NFL Player News

Whyle exited Sunday's game against the Ravens to be evaluated for a concussion, Nick Suss of the Nashville Tennessean reports.

Per the report, Whyle, who caught his only target for 11 yards Sunday prior to his exit, is not slated to return to the contest. In his absence, Chigoziem Okonkwo, Trevon Wesco and Kevin Rader are available to handle the Titans' TE duties.

The Lions are reportedly planning for LaPorta (calf) to be active for Sunday's game against the the Buccaneers, Jeff Darlington of ESPN reports.

Darlington's report supports the notion previously relayed by Adam Schefter of ESPN that LaPorta is trending in the right direction ahead of the contest. That said, Schefter suggested that the tight end was expected to work out pre-game to finalize his availability, so those considering LaPorta in Week 6 lineups are still advised to verify his status ahead of Sunday's 4:25 ET kickoff.

LaPorta (calf), who is listed as questionable for Sunday's game against the Buccaneers, appears to be trending in the right direction as the 4:25 p.m. ET kickoff approaches, Adam Schefter of ESPN reports.

Before finalizing a decision on LaPorta's status, the Lions will put the rookie tight end through a pregame workout to see how his strained calf responds. LaPorta sat out Thursday's practice with the injury before returning to the field Friday in a limited fashion, and he's seemingly made some progress since that time. Though the Lions will know after the workout whether LaPorta will play, fantasy managers may not hear word on his status one way or the other until the team releases its inactive list 90 minutes prior to kickoff. Brock Wright would step in as the Lions' starting tight end if LaPorta is unable to go.

Knox (wrist), who is listed as questionable for Sunday's game against the Giants, is expected to play, Adam Schefter of ESPN reports.

Despite carrying a questionable tag into Sunday, Knox was able to practice Wednesday through Friday, albeit in a limited fashion. Though Knox is expected to play through his health concern, the status of fellow tight end Dalton Kincaid (concussion) is less certain. Like Knox, Kincaid was a limited participant in practice throughout the week, but no reports have surfaced yet indicating that Kincaid cleared the NFL's five-step concussion protocol. If Kincaid ends up on the inactive list ahead of the 8:20 p.m. ET kickoff, Knox could have a path to playing more snaps and running more routes than usual.

Waller (groin), who is listed as questionable for Sunday's game against Buffalo, is expected to play, Adam Schefter of ESPN reports.

Waller finished the week with two consecutive limited practice sessions to take a designation into Sunday, but the Giants are apparently optimistic he'll be able to play through the health concern. With Sunday's game starting at 8:20 p.m. ET, Waller's status won't be officially confirmed until the team releases its inactive list approximately 90 minutes before kickoff. If Waller is cleared to play, he could struggle to replicate his 8-86-0 receiving line and 11 targets in Week 5 while playing with fill-in starting quarterback Tyrod Taylor in place of the injured Daniel Jones (neck).

Njoku (face/hand), who is listed as questionable for Sunday's game against the 49ers, is expected to play, Adam Schefter of ESPN reports.

Njoku is still recovering from burns to his face and hand from an accident that occurred at his home Sept. 29, but he proceeded to play just two days later in the Browns' Week 4 loss to the Ravens. Despite sitting out the Browns' first two practices following a Week 5 bye, Njoku was able to take a questionable tag into the weekend after practicing on a limited basis Friday. He appears to be trending in the right direction as a result, but his Week 6 status won't be made official until the Browns release their inactive list 90 minutes prior to Sunday's 1 p.m. ET kickoff.

Parham (wrist) is listed as questionable for Monday's contest against the Cowboys.

Parham was a full participant in practice both Thursday and Friday, yet the Chargers still chose to keep him on the injury report ahead of Monday's contest. The big-bodied tight end sprained his wrist back in Week 4 and certainly seems to be trending in the right direction following the team's Week 5 bye. More information regarding his status will likely emerge prior to the 8:15 p.m. ET kickoff.

The Saints elevated Holtz from the practice squad Saturday, Nick Underhill of NewOrleans.Football reports.

Holtz was let go by the Saints on Aug. 30 after failing to make the 53-man roster, but he signed with the team's practice squad Wednesday. He could see some action on special teams if he plays Sunday against the Texans.

Trautman caught one of his targets for four yards in Thursday's 19-8 loss to the Chiefs.

Trautman continued to operate as the Broncos' No. 1 tight end Thursday, playing 69 percent of the team's offensive snaps. Greg Dulcich (hamstring) returned to action for the contest, but after just 11 snaps, he aggravated the hamstring injury that caused him to miss the past four weeks on injured reserve. Despite being Denver's top choice at tight end, Trautman has failed to maintain consistent fantasy relevance. The 26-year-old will likely continue to see the most playing time at the position going forward, especially if Dulcich is forced to miss time again. With that said, Trautman doesn't inspire much confidence as a fantasy option. The Broncos will host the Packers in Week 7.

The Panthers activated Sullivan (hip) from injured reserve Saturday, Darin Gantt of the team's official site reports.

Sullivan has yet to play in 2023, as he landed on IR prior to the start of the regular season with a hip injury. The fourth-year pro was able to practice in full both Thursday and Friday this week, so despite being questionable for Week 6, he should be good to go for Sunday's contest in Miami, where he'd play a depth role. Sullivan's return is timely because Carolina placed fellow tight end Ian Thomas (calf) on injured reserve in a corresponding move.