NFL Player News

Fant (illness) practiced fully Wednesday, putting him on track to play Saturday against the Bills, Troy Renck of ABC Denver7 reports.

Fant was listed as a non-participant on Denver's practice estimate Tuesday, but he seems to have fully recovered the stomach ailment that forced him out early in last week's win over the Panthers. He draws a favorable Week 15 matchup versus a Buffalo defense that has allowed the most catches (75) and second-most yards (833) to tight ends this season, along with seven touchdowns.

Alie-Cox (knee) didn't practice Wednesday.

Alie-Cox missed part of last week's win over the Raiders after hurting his knee in the first quarter, but he later returned to the contest. Fellow tight end Trey Burton also missed Wednesday's practice with a knee injury, so Jack Doyle could enjoy some breathing room in the normally crowded Colts tight end rotation if either or both of Alie-Cox and Burton is unable to play Sunday against the Texans.

Gesicki (shoulder) didn't practice Wednesday, Adam H. Beasley of the Miami Herald reports.

Gesicki is expected to miss time due to the shoulder injury he picked up in the fourth quarter of last weekend's loss to the Chiefs, so it doesn't come as any sort of surprise to see him sitting out practice to begin Week 15. The results of Gesicki's recent MRI could be known within the next few days, but all signs currently point to him sitting out Sunday's game against the Patriots. If that's the case, Adam Shaheen and Durham Smythe would likely split work at tight end.

The 49ers designated Kittle (foot) to return from injured reserve Wednesday.

The transaction makes Kittle eligible to practice, but it doesn't necessarily mean he'll be back for Sunday's must-win game in Dallas. In fact, Matt Maiocco of NBC Sports Bay Area relays that Kittle isn't expected to play this week, though it's possible the tight end's outlook changes if he gets out on the practice field and looks healthy. There's also a decent chance Kittle doesn't play again this season, especially if the Niners lose to Dallas and officially fall out of the wild-card hunt.

Daniels (ankle) was designated to return from IR on Wednesday.

Daniels will be eligible to return to practice as a result of this move, which also opens a three-week window for the Cardinals to put the tight end back on the roster. He wasn't a critical part of the offense prior to sustaining his ankle injury, catching just six passes for 83 yards and a touchdown in nine games.

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.