NFL Player News

Higbee (hand) is listed as questionable for Monday's contest but is expected to play, Jourdan Rodrigue of The Athletic reports.

It'll be interesting to see how much Higbee can really do as a pass catcher if he's active Monday, as the tight end injured his hand in the loss to the 49ers last week. While coach Sean McVay has been adamant Higbee will play Monday, it's possible Higbee could primarily be used as a blocker, with any pass-catching responsibilities falling upon Gerald Everett. Higbee played 75 percent of the snaps Sunday against the 49ers compared to Everett's 50, but both tight ends ended up running the same amount of routes (17).

Kroft is the only true tight end currently allowed to suit up for Sunday's game against the Jets after multiple Bills tight ends were placed on the reserve/COVID-19 list Saturday, according to the team's official press release.

It's a unique situation as Kroft might be forced to play the entirety of Sunday's game with Dawson Knox, Tommy Sweeney, Lee Smith and practice squad tight end Nate Becker all placed on the reserve/COVID-19 list. (Knox and Sweeney were not going to play anyway due to injury.) Kroft, who was attending the birth of his first child earlier in the week, was not in close proximity to Knox and therefore joins TE/FB Reggie Gilliam as the only Bills tight ends eligible to play Sunday.

Sweeney (foot) was placed on the reserve/COVID-19 list Saturday, the Bills' official site reports.

Sweeney was already on the PUP list due to a foot injury -- he hasn't seen action all season -- but because he's been deemed to have been in close contact with fellow tight end Dawson Knox -- who tested positive for COVID-19 -- Sweeney has been placed on the list due to league protocol, even though he hasn't necessarily tested positive for the virus himself.

Knox (calf) was placed on the reserve/COVID-19 list Saturday after testing positive, the Bills' official site reports.

Knox was already going to miss Sunday's game against the Jets due to his calf injury, so perhaps the bigger issue is that the team's tight end room is almost completely depleted, as fellow tight ends Lee Smith, Tommy Sweeney (currently on PUP list), and practice squad player Nate Becker have been defined to have been in close contact with Knox. They have all been placed on the Reserve/COVID-19 list and cannot take Knox's place in Sunday's game.

Kroft is expected to serve as the Bills' top tight end Sunday against the Jets with Dawson Knox (calf) ruled out for the contest.

While Knox was sidelined for Weeks 3 and 6, Kroft played 74 of a possible 108 offensive snaps (68.5 percent) between the contests, producing five receptions for 31 yards and two touchdowns on seven targets. Kroft's 6-foot-6, 252-pound frame makes him an ideal target in the red zone, but even when guaranteed ample snaps, his fantasy floor remains fairly low if he's unable to find the end zone in a given week.

Higbee (hand) won't participate in Friday's practice, Gary Klein of the Los Angeles Times reports.

Higbee's back-to-back absences to begin the practice week would normally be cause for concern, but Rams head coach Sean McVay downplayed the situation, saying that he expects the tight end to be good to go for Monday's game against the Bears, per Jourdan Rodrigue of The Athletic. Before deciding whether Higbee carries a designation into the Week 7 contest, the Rams will wait and see what he's able to do in their final practice of the week Saturday. Since his big three-touchdown outburst Week 2, Higbee has disappointed with 10 receptions for 128 yards and no trips to the end zone over the subsequent four games.

Akins (ankle/concussion) is listed as questionable for Sunday's game against the Packers.

That said, Akins didn't practice at all this week and isn't expected to suit up this weekend, according to Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle. If Akins does indeed remain sidelined in Week 7, fellow tight end Darren Fells will continue to see added passing targets against Green Bay.

Tonyan (ankle) is listed as questionable for Sunday's game in Houston, Rob Demovsky of ESPN.com reports.

Tonyan was held out of practice Wednesday and Thursday but returned to limited participation Friday. He managed to play through the ankle injury for most of last week's loss to Tampa Bay, so it would seem he has a pretty good chance to suit up this coming Sunday. If not, the Packers could turn to Jace Sternberger as the top receiving threat at tight end, with Marcedes Lewis also a candidate to pick up some extra snaps and maybe a few targets. A 1:00 p.m. ET kickoff means the Packers will release their inactive list around 11:30 a.m.

Knox (calf) has been declared out for Sunday's game at the Jets, Chris Brown of the Bills' official site reports.

Knox's absence for Week 7 was fully expected after he failed to practice Wednesday through Friday. Tyler Kroft will get a few extra looks in the passing game this weekend, while Knox will set his sights on returning for a big Week 8 contest against the Patriots.

Njoku is expected to handle an increased role Sunday against the Bengals after top tight end Austin Hooper was ruled out for the contest following an emergency appendectomy, Jake Trotter of ESPN.com reports.

Since his return from injured reserve Week 5 following a three-game absence, Njoku has seen limited involvement behind Hooper, recording two receptions for 13 yards while playing only 34.9 percent of the Browns' offensive snaps in his first two games back in action. Meanwhile, fellow tight end Harrison Bryant has played 39.7 percent of the snaps during that two-week stretch, so he and Njoku may be headed for a fairly even timeshare this weekend in Cincinnati. Hooper's absence should still improve the overall outlooks for Njoku and Bryant, but the fantasy upside for both could be muted, given the likelihood they'll be splitting snaps.