NFL Player News

Brown (hip/shoulder) is listed as questionable for Sunday's game versus the Chargers.

For a second week in a row, Brown's status is in limbo ahead of kickoff, but he was able to log full practices Wednesday and Thursday before being a limited participant Friday. With Brevin Jordan (ankle) sidelined again, Brown is in line to handle the majority share of TE reps for the Texans this weekend, assuming he's active. Through three games this season, Brown has gathered in seven of 10 targets for 72 yards on 73.2 percent of the offensive snaps.

Parham (hamstring) is questionable for Sunday's matchup against the Texans.

Parham is still looking to make his season debut while dealing with a hamstring injury he suffered in early August. However, he appears to be getting close to making his return to game action after logging his first full practice Friday. In his absence, Gerald Everett has emerged as the top tight end, but Parham, who's caught 30 passes for 349 yards and six touchdowns across his first two NFL seasons, will likely carve out a role when he gets back to full strength.

Hockenson (foot) doesn't have an injury designation for Sunday's game against Seattle, Tim Twentyman of the Lions' official site reports.

Hockenson missed practice Wednesday and was limited Thursday before closing out the week with a full session Friday. He gets a nice matchup against the struggling Seattle defense, and his target-share projection improves with Amon-Ra St. Brown (ankle) and D'Andre Swift (shoulder) both out of the lineup. It should lead to more fantasy interest in Hockenson this week, despite his slow start to the season (10-82-1 on 18 targets through three games).

Schultz (knee) is listed as questionable for Sunday's game against the Commanders, Patrick Walker of the Cowboys' official site reports.

Schultz was a limited practice participant throughout the week and could be treated as a game-time decision ahead of the 1:00 p.m. ET kickoff this Sunday. It was the same drill ahead of Monday's eventual win over the Giants, though Schultz never seemed likely to play after managing just one limited practice before the game. He has better odds this time around, with Jake Ferguson and Peyton Hendershot on hand to handle TE snaps if Schultz can't play. Ferguson got most of the playing time Monday night but came off the field for Hendershot in some obvious passing situations.

Per coach Nathaniel Hackett, there's "a very high chance" that Dulcich (hamstring) will practice next week and return from injured reserve when first eligible to do so Week 5 against the Colts, Aric DiLalla of the Broncos' official site reports.

The rookie tight end had been impressing in camp prior to getting hurt, so Dulcich could carve out a prominent role once he's back. Getting up to speed in time to face the Colts won't be easy, though, as the Broncos will have a short week of practice before playing Thursday in Week 5.

Njoku (knee) doesn't carry an injury designation into Sunday's game against Atlanta after practicing fully Friday, Mark Kay Cabot of The Cleveland Plain Dealer reports.

Njoku sat out Thursday's practice, but his return Friday and lack of injury designation confirm that his absence Thursday was just for maintenance purposes. The tight end appears to have established himself as Cleveland's No. 2 option in the passing game behind Amari Cooper, and Njoku will look to put forth a second consecutive strong performance Sunday after racking up 89 yards and a touchdown Week 3 against the Steelers.

Knox (back) practiced on a limited basis Friday and is listed as questionable for Sunday's game in Baltimore.

That's three limited showings for the starting tight end, so we'll assume he's on the better side of questionable for Sunday's contest. Knox managers do get the benefit of a 1:00 p.m. ET start time, so his status can be checked just to be safe. The tight end still is looking for his first trip to the end zone after getting there nine times in the 2021 regular season.

Hurst caught three of four targets for 27 yards and a touchdown in Thursday's 27-15 win over the Dolphins.

Hurst powered through multiple tackle attempts for a 19-yard gain on the game's third play but didn't see much involvement after that until Joe Burrow found the tight end for the game-sealing two-yard touchdown just after the two-minute warning in the fourth quarter. While Hurst has compiled a respectable 21 targets through four games with the Bengals, he has yet to reach 50 yards in a game while working as a secondary option in a passing game led by wide receivers Ja'Marr Chase, Tee Higgins and Tyler Boyd.

Gesicki secured two of four targets for 23 yards during Thursday's 27-15 loss to the Bengals.

Gesicki's 23 yards actually were his second highest single-game total of the season, which is another harsh reminder for fantasy managers that the tight end's weekly floor has vanished. It's possible that Gesicki could have a higher ceiling during Week 5's divisional matchup versus the Jets, but that also heavily depends on whether Teddy Bridgewater or Tua Tagovailoa (neck/concussion) is on hand to helm Miami's offense.

Head coach Zac Taylor said the Bengals will place Sample (knee) on injured reserve in the next couple of days, Ben Baby of ESPN.com reports.

Sample underwent surgery on his right knee following the team's Week 2 loss to the Cowboys. His return timetable is unclear, but it's possible he'll miss the entire campaign after initial tests revealed damage to his MCL and PCL, per Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.com. In Sample's absence, Mitchell Wilcox has stepped up as the Bengals' top backup tight end behind Hayden Hurst.