NFL Player News

Hockenson (toe) was a limited participant in Thursday's practice.

Hockenson's reps were capped for the second day in a row, but the Lions don't seem to have any real concern that he'll miss Sunday's game against the Panthers. If Hockenson can upgrade to full activity Friday, he'll likely avoid taking an injury designation into the weekend.

Fant (ribs) returned to practice Thursday, Zac Stevens of TheDNVR.com reporters.

It remains to be seen if he's listed as a full or limited participant, but Fant's return to the field Thursday, in any capacity, has the tight end trending in the right direction as Sunday's game against the Dolphins approaches.

The Bills activated Kroft from the reserve/COVID-19 list Thursday.

Kroft ended up sitting out last week's loss to the Cardinals after being placed on the list Saturday due to being a close contact of cornerback Josh Norman, who tested positive for COVID-19. The tight end has since cleared all health-related protocols, so he'll be good to go when the Bills come out of their Week 11 bye. Expect Kroft to resume splitting work at his position with starter Dawson Knox.

The Rams placed Blanton on the practice squad COVID-19 list Wednesday.

Blanton will be required to clear the league's COVID-19 protocols before returning to team activities. He's been on the Rams' practice squad since being cut by the team before Week 1.

Burt (undisclosed) was restored from the practice squad injured list Wednesday, Mike Reiss of ESPN.com reports.

Burt missed three weeks of practice, but he'll return to team activities after shaking the injury. Ryan Izzo (hamstring) and Jordan Thomas are currently the only two tight ends on the 53-man roster.

Lewis (knee) was a limited participant in Wednesday's practice, Tom Silverstein of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports.

Lewis is following his usual practice regimen, as the veteran tight end is managing his reps to start the week. There's no concern about his ability to play this week against the Colts, and fantasy managers shouldn't be concerned with his health anyway, as Lewis has generated a 4-32-2 line through eight games.

Smith (groin) was a limited participant at Wednesday's practice.

Prior to sitting out the Vikings' Week 10 win in Chicago, Smith didn't practice at all, so he appears to be taking a step in the right direction. Still, his status should be watched closely to get a sense of his odds to return to action Sunday versus the Cowboys. If Smith can't play, the Vikings will go with Kyle Rudolph and Tyler Conklin at tight end.

Daniels (ankle) is listed as questionable for Thursday's contest in Seattle.

Daniels left this past Sunday's win against the Bills in the third quarter due to an ankle injury, which didn't allow him to practice this week. Meanwhile, Maxx Williams managed one limited showing Wednesday. Considering the banged-up nature of the Cardinals' tight end group, Dan Arnold may be poised for much more work than normal, especially if one of Daniels and Williams are inactive.

Tonyan (ankle) practiced in a limited fashion Wednesday, Tom Silverstein of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports.

Tonyan has dealt with ankle and knee injuries for a good portion of the season, but his share of the offensive snaps has hovered between 60 and 67 percent for seven of nine outings. Since he went off for five touchdowns in three games from Weeks 2 through 4, he's been kept out of the end zone while accumulating 14 catches (on 18 targets) for 174 yards across the last five games. Assuming he's able to suit up Sunday at Indianapolis, Tonyan may find it difficult to produce against a Colts defense that has held tight ends to a league-low 4.8 yards per target in 2020.

Pruitt (knee) didn't participate in Wednesday's practice, Jim Wyatt of the Titans' official site reports.

Pruitt sat out last week's loss to the Colts because of a knee sprain, and he's trending in the wrong direction to start the week. The 28-year-old tight end functions mainly as a blocking specialist, as he's been targeted just four times over six games. If Pruitt's forced to miss this Sunday's matchup against the Ravens, Geoff Swaim likely will be active once again as the team's No. 3 tight end.