NFL Player News

LaPorta (ankle) practiced in a limited capacity Thursday.

LaPorta now has cobbled together back-to-back capped sessions to begin Week 18 prep as he tends to an ankle injury, giving him just one more chance to get back to full participation before the Lions potentially hand him a designation ahead of Sunday's game against the Vikings. If he's able to suit up this weekend, he likely would be hard-pressed to accrue the 140 receiving yards needed to reach 1,000 in his rookie campaign, but Minnesota's defense has allowed the second-highest catch rate (79.2 percent) to opposing tight ends this season.

Packers head coach Matt LaFleur said Musgrave (kidney) was a limited participant in Thursday's practice, Ryan Wood of USA Today reports.

Since being designated for return from injured reserve Dec. 21, Musgrave hasn't managed anything more than limited participation in practice while he works his way back from a lacerated kidney. According to Matt Schneidman of The Athletic, LaFleur said that a return to the lineup for Sunday's regular-season finale versus the Bears is still "realistic" for Musgrave, but the rookie tight end may need to upgrade to full practice participation Friday to convince the coaching staff he's ready for game action. While Musgrave has been sidelined for the past six games, fellow rookie Tucker Kraft has stepped in admirably as Green Bay's starting tight end while providing a 23-281-2 receiving line on 30 targets over that span.

Kieft (shoulder) was a limited participant in Thursday's practice.

After missing the Buccaneers' Week 17 loss to the Saints with a shoulder issue, Kieft began the team's week of practice with an estimated DNP on Wednesday followed by a limited session Thursday. It seems as if the 26-year-old's shoulder injury could be improving, but unless he's able to practice in full Friday, he'll likely carry an injury designation into Week 18.

Kmet (knee) practiced on a limited basis Thursday.

Kmet is a step ahead of last week's practice regimen as he tends to a knee issue, putting in a limited session one day earlier this time around. Still, he entered last weekend listed as questionable for this past Sunday's game against the Falcons, for which he was active but blanked in the box score. It remains to be seen if Kmet has a designation ahead of this Sunday's contest at Green Bay, something that will be revealed on Friday's injury report.

Wright (hip) did not participate at practice Wednesday.

Wright has sat out of both of Detroit's last two games due to a hip injury, and now he's missing the first practice of the new week. He'll probably have to return to practice Thursday or Friday to have a chance to play in Week 18.

Musgrave (kidney) was a limited participant at Wednesday's walkthrough.

Musgrave is maintaining his practice activity level from last week, when he was listed as doubtful for Week 17 action and eventually wasn't activated from injured reserve ahead of this past Sunday's game at Minnesota. Head coach Matt LaFleur told Tom Silverstein of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel last Thursday that Musgrave must be medically cleared from his lacerated kidney and also look like himself in order to suit up on game days, which clearly hasn't come to pass yet. Musgrave will have two more chances this week to give the Packers enough evidence that activation from IR is a reasonable course of action before Sunday's regular-season finale against the Bears.

Brown was listed as a limited practice participant Wednesday due to a rib injury.

While Hunter Henry (knee) missed a second straight game, Brown saw his highest snap share of the season (68 percent) in this past Sunday's 27-21 loss to the Bills, finishing with one catch for five yards. However, he seemingly sustained an injury at some point along the way, and he may need to upgrade to full practice participation Thursday or Friday to avoid taking an injury designation into this weekend's season finale versus the Jets.

Mayer (toe) was listed as a non-participant on Wednesday's estimated practice report.

The second-round rookie has already missed the Raiders' last two games, and his continued absence from practice doesn't bode well for his chances of suiting up in Sunday's season finale versus the Broncos. While Mayer was sidelined last week, Austin Hooper played 85 percent of the offensive snaps, catching three passes for 28 yards on three targets in a 23-20 loss to the Colts.

Kelce was a limited participant at practice Wednesday due to a neck injury.

Kelce's neck issue doesn't appear to be a major concern, and he'll still have two more opportunities to practice fully this week before the Chiefs decide whether he carries a designation into Sunday's game against the Chargers. However, with the Chiefs locked in as the AFC's No. 3 seed in the playoffs, the tight end will be a candidate to be rested this weekend, especially if he's less than 100 percent. Kelce approaches Week 18 action needing 16 more receiving yards to hit the 1,000-yard mark for the eighth consecutive season.

Rams head coach Sean McVay said Wednesday that Higbee (shoulder) won't play in Sunday's game against the 49ers, Jourdan Rodrigue of The Athletic reports.

Higbee is nursing a shoulder injury, and the Rams have no reason to push him to play Week 18 with a wild-card spot already sewn up. McVay plans to rest several key starters, and Higbee will get an extra week to tend to his ailing shoulder. Look for Davis Allen to see significant playing time at tight end with Carson Wentz under center versus San Francisco on Sunday.