NFL Player News

Hockenson (shoulder) has been ruled out for Thursday's game against Detroit.

Hockenson was held out of practice all week due to a shoulder injury that he likely picked up against the Giants on Sunday, and the injury has been deemed severe enough for the veteran tight end to be sidelined for Christmas Day. Josh Oliver, Ben Yurosek and Ben Sims will step into larger roles in Week 17, though their fantasy floors will be far lower given that Max Brosmer is under center for the Vikings due to J.J. McCarthy (hand) being ruled out. Hockenson's next and final opportunity to play this season is Week 18 against the Packers on Sunday, Jan. 4.

Coach Kyle Shanahan said Pearsall (knee/ankle) will be limited at practice Wednesday, Matt Maiocco of NBC Sports Bay Area reports.

The 49ers have a few question marks in their receiving corps as TE George Kittle won't practice to kick off Week 17 prep due to the sprained ankle he suffered Monday at Indianapolis. Pearsall himself sat out that contest due to a low-ankle sprain and also an aggravation of the sprained PCL that sidelined him Weeks 5-10. He'll have two more chances to get back to full this week before San Francisco may make a decision on his status ahead of Sunday's game versus the Bears.

Mason (ankle) has been ruled out for Thursday's game against the Lions.

Mason was unable to practice all week due to an ankle injury he sustained during the Vikings' 16-13 win over the Giants on Sunday. That leaves Aaron Jones as Minnesota's clear RB1 for Christmas Day, and Zavier Scott and Ty Chandler will step into larger rotational roles in the backfield in Mason's absence. Week 18 against the Packers on Sunday, Jan. 4 is Mason's last opportunity to play this season, given that the Vikings have been eliminated from playoff contention.

Herbig (hamstring) was a limited participant in Wednesday's practice, Teresa Varley of the Steelers' official site reports.

Herbig was able to start his week of practice with a limited session, a strong sign for the linebacker's playing chances for Sunday's game against the Browns. Every front-seven player will be key for a Steelers defense that may be without T.J. Watt (lung) yet again. Herbig will have two more chances to upgrade his practice participation in the hopes of dodging an injury designation ahead of Sunday's divisional matchup.

Coach Kyle Shanahan said Kittle (ankle) won't practice Wednesday but "has a chance" to play Sunday against the Bears, Nick Wagoner of ESPN.com reports.

Kittle was tackled awkwardly on his seventh and final catch in the middle of the third quarter of Monday's win at Indianapolis and wasn't able to return. Shanahan told Wagoner afterward that it was too early to touch on the severity of Kittle's ankle injury before Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.com reported Tuesday that Kittle was tending to a mid-to-low ankle sprain. Kittle doesn't necessarily need to practice in order to be active Sunday against the Bears, but his chances to play Week 17 would increase if he's able to mix into drills at some point Thursday or Friday. Jake Tonges likely would step into the pass-catching role in the 49ers offense if Kittle isn't able to suit up this weekend.

Hargrave (thigh) doesn't have an injury designation ahead of Thursday's game against the Lions.

Hargrave logged limited practices all week with a thigh injury, and the partial participation was clearly enough to clear the defensive lineman of any injury designation. The 32-year-old is all set to suit up alongside Jalen Redmond and Jonathan Allen in the hopes of crushing the Lions' dreams of the postseason.

Warren (hip) was limited at practice Wednesday, Teresa Varley of the Steelers' official site reports.

Coach Mike Tomlin noted Wednesday that "Warren should be limited at the early portions of the week," which suggests that the running back may not practice fully Thursday either. That said, at this stage there's nothing to suggest that Warren will miss Sunday's game against the Browns, with the 9-6 Steelers firmly in the playoff hunt. In the team's Week 16 win over the Lions, Warren logged a 49 percent offensive snap share while working in tandem with fellow RB Kenneth Gainwell en route to rushing 14 times for 143 yards and two TDs to go along with logging two catches on two targets for eight yards.

Wilson (thumb) doesn't have an injury designation ahead of Thursday's game against the Lions.

Wilson was a limited participant in Monday and Tuesday's practices, but was able to upgrade to a full participant Friday, just in time to avoid any injury designation for this week's divisional matchup. The starting inside linebacker is all set to suit up for Thursday's game, where the Vikings will try to play spoiler for a Lions team on the brink of postseason elimination.

Watt (chest) was a limited participant in Wednesday's practice, Brooke Pryor of ESPN.com reports.

Watt missed the Steelers' last two games while recovering from a procedure to repair a partially collapsed lung. The veteran pass rusher was able to log a limited practice to open the week, and he would likely avoid an injury designation for Sunday's AFC North tilt against the Browns if he were to fully practice by Friday. His return would likely result in rookie Jack Sawyer reverting to a rotational role behind Watt and Alex Highsmith.

St. Brown (knee) is listed as questionable for Thursday's game at Minnesota.

In the midst of St. Brown logging a DNP/LP/LP practice regimen this week, coach Dan Campbell told Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press on Tuesday that St. Brown was dealing with "a little irritation" in his knee, but the Lions still were optimistic about the wide receiver's odds to play Week 17. St. Brown's status ultimately will be confirmed about 90 minutes before Thursday's 4:30 p.m. ET kickoff.