NFL Player News

Thomas (calf) was placed on injured reserve Saturday.

As a result, Thomas will miss at minimum of four weeks. Primarily a blocking specialist, the sixth-year tight end has just two catches through six weeks and has played only 85 total offensive snaps, far fewer than when he averaged over 600 the past two seasons. Stephen Sullivan (hip) was activated off injured reserve in a corresponding move.

Alie-Cox (concussion) was cleared of his injury designation Saturday and will be available Sunday against the Jaguars.

Alie-Cox won't end up missing any time after clearing the five-step concussion protocol following his exit from last Sunday's win over the Titans with the brain injury. He's seen his playing time slip in 2023 with the likes of Kylen Granson and Drew Ogletree taking on expanded roles in the Colts' tight-end rotation, but the big-bodied Alie-Cox should still be a candidate for looks in the red zone.

Higgins (illness) is considered questionable for Sunday's matchup with the Rams, Jourdan Rodrigue of The Athletic reports.

Higgins logged a limited workload at Friday's practice after missing the first two days of the week, a reason for optimism that he is trending in the right direction. Still, final confirmation of his status is unlikely to come until the Cardinals release their inactive list 90 minutes prior to Sunday's 4:25 p.m. ET kickoff.

Mitchell (hamstring) will remain sidelined for Sunday's game in Tampa Bay, Jenna Laine of ESPN.com reports.

Mitchell's absence will mark his second straight due to a hamstring injury. Star rookie Sam LaPorta (calf) has been deemed questionable, which leaves Brock Wright and Darrell Daniels as the Lions' only current healthy options at tight end. Mitchell now will focus on a potential Week 7 return at Baltimore.

Parham (wrist) practiced fully Friday.

Parham, who sprained his right wrist in the Chargers' Week 4 win over the Raiders, was limited Wednesday in the team's first practice coming off a bye, but the tight end's upgrade to full participation Friday has him on track to play Monday night against the Cowboys. In that context, Parham will continue to work in tandem with fellow TE Gerald Everett, an arrangement that's resulted in Parham catching six passes (on eight targets) for 33 yards through four games, with three of his catches having gone for touchdowns.

Johnson (calf) has been ruled out for Sunday's game against Houston, Mike Triplett of NewOrleans.Football reports.

With Johnson missing a third straight game, the Saints figure to again deploy a TE rotation comprised of Foster Moreau, Jimmy Graham and Taysom Hill. Each of the three ran a route on less than half of Derek Carr's dropbacks in a blowout win over the Patriots last week.

LaPorta (calf) is listed as questionable for Sunday's game in Tampa Bay.

Per Eric Woodyard of ESPN.com, LaPorta said Friday that he expects to play, also noting that his calf injury was probably from last week's game and flared up toward the end of Wednesday's practice. He then sat out Thursday before returning Friday as a limited participant, and fantasy managers should probably treat him as truly questionable ahead of a 4:25 p.m. ET kickoff, despite the tight end's stated optimism.

Alie-Cox (concussion) is listed as questionable for Sunday's game in Jacksonville after logging a full practice Friday.

Alie-Cox's full participation Friday is encouraging, but it's unclear if he has cleared the league's five-step concussion protocol after being concussed this past Sunday against the Titans. He will need to clear the protocol in order to suit up against Jacksonville and further bolster the depth in a tight end room that also includes Drew Ogletree, Kylen Granson and Will Mallory.

Kmet (hamstring) doesn't have an injury designation for Sunday's game against Minnesota.

Kmet should be ready for his usual workload after upgrading to full practice participation Friday. His volume and production both are up through the first five weeks of the season, with 29 targets and 231 receiving yards putting well behind wideout DJ Moore and far ahead of all the other Chicago pass catchers. A glut of running back injuries could lead the Bears to pass more than usual this week, or at least use quarterback Justin Fields more as a runner.

Waller (groin) is listed as questionable for Sunday's game against Buffalo, Pat Leonard of the New York Daily News reports.

Waller missed practice Wednesday before logging back-to-back limited sessions to close out the week. He seems to be one of the less-injured guys among the slew of Giants players listed on the Week 6 injury report, but fantasy managers should nonetheless keep an eye on the situation heading into Sunday and an 8:15 ET kickoff. With QB Daniel Jones (neck) ruled out and the offensive line decimated by injuries, Waller won't exactly be in the best position to put up big numbers -- and that's before accounting for Buffalo's famed safety duo of Micah Hyde and Jordan Poyer