NFL Player News

Higbee (ankle) doesn't have an injury designation for Saturday's wild-card game in Carolina, Adam Grosbard of The Orange County Register reports.

Higbee kicked off the week listed as limited on injury reports Tuesday and Wednesday due to the ankle issue that sidelined him Weeks 12-17, but he ended it with a full practice Thursday, paving the way for him to play in the Rams' playoff opener. In his return from injured reserve this past Sunday against the Cardinals, he ranked third among L.A. tight ends in snap share (64 percent) but still put up 91 yards and one touchdown on five catches (six targets). With rookie TE Terrance Ferguson (hamstring) questionable for Saturday, Higbee, Colby Parkinson and Davis Allen appear poised to handle most of the reps at the position this weekend, even if Ferguson is active.

Kincaid (knee) remained limited at practice Thursday.

Kincaid also was limited Wednesday, but at this stage there's nothing to suggest that he won't be available for Sunday's playoff opener against the Jaguars. Either way, Friday's final injury report is set to clarify whether the Bills' top tight end approaches the contest with an injury designation.

Woerner caught eight of nine targets for 48 yards across 17 regular-season games in 2025.

Despite operating as the Falcons' No. 2 tight end and logging a career-high 562 offensive snaps, the 28-year-old was targeted just nine times this season. Woerner's high snap count was largely a byproduct of Atlanta running the second-highest percentage of plays out of 12-personnel (38.2 percent) in the NFL, as he was primarily used as a blocker. He remains under contract through the 2026 season, and with Kyle Pitts set to become an unrestricted free agent this offseason, Woerner could compete for the Falcons' top TE spot next year.

Matavao finished the 2025 season with two receptions (on two targets) for 10 yards in six appearances for the Saints.

Matavao opened his 2025 rookie season in a special-teams role before he was let go and joined the Saints' practice squad. The seventh-rounder spent time on and off the active roster toward the end of the season, as New Orleans dealt with a rash of injuries, including season-ending injuries for tight ends Foster Moreau (ankle) and Jack Stoll (knee). Matavao will look to carve out a larger role in 2026.

Farrell finished his first regular season with San Francisco grabbing 11 of 14 targets for 85 yards and two touchdowns across 17 games.

Farrell signed with the 49ers in 2025 to back up TE George Kittle after playing his first four seasons with the Jaguars. Kittle wound up missing six games during the regular season, but it was third-stringer Jake Tonges who took over the injured starter's targets in those contests while generating fantasy value off the waiver wire. Farrell did catch a pair of short touchdown passes after being held out of the end zone during his four years in Jacksonville, but the volume simply wasn't enough to register even in games that Kittle missed. With a hard cap on his playing time and target potential, fantasy managers can safely ignore Farrell in 2026 drafts.

Durham brought in one of four targets for 11 yards across 17 games during the 2025 season.

Fellow tight end Ko Kieft's season-ending leg injury, which he suffered in Week 3, led to Durham being utilized almost exclusively as a blocker throughout the 2025 season. Durham was coming off a 2024 regular season where he'd posted a career-best 11-115-2 line on 14 targets across 16 games, but those numbers were almost exclusively the byproduct of No. 1 tight end Cade Otton sitting out the last three games of the campaign due to a knee injury. Durham will be playing out the final year of his rookie contract in 2026 and appears ticketed for a similar minimal pass-catching role.

Ferguson (hamstring) didn't practice Wednesday, Adam Grosbard of The Orange County Register reports.

Ferguson was estimated as DNP on Tuesday and has one practice left this week to get back on the field after he was injured in Friday's practice last week. If Ferguson is unable to play, Tyler Higbee and Colby Parkinson would be in line to handle the vast majority of tight-end snaps Saturday against Carolina.

Higbee (ankle) practiced in a limited capacity Wednesday, Adam Grosbard of The Orange County Register reports.

In his return from a six-game IR stint this past Sunday against the Cardinals, Higbee hauled in five of six targets for 91 yards and one touchdown on a 64 percent snap share, the latter of which ranked third among Rams tight ends behind Colby Parkinson (84 percent) and Davis Allen (71 percent). Higbee continues to deal with the ankle injury, but he at least maintained his activity level from Tuesday's walkthrough. Thursday's practice report will reveal whether or not he enters the weekend with a designation for Saturday's contest at Carolina.

Mitchell caught all three of his targets for 28 yards across five regular-season games in 2025.

The 2022 fifth-round pick from Virginia Tech operated as Carolina's No. 4 tight end and was active primarily when Ja'Tavion Sanders (ankle, IR) or Tommy Tremble were sidelined this season. Mitchell contributed both offensively and on special teams during his five appearances, logging 46 offensive snaps and 39 on special teams. He's set to become a restricted free agent following the Panthers' 2025 playoff campaign, but his future with the team remains uncertain, as Sanders, Tremble and rookie Mitchell Evans are all under contract for 2026.

Long (coach's decision) was inactive for Sunday's 41-7 win against the Titans. He finished the regular season with 12 receptions for 85 yards and two touchdowns.

The 27-year-old suited up for just one of Jacksonville's final nine games of the regular season, as he sat as a healthy scratch and also missed some time due to hip and knee injuries. Long is under contract with the Jaguars for 2026, but it's possible he ends up being a cap casualty since he has a $2.875 million cap hit and could be cut with just a $375,000 dead cap penalty.