NFL Player News

Hockenson (knee) is listed as questionable for Sunday's game against the Bengals, Tim Twentyman of the Lions' official site reports.

Hockenson played through the same injury last week and handled an 81 percent snap share against Minnesota, though he finished with only two catches for 22 yards on three targets. Limited practices Thursday and Friday put him on track to play again, with the Lions and Bengals kicking off at 1:00 p.m. ET on Sunday.

James (personal) doesn't appear on Chicago's injury report ahead of Sunday's game against the Packers.

James missed Chicago's previous game due to personal reasons but should make his return for this clash of NFC North rivals. With Cole Kmet and Jimmy Graham occupying the top two spots on the Bears' tight end depth chart, James isn't expected to play a major role in his return.

Holtz (quadriceps) has been ruled out for Sunday's game against Green Bay.

Holtz will sit out a second consecutive game due to this quad injury. He's still searching for his first catch of the season.

Bell (back) won't play in Sunday's contest against Washington, Nate Taylor of The Athletic reports.

Bell didn't practice at all this week, so his status for Sunday shouldn't be a surprise. The 30-year-old has played at least 17 offensive snaps in all five games this season, so Noah Gray and Jody Fortson should be in line for an increased workload behind Travis Kelce on Sunday.

Jackson (back) is still in the process of rehabbing his injury, coach Nick Sirianni revealed Friday, Dave Zangaro of NBC Sports Philadelphia reports.

Jackson has been sidelined since mid-August, when he suffered a fracture in his back. This update suggests the tight end's return certainly isn't imminent, though Sirianni didn't divulge a concrete timetable.

Ertz was traded from the Eagles to the Cardinals on Friday in exchange for cornerback Tay Gowan and a 2022 fifth-round pick, Adam Schefter of ESPN reports.

Ertz caught four of six targets for 29 yards and a touchdown during the Eagles' loss to the Buccaneers on Thursday with Dallas Goedert (COVID-19) sidelined, but he's now been sent out west. Ertz was in search of a new contract with Philadelphia and has yet to discuss any deal with Arizona. The move comes after the Cardinals' starting tight end Maxx Williams went down with a potential season-ending injury, so it fills an immediate need. Ertz caught 18 of 31 targets for 189 yards and two touchdowns in six games for Philadelphia this season, and he should make his with his new team against Houston in Week 7 because he's already played this week and isn't eligible to suit up Sunday at Cleveland.

Ertz brought in four of six targets for 29 yards and a touchdown in the Eagles' 28-22 loss to the Buccaneers on Thursday night.

Ertz paced the Eagles in receptions and was on the receiving end of a five-yard scoring toss from Jalen Hurts in the first quarter. The veteran tight end's touchdown was his first of the season and only his second since 2019, as he served as the top tight end in the absence of Dallas Goedert (reserve/COVID-19). Ertz does have at least four catches in three of his past four contests, giving some deep-league fantasy value going into a Week 7 road battle against the Raiders irrespective of Goedert's status for that contest.

Waller (rest/knee) practiced in full Thursday, Paul Gutierrez of ESPN.com reports.

After getting Wednesday off to rest up his knee, Waller was back in his usual capacity one day later as the Raiders' top tight end and No. 1 pass catcher. Even though he's fallen well shy of the whopping 19 targets he saw in the season opener, he's still garnered seven or eight in each of the ensuing four games for a combined 18-214-1 line on 29 targets. Waller can expect a similar workload Sunday against the Broncos' sixth-ranked pass defense (207 yards per game allowed).

Ertz will serve as the Eagles' clear top tight end in Thursday's game against the Buccaneers with Dallas Goedert (illness) still on the reserve/COVID-19 list, Dave Zangaro of NBC Sports Philadelphia reports.

Goedert tested positive for COVID-19 on Tuesday, leaving him little time to clear the necessary protocols and be available Thursday. Indeed, the Eagles didn't activate Goedert before Thursday's 4:00 p.m. ET deadline to do so. Ertz thus figures to be far more active as a receiver than he previously has been this season. Through five contests, he's earned between 50 and 62 percent of the offensive snaps and two and eight targets on each occasion, while Goedert's respective ranges have been 55-74 percent and 2-5 targets. Philly regularly uses two tight-end sets, so Jack Stoll and the elevated Noah Togiai should get on the field, but most of Ertz' and Goedert's combined average of 8.8 targets per game likely will go to Ertz.

Togiai was elevated from the practice squad ahead of Thursday night's matchup against the Buccaneers.

The tight end will replace Dallas Goedert (illness) on the roster and serve as a depth option at the position behind Zach Ertz. Togiai was signed to the Eagles' practice squad Monday and will appear in his first game of the season.