NFL Player News

Hurst (concussion) has been ruled out for Sunday's game at New Orleans.

Hurst returned to practice Wednesday and remained a limited participant throughout the week, but he sounds like he could be in danger of missing time even beyond Week 14. A recent social media post by his father revealed that Hurst was diagnosed with post-traumatic amnesia after taking a hard hit Nov. 9 against the Bears. Fellow tight ends Tommy Tremble (hip) and Stephen Sullivan (shoulder) are listed as questionable this week, but both seem likely to play after practicing fully Friday.

Bills head coach Sean McDermott said Friday that Knox (wrist) has a "good chance" to be activated from injured reserve ahead of Sunday's game in Kansas City, Joe Buscaglia of The Athletic reports.

Knox has been practicing without limitations since he was designated for return from injured reserve Wednesday, a transaction that opened a 21-day window for the tight end to be evaluated in practice. Assuming he checks out fine following another full practice Friday, Knox will likely be officially reinstated from IR on Saturday. Before missing the Bills' last five games while recovering from right wrist surgery, Knox produced a 15-102-1 receiving line on 28 targets through the first seven weeks of the season.

Coach Doug Pederson said Friday that Strange (foot) is not expected to suit up for Sunday's game against the Browns, John Shipley of SI.com reports.

Strange couldn't play Monday versus the Bengals, and he will now likely have to miss a second straight contest. If Strange can't play Sunday, his next chance to take the field will come Week 15 versus Baltimore.

Gesicki was on the field for 19 of a possible 57 snaps on offense in Thursday's 21-18 win over the Steelers, Mike Reiss of ESPN.com reports.

Gesicki has back-to-back games without a target and three in a row without any catches. He's been playing fewer snaps than both Hunter Henry and Pharaoh Brown, with any hope for fantasy relevance down the stretch likely depending on Henry missing time. Henry played 88 percent of snaps and caught two touchdown passes Thursday night, so he should be fine to handle his usual starting role Week 15 against Kansas City.

Freiermuth brought in three of seven targets for 18 yards and also recorded a two-point conversion catch in the Steelers' 21-18 loss to the Patriots on Thursday night.

Mitch Trubisky's struggles with efficiency Thursday impacted Freiermuth, with the tight end finishing with his fifth sub-20-yard tally of the campaign in the process. Freiermuth did manage to boost his overall fantasy production to a modest degree with his two-point conversion reception following the Steelers' final touchdown of the night in the fourth quarter. However, he remains very hard to trust due to Pittsburgh's quarterback issues heading into a Week 15 road matchup against the Colts on Saturday, Dec. 16.

Henry brought in all three targets for 40 yards and two touchdowns in the Patriots' 21-18 win over the Steelers on Thursday night.

Henry's breakout night, like the performance of the Patriots' typically lackluster offense as a whole, was considerably unexpected. The veteran tight end recorded eight- and 24-yard scoring grabs in the second quarter, the second an especially impressive reception among multiple defenders. Henry had only crossed the goal line once since Week 2 prior to Thursday, and it remains to be seen if he'll be able to replicate his numbers against a stingy Chiefs defense in a Week 15 home tilt on Sunday, Dec. 17.

Smythe (ankle) did not participate at the Dolphins' practice Thursday.

Smythe was unavailable for the team's first practice session of the week due to an ankle injury, which he seemingly picked up last week versus the Commanders. The tight end will have two more opportunities to return to the field prior to Monday's matchup with the Titans.

Higbee (neck) didn't practice Thursday, Adam Caplan of SiriusXM NFL Radio reports.

Higbee continues to be sidelined during Week 14 prep due to the neck stinger that he sustained this past Sunday against the Browns. He'll thus have just one more chance to mix into drills this week before the Rams potentially make a ruling on his status ahead of Sunday's game at Baltimore.

Conklin (hamstring) remained limited at practice Thursday, Rich Cimini of ESPN.com reports.

Following back-to-back capped sessions to start the week, Conklin may need to practice fully Friday in order to avoid carrying an injury designation ahead of Sunday's game against the Texans. In the Jets' 13-8 loss to the Falcons in Week 13, Conklin logged a team-high nine targets but hauled in only three of them for 35 yards.

Schultz (hamstring) didn't practice Thursday.

Schultz, who missed this past Sunday's game against the Broncos, logged a limited practice Wednesday, so his downgrade to non-participation a day later is notable, though it could potentially be indicative of load management rather than a setback. Friday's injury report should add valuable context with regard to the tight end's status for Sunday's game at the Jets.