significant role Thursday. He had two of the position group's three targets, including one red-zone chance. Houston was down two wide receivers, which gave the tight ends a chance to make an impact, but that never materialized. The snap count was relatively even among the group with Akins (26 snaps) third behind Pharaoh Brown (30) and Darren Fells (28). Week 13 brings a matchup with Indianapolis, which has allowed the fourth fewest yards and just one touchdown to opposing tight ends.

Thomas caught all four of his targets for 20 yards and a touchdown in Thursday's 41-16 win over the Cowboys.

While he wasn't exactly stretching the field, Thomas was on the other end of Alex Smith's only TD pass of the afternoon, a five-yard strike late in the second quarter that put Washington up for good. The tight end has caught multiple passes in six straight games, hauling in three of his four touchdowns on the season during that stretch, but he faces a tough test in Week 13 on the road against the undefeated Steelers.