NFL Player News

Thomas (rib) practiced in a limited capacity Thursday, John Keim of ESPN.com reports.

Thomas' rib injury has followed him for three weeks in a row, but he's been able to play through it both of the last two games, combining for six catches (on nine targets) for 72 yards while playing 69 percent of the Commanders' snaps. Ultimately, Friday's practice report will reveal whether or not the tight end enters the weekend with a designation for Sunday's contest at the Giants.

Njoku (knee) remained sidelined at practice Thursday, Scott Petrak of the Elyria Chronicle-Telegram reports.

Back-to-back missed sessions cloud Njoku's status for Sunday's game against the Texans, but the tight end has one more chance to practice ahead of the contest. If, however, Njoku is out or limited this weekend, Harrison Bryant and Pharaoh Brown would be in line for added snaps Week 13.

Woods (shoulder/quad) wasn't spotted at practice Thursday, James Boyd of The Athletic reports.

Woods logged a DNP in Wednesday's walkthrough, so the tight end's absence from Thursday's session clouds his availability for Sunday night's game against the Cowboys. On the plus side from the Colts' perspective is that Kylen Granson, who was inactive Week 12 due to an illness, was listed as a full practice participant Wednesday.

Likely (ankle) was a limited practice participant Wednesday.

After initially being listed as questionable for this past Sunday's game against the Jaguars, Likely was subsequently downgraded to out one day in advance of the contest. The tight end's ability to practice Wednesday suggests that he has a chance to return to action this weekend against the Broncos, but with Mark Andrews healthy and available these days, Likely's bankable fantasy upside is modest.

Bellinger (eye) was a limited practice participant Wednesday.

Bellinger took part in practice for the first time since Week 7, after missing the Giants' past four games while recovering from surgery to address a fractured left eye socket. Head coach Brian Daboll expressed optimism Tuesday that Bellinger would be able to return to the lineup Sunday against the Commanders, and the rookie tight end took a positive step forward in that regard by getting back on the field, even if only in a limited capacity. If Bellinger demonstrates enough progress in the Giants' next two practices to gain clearance for Sunday, he'll likely step back in as the team's top tight end after none of Lawrence Cager, Chris Myarick or Tanner Hudson did much to distinguish themselves while Bellinger was out of the lineup.

Granson (illness) was listed as a full participant during Wednesday's walk-through session.

Granson was inactive for the Colts' Week 12 loss to the Steelers due to an illness, which led to a breakout game for fellow tight end Jelani Woods (shoulder). Now that Granson is healthy, he'll look to reclaim his spot as the Colts' top tight end against the Cowboys this Sunday, especially if Woods (quadriceps/shoulder) -- who didn't practice Wednesday -- sits out.

Woods is listed as a non-participant on Wednesday's practice report due to shoulder and quadriceps injuries.

The report is an estimation, as the Colts merely held a walk-through session two days after losing to the Steelers on Monday. Woods was the star of the night for Indianapolis with eight catches for 98 yards on nine targets, though he apparently added a quad injury to the shoulder issue that caused him to miss the previous game. His big outing Monday came with fellow tight end Kylen Granson sidelined by an illness, and it's possible Woods sees his role diminished now that he's the least healthy of the Colts' tight-end trio (Mo Alie-Cox being the third). On the other hand, Granson hasn't been a major producer while getting most of the tight-end snaps in obvious passing situations this season, and Woods is a third-round rookie who just threatened 100 yards. He'll need to prove his health, of course, before he can attempt to build on the breakout performance Sunday in Dallas.

Waller (hamstring) is eligible to return from injured reserve for the Raiders' Week 14 game against the Rams, but head coach Josh McDaniels suggested Wednesday that the tight end may not be cleared to play by then, Paul Gutierrez of ESPN.com reports.

After hosting the Chargers this Sunday, the Raiders face a quick turnaround for the Dec. 8 matchup with the Rams, which falls on a Thursday. While McDaniels said Waller is getting "close" to a return, the coach indicated that the short window between the Weeks 13 and 14 games could make it tough for the 30-year-old to prove the left hamstring strain is behind him. Waller hadn't played since Week 5 before being placed on IR ahead of Week 10, so his streak of absences is set to reach seven games Sunday. Foster Moreau will be in store for at least one more turn as the Raiders' top tight end, and likely an additional one next Thursday if McDaniels' prediction about Waller's availability comes to pass.

Njoku won't practice Wednesday due to a knee injury, Scott Petrak of the Elyria Chronicle-Telegram reports.

According to Petrak, head coach Kevin Stefanski said Njoku's current knee issue is different than the one that sidelined him for two games earlier this season and kept him on last week's injury report. In any case, the tight end's status is now worth monitoring ahead of Sunday's game against the Texans. If Njoku ends up sitting out this weekend or is available in a limited capacity, Harrison Bryant and Pharaoh Brown would be in line for added snaps.

Thomas (ribs) was a limited practice participant Wednesday, John Keim of ESPN.com reports.

Thomas played through the rib injury and an illness this past Sunday against Atlanta, catching one pass for seven yards on three targets. He's now played five straight games since missing three in a row with a calf injury, averaging only 1.6 catches for 16.8 yards on 3.2 targets despite playing more than half of Washington's offensive snaps in every game, including 68 percent or better the past four weeks. Thomas should be able to play against the Giants this Sunday but can't be relied upon for heavy volume in the passing game.