NFL Player News

Otton was a limited practice participant Wednesday due to a quadriceps injury.

Otton has been a regular for the Buccaneers offense when healthy in his rookie season, playing more than 50 percent of snaps in 13 of 14 appearances. His target count has been all over the place, however, with a range of zero to 10 over the last five games, a stretch in which he compiled a 13-88-1 receiving line. With a health concern in tow, Otton's status will continue to be monitored as the week goes on ahead of Sunday's NFC South showdown with the Panthers.

Quitoriano (knee) was listed as a non-participant on Wednesday's estimated injury report.

An MRI on Monday revealed Quitoriano hyperextended his right knee and bruised his quadriceps following an early exit from last week's loss to the Titans. While the rookie tight end avoided structural damage, he may be sidelined for at least one contest. However, he'll have two more opportunities to practice before the Texans need to make a decision on his status for Sunday's matchup against Jacksonville.

Smith didn't practice Wednesday due to a concussion.

With Smith confirmed to be dealing with a concussion, the tight end will need to clear the NFL's five-step protocol in order to play Sunday against the Dolphins. If Smith is unavailable this weekend, then Hunter Henry would be in line for added Week 17 snaps, assuming he's able to play through the knee issue that limited him in practice Wednesday.

Henry (knee) was a limited participant at practice Wednesday.

The knee issue that Henry sustained during Saturday's loss to Cincinnati has him in the day-to-day category at this stage, while fellow tight end Jonnu Smith missed Wednesday's practice due to a concussion. If Smith is sidelined this weekend against the Dolphins while Henry is able to play, then Henry could see an uptick in targets in Week 17.

McBride finished with three receptions for 17 yards on four targets in Sunday's 19-16 overtime loss to the Buccaneers.

The rookie tight end's target count and playing time (he logged 85 percent of the offensive snaps) didn't change much with Trace McSorley directing the offense, but McBride's efficiency trended back down along with most of Arizona's other pass catchers except for Greg Dortch (10 catches for 98 yards) while the third-string quarterback was at the helm. Colt McCoy has since cleared the NFL's concussion protocol and should take back the reins of the offense from McSorley while Kyler Murray (knee) is sidelined, but McBride is still likely to remain a highly volatile performer who will need to score a touchdown to generate a notable fantasy line.

Granson (ankle) is listed as a non-participant on Wednesday's estimated practice report.

The Colts are merely holding a walk-through session two days after losing to the Chargers, a game Granson sat out due to the ankle concern. Jelani Woods and Mo Alie-Cox split the snaps and routes at tight end, with Woods getting a few more routes and tying for second on the team with five targets. It's possible Woods gets more of the workload this Sunday at the Giants, considering he previously had a big game (eight catches for 98 yards) when Granson was out Week 12 against the Steelers. That said, Woods played less than two-thirds of snaps in both the games Granson missed, still sharing work with Alie-Cox.

Dulcich (hamstring) wasn't spotted at Wednesday's practice, Aric DiLalla of the Broncos' official site reports.

Dulcich hurt his hamstring late in Sunday's 51-14 loss to the Rams, so his status will need to be tracked in advance of this weekend's game against the Chiefs. If Dulcich is out this weekend, more snaps at tight end would be available for Eric Saubert, Eric Tomlinson and Albert Okwuegbunam.

Tremble (hip) was a limited participant at Wednesday's practice, Darin Gantt of the Panthers' official site reports.

Since playing 41 percent or fewer of the offensive snaps in each of the first four games of the season, Tremble has seen more than 50 percent in nine of the last 11 contests. His production hasn't matched the usage, as he's put together a combined 10-97-2 receiving line on 20 targets during that stretch. Fellow tight end Ian Thomas has mustered a 14-103-0 line on 17 targets in that same span, so neither is an appealing fantasy option at tight end at this stage. In any case, Tremble will have two more chances to get back to full activity ahead of Sunday's all-important outing at Tampa Bay.

The Vikings designated Smith (ankle) for return from injured reserve Wednesday, Chris Tomasson of the St. Paul Pioneer Press reports.

The team now has 21 days to activate Smith to the roster or else keep him on IR for the rest of the season. He'll presumably rejoin the Vikings for the playoffs, if not one or both of the final two games of the regular season, though in a secondary role behind standout trade acquisition T.J. Hockenson.

Henry (knee) was present for Wednesday's practice, Mike Reiss of ESPN.com reports.

Henry is considered day-to-day ahead of Sunday's game against the Dolphins. Meanwhile, Jonnu Smith (head) wasn't spotted at practice Wednesday and if either of the two tight ends are out this weekend, the Patriots could elevate Matt Sokol from the team's practice squad ahead of the Week 17 contest.