NFL Player News

Hudson (concussion) is ruled out for Saturday's contest against the Texans, Greg Auman of The Athletic reports.

Hudson will remain sidelined until he clears the league's five-step protocol for concussions. O.J. Howard and Cameron Brate are in line to serve as Tampa Bay's top tight ends against Houston on Saturday.

Everett (knee) practiced fully Wednesday, Lindsey Thiry of ESPN.com reports.

During his three-game absence, Everett didn't practice in any fashion ahead of those contests, so his activity Wednesday is as positive of a sign as any that he's put his hyperextended knee behind him. Afterward, coach Sean McVay spoke of Everett. "We're just kind of feeling it out," McVay told Thiry. "Part of that, too, is as we complete the game plan and kind of figure out exactly what that looks like and what his involvement would be, if he is feeling good enough." In the end, there's a chance he's eased back into the fold Saturday in San Francisco, especially with how well Tyler Higbee has played during Everett's absence.

Fant (shoulder) was limited at practice Wednesday, Troy Renck of Denver 7 News reports.

Nicki Jhabvala of The Athletic previously relayed that coach Vic Fangio said Fant's shoulder "will be fine," but the fact that the tight end was limited to begin Week 16 prep suggests his status will warrant monitoring heading into Sunday's game against the Lions. The shoulder injury resulted in Fant's brief removal in the Broncos' Week 15 loss to the Colts before he was cleared to re-enter the contest. He finished the game with two catches for 56 yards on three targets while playing 46 percent of the offensive snaps.

Smith should maintain an expanded role on offense over the Giants' final two games after the team placed Evan Engram (foot) on injured reserve Tuesday, Matt Lombardo of The Newark Star-Ledger reports.

Smith had already served as the Giants' top tight end for four straight contests while Engram and Rhett Ellison (concussion) were both sidelined, hauling in 16 of 22 targets for 134 yards and one touchdown across that stretch. While Engram is now out of the picture for the remainder of 2019, Smith's role could be threatened to some degree by the potential return of Ellison, who was a full participant in Wednesday's practice. Ellison has yet to clear the NFL's concussion protocol, but he may be able to do so before Sunday's game against Washington arrives. Even if Ellison plays, Smith should still retain a decent-sized role, though he may struggle to replicate the 90-plus-percent offensive snap shares he's handled in each of the past four weeks.

Seals-Jones (shoulder) wasn't listed on Wednesday's injury report, Mary Kay Cabot of The Cleveland Plain Dealer reports.

After leaving this last Sunday's loss to the Cardinals with a shoulder injury, Seals-Jones is feeling no ill effects just a few days later. The 24-year-old tight end performed well against his former team, recording three receptions for 29 yards and two touchdowns. However, Seals-Jones did benefit from David Njoku sitting out as a healthy inactive, and it's not known whether coach Freddie Kitchens will reintegrate Njoku back into the offense Week 16 against the Ravens. Regardless, Seals-Jones isn't a dependable fantasy play, as he draws a tough matchup and finished with fewer than 20 offensive snaps in each of the past five games.

Seals-Jones was not listed on Wednesday's injury report, Mary Kay Cabot of The Cleveland Plain Dealer reports.

Seals-Jones scored two touchdowns in last week's win over the Cardinals but was forced to leave early due to a shoulder injury. Fortunately, he's not on Cleveland's injury report Wednesday, so we can safely assume Seals-Jones will play Week 16 and will be looking to build off his best outing of the 2019 season.

Engram will undergo surgery Friday to repair the Lisfranc injury in his left foot, Ralph Vacchiano of SportsNet New York reports.

Placed on injured reserve Tuesday, Engram finished his third pro season with 44 catches (on 68 targets) for 467 yards and three touchdowns. Considering the extent of his foot issue wasn't divulged until Wednesday, it's no surprise he was unable to get back on the field after initially suffering the injury Week 9 against the Cowboys. Engram told Dan Salomone of the Giants' official site that he expects to be "more than ready" by training camp, but his activity in the offseason program could still be impacted.

Fumagalli caught his only target for a seven-yard gain during Sunday's 23-3 loss in Kansas City.

Fumagalli got on the stat sheet during Denver's final drive of the game with a quick pass underneath. The depth tight end has spent much of the season on the game-day inactive list and, when he's played, he's seldom been involved in the passing game, seeing multiple targets in only one game. Fumagalli has caught passes in back-to-back weeks, but he's still a long way from being a fantasy consideration, even Sunday against the Lions' 31st-ranked pass defense.

Holtz saw one target but lost a yard on his lone catch of Sunday's 21-13 loss to Green Bay.

Holtz's stock climbed after Week 14's 56-yard performance, but Sunday's outing should level things out a bit. The rookie, thanks to injuries, has climbed up the depth chart and the Bears' offense has shown more signs of life as of late, but he's a tough play Sunday against a rallying Chiefs defense with a tenacious safety over the middle in Tyrann Mathieu.

Hudson (concussion) did not participate in Tuesday's practice, Carmen Vitali of the team's official site reports.

Hudson played just six snaps before departing Sunday. Jordan Leggett is in line to replace him if the 25-year-old isn't ready for Saturday's tilt against the Texans.