NFL Player News

Njoku caught three of four targets for 35 yards in Sunday's 26-20 win over the Panthers.

Njoku turned in another disappointing effort despite facing a Carolina defense that's been generous to tight ends this season. The second-year man out of Miami has faded when it matters most for fantasy owners, recording 35 yards or fewer in three of the past four games.

Hooper suffered a knee injury in Sunday's 34-20 loss to the Packers, Kelsey Conway of the Falcons' official site reports.

Hooper limped off the field on the Falcons' final drive of the game and was deemed questionable to return, but with the contest in the closing stages and already out of reach, he never retook the field. The 24-year-old caught four of six targets for 37 yards, as the Falcons offense struggled to score until the fourth quarter. The specifics of the injury remain unclear, but his status should receive some clarification by the time Atlanta resumes practice Wednesday.

Engram is slated to return from a two-game absence due to a hamstring injury Sunday against the Redskins but is expected to see his role limited primarily to passing downs, Jordan Raanan of ESPN.com reports.

The Giants seem comfortable with where Engram is at on the health front and aren't expected to restrict his playing time because of it, but the 24-year-old had already been losing work to backup Rhett Ellison even before getting hurt. In the Giants' two games following their Week 9 bye, Engram took the field for just 47 percent of the team's offensive snaps after averaging around 90 percent through the five contests he had previously played. Though most of the plays Engram was sidelined for were designed runs, the overall decline in snap share nonetheless presented fewer opportunities for him to put up numbers. Should the trend hold the rest of the way, Engram's weekly upside would be capped to some extent, though he should at least rank higher in the Giants' pass-catching hierarchy this Sunday with top wideout Odell Beckham (quadriceps) ruled out.

Allen (knee) was downgraded to out for Sunday's game against the Dolphins, Doug Kyed of NESN.com reports.

Allen progressed to full practice participation Friday but was unable to travel with the team to Miami. Rob Gronkowski and Jacob Hollister are the Patriots' remaining available tight ends, though fullback James Develin could also be utilized if needed as Allen will miss his third consecutive game.

Bell caught both his targets for 16 yards in Thursday's 30-9 loss to the Titans.

Bell had only one catch for five yards in the previous three games, so Thursday's performance was a marked improvement. The 27-year-old is essentially splitting time as the Jaguars' No. 2 tight end with Ben Koyack behind starter James O'Shaughnessy, and isn't worth fantasy consideration in said role.

Brown (shoulder) has been placed on injured reserve, Scott Petrak of the Elyria Chronicle-Telegram reports.

Brown's designation comes in conjunction with the return of cornerback Terrance Mitchell, who's been placed on the 53-man roster following October surgery to mend his broken wrist. Brown will finish his rookie season having played 39 snaps (13 offensive) across two games.

Pruitt hauled in his lone target for nine yards in Thursday's 30-9 win over the Jaguars.

Pruitt has recorded one catch on one target in each of the four games he has been active this season. Though the Titans' tight end corps remains crowded, Jonnu Smith's (knee) season-ending injury could open up a few more targets for Pruitt to close the season. There's little indication he'll be able to take advantage, however, as he has averaged just 9.2 yards per catch and recorded zero touchdowns in 32 career games.

Graham (knee/thumb) is clear of a designation for Sunday's contest against the Falcons, Michael Cohen of The Athletic reports.

The Packers have managed Graham's knee all season, but a broken thumb has affected him in the team's previous two games. During that stretch, he gathered in 10 of 15 passes for 84 yards and no touchdowns. He'll attempt to keep it up Sunday versus an Atlanta defense that has surrendered 7.5 yards per target and four touchdowns to tight ends in 12 contests.

Allen (knee) is questionable for Sunday's game against the Dolphins, Doug Kyed of NESN.com reports.

Allen was able to progress to full practice participation Friday, yet he was unable to avoid the questionable tag. Regardless, the 28-year-old appears on track to return to his block-heavy role at tight end for the Patriots after missing the last two games.

Njoku (knee) practiced fully Friday and doesn't carry an injury designation into Sunday's game against the Panthers, Nate Ulrich of the Akron Beacon Journal reports.

Since he was able to practice in limited fashion on back-to-back days to open the Browns' Week 14 preparations, Njoku never seemed in major jeopardy of missing game action. Njoku's fantasy value peaked when he earned double-digit targets in both Weeks 5 and 6, but he's earned no more than six looks in any of the Browns' subsequent six contests.