NFL Player News

Engram (foot) was on the sideline during the portion of practice available to the media Saturday, Dan Duggan of The Athletic reports.

This is certainly a troubling development after head coach Pat Shurmur suggested the tight end appeared poised to make his return from a Week 9 foot injury, although the Giants have not officially listed Engram's game-time status for Monday's contest. Fantasy owners should check in prior to the team's official injury report, which should come later Saturday afternoon.

Higbee will be the Rams' leading tight end Sunday against the Seahawks with Gerald Everett (knee) sidelined again, Cameron DaSilva of USA Today reports.

In Everett's first absence Week 13 at Arizona, Higbee earned 91 percent of the offensive snaps and put up the first 100-yard game of his four-year career. The performance wasn't surprising, as it occurred versus a Cardinals defense that has been torched by tight ends this season. While the Seahawks aren't as porous, they still have yielded a 77-802-6 line to the position through 12 games, making Higbee a decent enough roll of the dice.

Graham (calf/wrist) doesn't have a designation for Sunday's contest versus the Redskins.

For the second week in a row, Graham was listed as a non-participant on Wednesday's injury report before logging back-to-back limited showings to wrap it up. With no designation attached to him, he'll again lead the Packers' tight end group, which also includes a motley crew of Marcedes Lewis, Robert Tonyan and Jace Sternberger.

Everett (knee) has been ruled out for Sunday's game versus the Seahawks, Curtis Crabtree of Sports Radio 950 KJR Seattle reports.

A hyperextended knee will keep Everett in street clothes for the second straight contest. While he remains in recovery mode, the Rams will roll with Tyler Higbee as their primary tight end, though Johnny Mundt also is on hand to bolster the position.

Akins (knee) doesn't carry an injury designation into Sunday's game against the Broncos.

Akins popped up on the Texans' injury report after practicing in a limited fashion Thursday, but he upgraded to full participation during Friday's session. His ability to take every rep in the final practice of the week likely means he won't face any restrictions Sunday, so expect Akins to once again split the tight-end snaps with Darren Fells, as is typically the case.

Hooper (knee) doesn't have an injury designation for Sunday's matchup with the Panthers, D. Orlando Ledbetter of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports.

The tight end will return from a three-game absence, hoping to pick up where he left off in the midst of a breakout season. Hooper's presence pushes Jaeden Graham back to a reserve role, while Calvin Ridley and Russell Gage face more competition for targets (Julio Jones has also been cleared to return from an injury).

Carlson (ankle) was a full participant in Friday's practice, Scott Petrak of the Elyria Chronicle-Telegram reports.

Carlson does not carry an injury designation for Sunday's contest against the Bengals. The 22-year-old is set for his usual depth role in Cleveland's tight end corps Week 14.

Kittle (knee/ankle) doesn't have an injury designation for Sunday's game in New Orleans, Nick Wagoner of ESPN.com reports.

Kittle played through the same injury the past two weeks, logging a 79 percent snap share against the Packers and a 100 percent snap share against the Ravens. Given the importance of Sunday's game for NFC playoff seeding, the 49ers presumably intend for their star tight end to handle another large workload. Kittle was able to log limited practices throughout the week.

Sample (ankle) is ruled out for Sunday's tilt against the Browns, Tyler Dragon of The Cincinnati Enquirer reports.

Sample is set to miss a fourth straight game due to his lingering right ankle injury. The Bengals will roll with Tyler Eifert, C.J. Uzomah, Mason Schreck and Cethan Carter at the tight end position in Cleveland on Sunday.

Njoku (wrist) said he expects to be activated from injured reserve ahead of Sunday's game against the Bengals, Jake Trotter of ESPN.com reports. "[The coaching staff] told me, that's the plan," Njoku said after Friday's practice.

Though he noted earlier Friday that Njoku was "healthy and ready to go" after missing the Browns' past 10 games, coach Freddie Kitchens was unwilling to commit to the tight end suiting up this weekend. Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.com reported shortly thereafter that the Browns do intend to bring Njoku back from IR, and the 23-year-old's own comments seem to support that. Because Njoku isn't returning from any sort of lower-body injury that would normally result in a player being eased back into action with a smaller workload, it's fair to expect him to step back into a starting role while taking on a normal snap count as he suits up for the first time since Week 2. The Browns should officially activate him from IR at some point before 4 p.m. ET on Saturday.