NFL Player News

The Bears list Graham (hip) as questionable for Sunday's game against the Vikings.

After beginning the week as a full practice participant, Graham downgraded to limited activity Thursday and Friday, prompting the Bears to give him a designation for their Week 15 contest. Even if he manages to gain clearance ahead of Sunday's 1 p.m. ET kickoff, Graham could see his involvement in the offense dwindle further with Cole Kmet having seemingly usurped him as the Bears' top tight end. Graham has played fewer than half of the Bears' offensive snaps in each of the past three games, logging seven receptions for 55 yards and a touchdown on nine targets during that stretch.

The Browns list Hooper (neck) as questionable for Sunday's game against the Giants, Zac Jackson of The Athletic reports.

Though Hooper put in a full practice Friday, it wasn't enough for him to enter the weekend minus an injury designation. The Browns may have just deemed Hooper questionable as a matter of caution after his neck issue prevented him from playing in the Week 14 loss to the Ravens. Hooper hasn't experienced any reported setbacks with his neck while increasing his practice activity throughout the week, so the prevailing expectation is that he'll be ready to step into his usual role as Cleveland's top tight end once Sunday arrives.

The Browns list Njoku as questionable for Sunday's game against the Giants due to a knee injury, Zac Jackson of The Athletic reports.

Njoku didn't appear on either of the Browns' first two Week 15 practice reports, but he was added Friday after the knee issue kept him out of the team session. Fortunately, Njoku isn't believed to be dealing with any significant setback, as head coach Kevin Stefanski said after practice that he expects the 24-year-old to suit up this weekend, according to Mary Kay Cabot of The Cleveland Plain Dealer. Meanwhile, top tight end Austin Hooper (neck) is also listed as questionable, so Njoku and Harrison Bryant could take on more snaps in the event Hooper is limited at all or ultimately forced to miss a second straight game.

Alie-Cox (knee) is listed as questionable for Sunday's game versus the Texans, Joel A. Erickson of The Indianapolis Star reports.

Coach Frank Reich said Friday that Alie Cox's knee injury -- which has been lingering since October -- has been "nagging more recently." The 27-year-old tight end made his first appearance at practice this week on Friday, turning in a limited session. He'll likely be monitored closely leading up to game time. Meanwhile, position mates Jack Doyle and Trey Burton both have clean bills of health heading into the Week 15 matchup.

Gesicki (shoulder) is listed as questionable for Sunday's game against New England, Safid Deen of the South Florida Sun Sentinel reports.

According to Joe Schad of The Palm Beach Post, Gesicki turned in a limited practice Friday, marking the second straight day he was able to get in some on-field work. While Gesicki appears to be doing everything he can to play this weekend, a final word on the athletic tight end's status could realistically come down to a game-time decision. Adam Shaheen and Durham Smythe will handle expanded roles if Gesicki can't play.

Hill is slated to return to his versatile role on offense and special teams Sunday against the Chiefs with Drew Brees (ribs) expected to return from injured reserve to start at quarterback for the Saints, Adam Schefter of ESPN reports.

Brees remains on IR for now, but he's expected to be activated no later than Saturday, putting an end to his four-game absence. Hill performed well as the fill-in starter during that stretch, compiling a 3-1 record and completing 82 of 114 pass attempts for 834 yards with four touchdowns and two interceptions while also rushing 39 times for 209 yards and four more scores. The 30-year-old should be involved in the offense as a runner and receiver in addition to his duties on special teams while Jameis Winston serves as a more traditional backup option behind Brees.

Henry brought in five of seven targets for 65 yards and a touchdown in the Chargers' 30-27 overtime win over the Raiders on Thursday night.

The athletic tight end locked in a solid fantasy night early courtesy of a 10-yard touchdown grab in the latter portion of the first quarter that opened the scoring for both teams. Henry went on to post his second-highest yardage total since Week 2, and he's now just 40 yards away from exceeding the career-high 652 he recorded last season over 12 games. The fourth-year pro will look to accomplish the feat in a Week 16 divisional contest against the Broncos on Sunday, Dec. 27.

Waller brought in nine of 12 targets for 150 yards and a touchdown in the Raiders' 30-27 overtime loss to the Chargers on Thursday night.

Derek Carr's late first-quarter exit did nothing to dampen the Pro Bowl tight end's production, as Waller led all pass catchers in receptions, receiving yards and targets on the night. The 28-year-old notched Las Vegas' first touchdown of the contest with a 35-yard grab early in the second quarter on a pass from Marcus Mariota, and he continued to connect frequently with the veteran backup throughout the game. Waller now has at least Thursday's nine-catch tally in four games, certainly an impressive feat for a player at his position. His remarkable effort against the Chargers also put Waller within 33 yards of a second straight 1,000-yard season, a benchmark he'll look to reach in a Week 16 Saturday night battle versus the Dolphins on Dec. 26.

Alie-Cox (knee) missed a second consecutive practice session Thursday, Kevin Bowen of 93.5 the Fan reports.

The VCU standout banged up his knee during Indianapolis' Week 14 triumph over the Raiders. Though he was ultimately able to return and round out his workload at 20 offensive snaps, back-to-back practice DNPs shed doubt on the likelihood of Alie-Cox suiting up Sunday against the Texans. An output of eight combined receptions for 161 yards and one TD between Weeks 2 and 3 caught the eye of deep-league fantasy managers, but Alie-Cox has not exceeded 45 receiving yards in a game since that point.

Lewis (knee) is expected to suit up Week 15 against Carolina after logging a limited practice session Thursday, Wez Hodkiewicz of the Packers' official site reports.

The veteran tight end has remained limited throughout the practice week, but he's seemingly in the clear for Saturday night's matchup after being removed from the injury report Thursday. Despite coping with a banged-up knee for most of the year, Lewis has just one missed game on the 2020 campaign while posting nine receptions, 98 yards and three touchdowns.