NFL Player News

Bryant 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.

While the Browns had both Hooper and David Njoku available in the past two games, Bryant drew his two lowest offensive snap shares of the season, playing 40 and 37 percent of the snaps in Weeks 5 and 6, respectively. With Hooper out of the mix for at least one game, Bryant and Njoku will likely split time at the position, as neither dramatically exceeded the other in terms of snaps the past two weeks. Even with a decent matchup on tap, Bryant is still probably best suited for fantasy leagues that start two tight ends.

Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski said Hooper has been ruled out for Sunday's game against the Bengals after undergoing emergency surgery Friday to remove his appendix, Nate Ulrich of the Akron Beacon Journal reports.

With Hooper set to miss at least one game, the Browns will turn to Harrison Bryant and David Njoku to serve as their primary tight ends Week 7. The Browns will reassess Hooper next week before determining if he's fit to play in their subsequent game Nov. 1 versus the Raiders.

Hooper (undisclosed) was not spotted during the media-access portion of Friday's practice, Nate Ulrich of the Akron Beacon Journal reports.

It remains to be seen if the Week 7 status of Hooper, who has logged 22 catches for 205 yards and a TD in six games to date, is in any danger, but if he's limited or out Sunday against the Bengals, Harrison Bryant, David Njoku and Stephen Carlson would be next up for the team's tight end looks.

Engram brought in six of nine targets for 46 yards in the Giants' 22-21 loss to the Eagles on Thursday night. He also rushed twice for three yards.

The athletic tight end's final numbers were certainly serviceable, as he tied Sterling Shepard (toe) for the team lead in receptions and paced the Giants in targets. However, one of three looks Engram couldn't convert into a catch looms large of this narrow defeat, as his failure to bring in a perfectly thrown pass from Daniel Jones on third down with 2:14 remaining forced New York to punt the ball back to Philadelphia. The Eagles would go on to put together a game-winning drive, marring the fifth-year tight end's second-best statistical performance of the campaign. Engram also remains without a receiving touchdown, so he'll look to atone for that and his ill-timed drop against the Buccaneers in a Week 8 Monday night showdown Nov. 2.

Dissly (Achilles) was a full participant in Thursday's practice, John Boyle of the Seahawks' official site reports.

Dissly began the week with a limited session Wednesday, as has been standard this season for load limit purposes. Upgrading to full practice reps Thursday serves as an indication that Dissly is fully on track to play his usual rotational role behind Greg Olsen during Sunday's divisional matchup against the Cardinals.

Higbee (hand) was a non-participant at Thursday's practice, Jourdan Rodrigue of The Athletic reports.

Aside from a three-touchdown showing Week 2, Higbee has been difficult to rely on, as he's yet to surpass 60 yards in any game this season. Now with a hand injury in tow, his practice level will need to be monitored in advance of Monday's game against the Bears. If the issue lingers or even forces an absence, Higbee would cede snaps and targets to Gerald Everett.

Pruitt (illness) was a full participant during Thursday's practice session, Jim Wyatt of the Titans' official site reports.

The 28-year-old tight end resided on the reserve/COVID-19 list for 12 days beginning Oct. 8th, but he sat out Wednesday's session with an illness immediately after being activated. Whether that stemmed from lingering effects of the virus is unclear, but Pruitt has since been added to the Titans' active roster while adhering to the NFL's COVID-19 protocols. After fielding 25.7 offensive snaps per contest Weeks 1 through 3, Pruitt will now see his first game action since Sept. 27 as Tennessee gets ready to face Pittsburgh.

Njoku (shoulder) was a full participant in Thursday's practice, Nate Ulrich of the Akron Beacon Journal reports.

Njoku is in the clear for Sunday's game at Cincinnati after the Browns capped his reps in their first Week 7 practice Wednesday. The 24-year-old returned from injured reserve Week 5 and has struggled to find looks in the Browns' passing attack behind top tight end Austin Hooper in his first two games back in action, hauling in two of four targets for 13 yards.

Fant (ankle) was a full practice participant Thursday, Aric DiLalla of the Broncos' official site reports.

Fant's upgrade from limited to full activity in practice paves the way for him to return from a one-game absence to play Sunday against the Chiefs. Jake Butt (61 percent offensive snap share), Nick Vannett (45 percent) and Albert Okwuegbunam (38 percent) essentially worked in a timeshare at tight end in the Week 6 win over New England, but Fant should dominate the snaps at the position now that he's healthy again.

Smith (ankle) returned to a full practice Thursday, Jim Wyatt of the Titans' official site reports.

Per Erik Bacharach of The Tennessean, the tight end took part in Wednesday's stretch but headed back inside the team's facility immediately afterward. With a full practice Thursday under his belt, Smith will set his sights on bouncing back from the one-catch, 13-yard effort he logged in this past Sunday's win over the Texans prior to his third-quarter exit. Heading into that contest, Smith had recorded a fantasy-friendly 18/221/5 stat line through his first four outings this season.