NFL Player News

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.

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.