NFL Player News

With Hayden Hurst (calf) having been downgraded to out, Wilcox is in line to start at tight end for the Bengals in Saturday's game against the Patriots, Michael Niziolek of The Cleveland Plain Dealer reports.

It will be the third straight start for Wilcox, who caught all three of his targets for 34 yards and a TD in this past Sunday's 34-23 win over the Buccaneers while handling a 91 percent snap share. Though the 26-year-old isn't a high-percentage fantasy option in Week 16, Wilcox does offer an option to those needing to replace Hurst or otherwise seeking short-term TE help.

Vikings head coach Kevin O'Connell said Thursday that Smith (ankle) is progressing, but the tight end will remain on injured reserve for Saturday's game against the Giants, Andrew Krammer of the Minneapolis Star Tribune reports. "He looks really good," O'Connell said of Smith, who has resumed working out off to the side with trainers during practice. "Hopefully we can get him back with us soon."

O'Connell remains optimistic that the tight end will play again this season, but until the Vikings designate him for return from injured reserve, Smith won't be eligible to practice with the team and will continue to rehab off to the side. If Smith is able to make it back for Week 17 or 18 games against the Packers and Bears, respectively, he would likely be in store for a limited role behind top tight end T.J. Hockenson, whom the Vikings acquired shortly after Smith suffered his high-ankle sprain Oct. 30.

Hill may be in store for more carries than usual in Saturday's game against the Browns due to a forecast in Cleveland that includes frigid temperatures and sustained winds of almost 30 miles per hour, John DeShazier of the Saints' official site reports.

Though Hill is listed as tight end on the Saints' official roster, he continues to be deployed in a variety of ways on offense. In last week's win over the Falcons, he completed a 68-yard touchdown pass and added another 12-yard completion, but Hill saw his most involvement on the ground, carrying seven times for 30 yards. With New Orleans down two key receivers in Chris Olave (hamstring) and Jarvis Landry (ankle) and with the heavy winds likely to affect the passing game, the Saints may have even more incentive than usual to lean on the Alvin Kamara-led ground game. Kamara logged 21 carries of his own in the Week 15 win, but there were still some touches left over for Hill, who essentially acted as the Saints' top backup running back in the contest. The Saints left Eno Benjamin on the inactive list last week, while David Johnson carried just four times behind Kamara and Hill and lost a fumble.

Hurst (calf) has been downgraded to out for Saturday's game against the Patriots.

Hurst was initially deemed questionable for the contest after practicing in a limited capacity this week, but he's now slated to miss his third straight game. In his continued absence, Mitchell Wilcox is in line to start at tight end for the Bengals on Saturday, an assignment that led to him securing all three of his targets for 34 yards and a touchdown in the team's Week 15 win over the Buccaneers.

Uzomah caught his only target for 30 yards in Thursday's 19-3 loss to the Jaguars.

Chris Streveler briefly gave the Jets some life on offense after replacing the ineffective Zach Wilson under center in the third quarter, but Streveler underthrew a wide open Uzomah. The veteran tight end did well to work back to the ball and secure the catch, but he would have had a long touchdown for a second consecutive week had Streveler hit him in stride.

Conklin caught all four of his targets for 34 yards in Thursday's 19-3 loss to the Jaguars.

Conklin finished second on the team in receiving yards behind Michael Carter's 44, as Zach Wilson threw for only 92 yards before being benched well into the third quarter. The offense moved better after Chris Streveler replaced Wilson, but Jets pass catchers will be tough to trust in Week 17 against the Seahawks unless quarterback Mike White (ribs) is cleared to return.

Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll said Thursday that Fant (knee) is likely to play Saturday at Kansas City, despite being listed as questionable for the contest, Brady Henderson of ESPN.com reports.

Fant takes a designation into the weekend after being listed as a non-participant on practice reports issued Tuesday and Wednesday before upgrading to limited activity Thursday. Assuming Fant is cleared ahead of Saturday's 1 p.m. ET kickoff, he'll likely continue to be involved in a three-headed timeshare with Will Dissly and Colby Parkinson, though the Seahawks often deploy two-tight end formations. Fant and Dissly have both played at least 40 percent of the offensive snaps in every game this season.

Engram secured seven of eight targets for 113 yards in the Jaguars' 19-3 win over the Jets on Thursday night.

Engram comfortably paced the Jaguars in receptions, receiving yards and targets, continuing what has been a remarkable late-season breakout. The veteran tight end now has two 100-yard efforts in the last three games, putting together an elite 26-337-2 line on 33 targets over that span. Given his emergence and the Jaguars' ongoing postseason push, Engram figures to once again play a critical role in a Week 17 road matchup against the Texans a week from Sunday.

Smythe (quadriceps) was a limited participant during practice Thursday.

Smythe has now been limited during each of the first two practices to begin Week 16 prep. The 27-year-old was also limited with quad and knee injuries last Tuesday before working his way back in full before Saturday's loss to Buffalo. While it's unclear if he's dealing with the same quad issue Week 16, Smythe will have another practice to increase his activity before the Dolphins have to assign him an official status for Sunday's game against the Packers.

Ferguson (concussion) is questionable for Saturday's game against the Eagles, Jon Machota of The Athletic reports.

After stringing together three consecutive capped sessions due to the concussion he sustained back in Week 14 versus Houston, Ferguson is now in danger of missing a second consecutive game when the Cowboys host Philadelphia on Saturday. If the rookie isn't afforded the green light this weekend, then Peyton Hendershot should operate as the team's No. 2 tight end behind starter Dalton Schultz.