NFL Player News

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.

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.