NFL Player News

Coach Mike McDaniel noted Friday that Waller (pectoral) is "in play" to return to action Sunday against the Saints, Marcel Louis-Jacques of ESPN.com reports.

At this stage, McDaniel indicated that he's optimistic about the tight end's Week 13 status but acknowledged that whether the Dolphins elect to activate Waller of IR is dependent on how things go for him in Friday's practice. Waller has logged back-to-back limited sessions since having his 21-day practice window opened.

Brown caught both of his targets for 20 yards and a touchdown in a 31-28 loss at Dallas on Thursday.

Brown has four or fewer targets in seven straight games, after getting five or more in each of Kansas City's first five contests. He's been efficient with his limited chances, but his snap shares have landed between 33 and 44 percent each week since Rashee Rice returned from suspension. Brown figures to continue in his part-time role Week 14 against Houston.

Bateman finished without any receptions and logged just one target in Thursday's 32-14 loss to Cincinnati.

Bateman at least played 73 percent of snaps on offense, returning to his usual workload after missing the previous two games with an ankle injury. He's now at just 6.1 yards per target on the season, down from a career-high 10.5 YPT last year (with nine TDs on 72 targets). Bateman has taken a big step back along with the rest of Baltimore's offense, but there's no hint yet of losing the No. 2 WR job when healthy. Next up is a Week 14 home game against Pittsburgh.

Dwelley caught one of three targets for three yards in Thursday's 31-24 loss to the Packers.

Dwelley was thrust into a starting role with Brock Wright (neck) sidelined in Week 13, but the tight end was ultimately an afterthought on offense. Dwelley finished fourth on the team in targets, but his three receiving yards ranked seventh for Detroit. The Lions will square off with the Cowboys on Thursday Night Football in Week 14, and it's possible that Dwelley garners another start if Wright remains unavailable.

St. Brown (ankle) is likely to be considered week-to-week as the Lions approach their stretch run, Tom Pelissero of NFL Network reports.

Per Pelissero, St. Brown is believed to have suffered a low-ankle sprain during Thursday's 31-24 loss to the Packers and thus isn't expected to land on IR. At this point, the star wideout's status for the Lions' Dec. 4 game against the Cowboys is cloudy, as he continues to be evaluated. If St. Brown is unable to play against Dallas, however, Jameson Williams would be in line to lead Detroit's Week 14 WR corps, with Isaac TeSlaa and Tom Kennedy also in the mix to see added snaps/targets.

Mills could return to backup quarterback duties if C.J. Stroud (concussion) continues to progress ahead of Sunday's game against the Colts.

Mills quarterbacked the Texans through three consecutive wins, putting the team back into the postseason conversation, but a cleared Stroud will resume his role as the starter, per Jonathan M. Alexander of the Houston Chronicle. Stroud was a full participant for a second consecutive practice Thursday, improving his chances to come out of the NFL's concussion protocol. The consecutive practices followed by clearance from an independent neurologist is required for Stroud to be officially cleared to play.

Njoku (knee) was limited at Thursday's practice.

Njoku opens the week of preparation for Sunday's tilt against San Francisco with two limited practices. It's the second consecutive week that the knee has limited the tight end, who was given a season-low 25 snaps in Week 12's win over the Raiders. It's unclear if last week's knee issue led to curtailed playing time, or if the Browns are developing Harold Fannin to become the club's lead TE.

Iosivas brought in one of two targets for a 29-yard touchdown in the Bengals' 32-14 win over the Ravens on Thursday night.

Iosivas was due for added opportunity in Joe Burrow's return from a nine-game absence due to a toe injury, as Tee Higgins was sidelined due to a concussion. However, the third-year pro surprisingly was out-targeted by No. 3 receiver Mitchell Tinsley, who drew nine looks from Burrow, albeit while turning just two of them into receptions. Nevertheless, Iosivas made excellent use of his one catch, recording his second touchdown of the campaign late in the third quarter to extend a 19-14 lead for the Bengals. Iosivas may have some serious competition for No. 3 receiver snaps from Tinsley in a Week 14 road matchup against the Bills, a game Higgins should have a good chance of being active for.

Andrews secured four of six targets for 47 yards in the Ravens' 32-14 loss to the Bengals on Thursday night.

Andrews had a mostly quiet night until the latter portion of the contest, when he recorded catches of 19, eight and 14 yards from the late third quarter on. The veteran tight end finished with one fewer reception and 48 fewer receiving yards than position mate Isaiah Likely on the same number of targets, and Andrews will take a 37-332-5 line on 52 targets into a Week 14 home matchup against the Steelers on Sunday, Dec. 7.

Perine rushed 14 times for 39 yards and brought in both targets for 15 yards in the Bengals' 32-14 win over the Ravens on Thursday night. He also lost a fumble.

Perine returned from a two-game absence due to an ankle injury and saw only one fewer carry than backfield mate Chase Brown, but he gained exactly half of the latter's 78 rushing yards. Perine also lost his second fumble of the season at the Ravens' 14-yard line with just over five minutes remaining, but the Bengals were able to regain possession five plays later when they forced the ball from Zay Flowers after a reception. Perine should continue slotting into a relatively solid complementary role moving forward now that he's back to full health.