NFL Player News

Tonyan (ankle) was a full participant at Thursday's practice, Tom Silverstein of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports.

Green Bay listed Tonyan as a limited participant on Wednesday's estimated report due to the ankle issue, but the tight end was able to take every rep when the team returned to the field Thursday for the first time in Week 8. He'll thus be on tap for his normal duties as the Packers' top pass-catching option at his position this weekend versus Minnesota. During Green Bay's previous matchup with the Vikings in Week 1, Tonyan was shut out of the box score for the only time this season, drawing no targets despite playing 62 percent of the offensive snaps.

Lewis (knee) didn't participate in Thursday's practice.

Lewis took a step back in the Packers' second practice of the week, as he had been a limited participant at Wednesday's session. The Packers haven't indicated that Lewis experienced a setback, making it possible that his absence Thursday may have amounted to pre-planned maintenance. In any case, the Packers will decide whether the blocking specialist will carry a designation into Sunday's game against the Vikings following Friday's practice.

Alie-Cox (knee) returned to a limited practice Thursday.

We'll have to see if Alie-Cox heads into the weekend listed as questionable, but his fantasy upside is limited as long as fellow tight ends Jack Doyle and Trey Burton are both available.

Goedert (lower leg/ankle) said Thursday that he hasn't ruled himself out from playing this weekend against the Cowboys, EJ Smith of The Philadelphia Inquirer reports.

When Goedert was placed on injured reserve Sept. 29 after being diagnosed with a small fracture in his tibia in addition to a high-ankle sprain, the prevailing expectation was that he would be sidelined through the Eagles' Week 9 bye. However, after taking part in practice Wednesday when the Eagles designated him to return from IR, Goedert noted that his ankle responded well to the activity, leaving the possibility open for him to return to action sooner than expected. For now, the Eagles are labeling Goedert as day-to-day and are non-committal on his status for Week 8, so an official word on his status may not come until Saturday at 4 p.m. ET, the deadline for the Eagles to add him to the roster ahead of the game against Dallas. If the Eagles err on the side of caution and keep Goedert on IR through their bye, Richard Rodgers would be in store for another turn as the team's top tight end.

Hooper (appendix) wasn't spotted on the field during Thursday's practice, Mary Kay Cabot of The Cleveland Plain Dealer reports.

According to Nate Ulrich of the Akron Beacon Journal, Hooper wasn't even seen working on the side with the Browns' other injured players, a sign the team isn't counting on him playing Sunday against the Raiders. After Hooper underwent an appendectomy Oct. 23, Harrison Bryant and David Njoku took on expanded roles at tight end in last weekend's win over the Bengals. Expect both to remain involved in the passing game versus Las Vegas if Hooper is inactive for the second straight week.

The Patriots placed Burt (undisclosed) on the practice squad injured list Wednesday, Zack Cox of NESN.com reports.

It's unclear exactly what Burt is dealing with, but he'll remain out of team activities for the time being.

Cager (undisclosed) was restored from the practice squad injured list Wednesday, Ethan Greenberg of the Jets' official site reports.

Cager spent three weeks on the injured list but will return to team activities. The undrafted rookie out of Georgia has already been elevated to the active roster twice, so the Jets would need to sign him to the 53-man roster in order to promote him again.

Fant (ankle) was a limited participant in Wednesday's practice, Zac Stevens of TheDNVR.com reports.

Fant was limited in practice to begin last week before he was cleared to return from a one-game absence for Sunday's loss to the Chiefs. Though he handled a normal workload in Week 7, he turned in a rather modest outing, catching three of seven targets for 38 yards. Assuming he escaped the contest without any setbacks to his ankle, Fant should upgrade to full participation in practice by Thursday or Friday before suiting up this weekend against the Chargers.

Kmet (back) was limited in Wednesday's practice.

Kmet is coming off the best game of his young career, having hauled in both his targets for 45 yards during Monday's loss to the Rams, but he appears to have also injured his back in the contest. The rookie tight end will work to resume practicing in full ahead of Sunday's tilt against the Saints.

Hooper (appendix) isn't expected to play Sunday against the Raiders, Mary Kay Cabot of The Cleveland Plain Dealer reports.

Hooper underwent an emergency appendectomy last Friday and missed the Browns' 37-34 win over the Bengals as a result. The Browns are expected to let Hooper rest again Week 8, providing the tight end with three full weeks to get back to full strength with the team on bye Week 9. Harrison Bryant started at tight end in Hooper's absence and recorded four receptions for 56 yards and two scores versus Cincinnati, while David Njoku played fewer snaps and still managed to find the end zone once on his two receptions for 20 yards.