NFL Player News

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.

Engram (foot) logged another limited practice Friday, Dan Salomone of the Giants' official site reports.

Coach Pat Shurmur expects the tight end to return for Monday's game in Philadelphia, where Engram will likely work with quarterback Eli Manning for the first time since Week 2. The Giants also expect to have Golden Tate (concussion) back in the lineup, while rookie signal-caller Daniel Jones (ankle) isn't likely to play.

Coach Freddie Kitchens said Friday that Njoku (wrist) is "healthy and ready to go," but the Browns haven't decided whether to activate him from injured reserve ahead of this weekend's game against the Bengals, Nate Ulrich of the Akron Beacon Journal reports.

A final decision on Njoku's Week 14 status should come before Saturday at 4 p.m. ET, the deadline for teams to activate players designated to return from injured reserve ahead of Sunday games. Njoku has been taking full contact since he resumed practicing Nov. 20, but the Browns would have the luxury of waiting until Dec. 11 to activate him if they don't feel he's quite ready to play against Cincinnati. Whenever he's reinstated, Njoku will likely take over as the team's clear No. 1 tight end, as the Browns have essentially taken a committee approach to the position since he landed on IR.

Coach Dan Quinn said Hooper (knee) will return to action Sunday against the Panthers, Vaughn McClure of ESPN.com reports.

Hooper missed the past three games while recovering from an MCL sprain. He resumed practicing at the beginning of this week, so it's possible he's ready to take back a full workload. It isn't clear if the Falcons will list the tight end with a designation on their final Week 14 injury report.

Coach Pat Shurmur said Friday that "all indications are [Engram] will be ready to go" for Monday's game against the Eagles, Jordan Raanan of ESPN.com reports.

Engram hasn't played since injuring his foot in Week 9, but he was able to practice Thursday for the first time since suffering the injury, likely setting him up for a return to action in Philadelphia. The Giants will still practice twice more before revealing their final injury report for Week 14 on Saturday. While it's looking like Engram will be back this week, fantasy players may not have confirmation on his availability for certain until shortly before Monday's kickoff.

Horsted hauled in all four of his targets for 36 yards in the Bears' 31-24 win over the Cowboys on Thursday.

After scoring a touchdown Thanksgiving Day, Horsted posted a decent fantasy performance in the first game of the season in which he was targeted more than once. If Ben Braunecker (concussion) continues to miss time, Horsted will be a desperation play at tight end in the fantasy playoffs.

Holtz caught all three of his targets for 56 yards in the Bears' 31-24 win over the Cowboys on Thursday.

Although he's been serving as the primary blocking tight end for the Bears, Holtz saw his first targets in eight weeks. Despite posting a big yardage total, his low floor makes him nearly impossible to start in the fantasy playoffs.

Everett (knee) didn't practice Thursday, Lindsey Thiry of ESPN.com reports.

Until he makes his presence felt on the practice field, Everett will be hard-pressed to be available for game action as he recovers from a hyperextended knee. Tyler Higbee will dominate the tight end snaps in the Rams offense as long as Everett is sidelined.

Hollister (quadriceps) was a full participant at Thursday's walk-through, John Boyle of the Seahawks' official site reports.

The Seahawks have held back-to-back walk-throughs to kick off Week 14 preparations, but Hollister's elevation from LP on Wednesday to uncapped one day later paves the way for the tight end to suit up Sunday versus the Rams in L.A. He's been the most-utilized TE for Russell Wilson for some time now, notching 25 catches (on 36 targets) for 203 yards and three touchdowns over Seattle's last six games.

Akins (knee) was limited at practice Thursday.

Akins was a Thursday addition to Houston's injury report, so those considering the tight end in deeper formats this week will want to check back on his status Friday. Akins and Darren Fells have operated in time-share this season, but while the duo's catch/yardage numbers are similar, Fells has been the more productive fantasy option, having notched seven TDs to Akins' total of two through 12 games. The return of Jordan Thomas from injury two weeks ago could further impact Akins' fantasy value, as the Texans increase Thomas' workload.