NFL Player News

Hooper collected three of six targets for 46 yards and a touchdown in Thursday's 43-28 win over the Bucs.

Getting the start in place of Jacob Tamme (shoulder), Hooper put in a second straight solid performance and checking in third on the Falcons in targets behind the receiving duo of Julio Jones and Mohamed Sanu. Tamme's injury may be a blessing in disguise, as it is providing the Falcons with an extended look at the talented rookie, who makes for an effective downfield threat. Following Thursday's outing, Hooper now has catches of 28, 42 and 44 yards this season on just 17 targets. While he's likely to slide back into more of a secondary role when Tamme returns, the reps he's currently receiving certainly bode well for his development.

Allen (ankle) was a limited participant in Thursday's practice.

Allen has practiced two consecutive days, though limited, after being sidelined two games. It looks like he'll return this week against Green Bay and resume his role as the top tight end.

Henry (knee) did not practice Thursday.

Henry will presumably need to return to practice Friday, and look sharp in doing so, in order to avoid missing Sunday's game against the Titans. If he is out or limited this weekend, veteran TE Antonio Gates would be in line to see his share of targets in the Chargers' Week 9 passing attack.

Pruitt (knee) was a full participant at Wednesday's practice.

Pruitt's return to practice is good news for the Vikings' tight end depth. That being said, the second-year tight end is still buried behind Kyle Rudolph and Rhett Ellison on the depth chart, keeping him irrelevant from a fantasy standpoint.

Pettigrew (knee) was seen working out on the sidelines during Wednesday's practice, MLive.com reports.

Pettigrew has spent almost an entire year in recovery from 2015's season-ending ACL tear. However, he appears very close to a return, although the Lions still haven't provided a definite timetable for such.

Henry (knee) was held out of practice Wednesday, Michael Gehlken of the San Diego Union-Tribune reports.

Henry was forced to leave last Sunday's game for a brief time after taking a shot to the knee from a Broncos defender and it appears the ailment also kept him out of practice Wednesday as well. While the injury doesn't seem especially serious, fantasy owners should still check his injury status during the coming days to see if Henry will be available for Sunday's game. If he's unable to go, Antonio Gates could see additional targets against a creaky Titans secondary.

Allen (ankle) was a limited participant in Wednesday's practice.

Allen returned to practice after missing two games due to the injury. It looks likely he will play this week against Green Bay, but we'll need to see how he's able to hold up during a week of practice.

The Falcons have officially ruled out Jacob Tamme (shoulder) for Thursday's contest at Tampa Bay, allowing Hooper to earn his second consecutive start.

On Atlanta's first drive Sunday against the Packers, Tamme injured his shoulder and was unable to return, paving the way for Hooper to pick up a career-high 46 offensive snaps. The increased usage translated to five catches for 41 yards, but Hooper has displayed sure hands to date, corralling all 11 targets to date in his rookie season. Notably, he's averaging 17.7 YPC on the backs of two 40-yard catches, making him a great fill-in during a week in which a number of stud TEs are on bye.

It appears as though Allen (ankle) has resumed practicing, Kevin Bowen of Colts.com reports.

We'll have to see how the Colts classify the tight end's level of practice participation Wednesday, but his return, even on limited basis, would presumably move Allen from the week-to-week category to day-to-day status.

Coffman was released by the Colts on Tuesday.

Coffman was signed by the Colts exactly two weeks ago but now is once again out of a job with the team signing Frankie Williams. Coffman failed to record a statistic in his two games with the Colts as he played behind the likes of Dwayne Allen (ankle), Jack Doyle, and Erik Swoope.