NFL Player News

Graham (knee/thumb) was limited at Thursday's practice, Michael Cohen of The Athletic reports.

The Packers continue to keep close tabs on Graham's practice reps due to a pair of injuries. In reality, his broken left thumb is the one that impacts him on gamedays, hindering his ability to haul in Aaron Rodgers' hardest throws. On the receiving end of 20 passes from Rodgers with the injured appendage, Graham has averaged just 8.1 yards per catch and 4.9 yards per target over the last three games. With the Bears' tough defense on tap Sunday, Graham will be hard-pressed to make a mark in the box score.

Hooper (knee/ankle) stretched with the team but didn't practice Thursday, Vaughn McClure of ESPN.com reports.

Hooper has yet to practice since limping off the field on the final possession of the Falcons' Week 14 loss at Green Bay. Knee and ankle injuries are to blame, but one practice remains to prove that he can play through any discomfort. Elsewhere in the TE corps, Logan Paulsen (knee/ankle) returned to practice Wednesday and would serve as the top option if Hooper ultimately is unable to suit up Sunday against the Cardinals. Meanwhile, Atlanta's sole healthy tight end is Eric Saubert, who has five catches in 27 career games.

Swaim (wrist) isn't participating in Thursday's practice, Brandon George of The Dallas Morning News reports.

Shortly after Swaim was diagnosed with a fractured bone in his wrist coming out of a Nov. 19 win over the Falcons, Cowboys owner Jerry Jones estimated that the tight end would be sidelined for 3-to-4 weeks following surgery. Now that Swaim is more than three weeks removed from the procedure and has yet to resume practicing, it seems Jones' projected timetable might have been overly optimistic. Swaim hasn't officially been ruled out for the Week 15 matchup with the Colts, but confirmation on that front will likely come after Friday's practice, assuming the 25-year-old doesn't participate in that session.

Graham (thumb/knee) is taking part in Thursday's practice, Wes Hodkiewicz of the Packers' official site reports.

The extent of Graham's activity won't be known until after the session concludes and Green Bay releases its Thursday practice report. Even if Graham is only listed as a limited participant, it would put him on track to play Sunday against the Bears, though his fractured left thumb continues to make catching and blocking somewhat difficult. The injury seems to be less of an issue for Graham of late than it was in Weeks 11 and 12, however. In those two contests, Graham combined to play only 43 offensive snaps, but he surpassed that total in both Weeks 13 and 14.

Allen (knee) was a full participant at Wednesday's practice.

Allen was able to practice fully last Friday, but was listed as questionable and ultimately didn't travel with the team to Miami. The 28-year-old has missed the last three games but appears on track to return Week 15 at Pittsburgh.

Alie-Cox (calf) returned to practice Wednesday, Andrew Walker of the team's official site reports.

Alie-Cox has been coming into his own prior to sustaining a calf injury back in Week 12. Having missed consecutive weeks, it's tough to predict whether the rookie will be held to a snap limit during Sunday's game. As for now, a return to the practice field is a step in the right direction.

Hooper (knee) isn't practicing Wednesday, Vaughn McClure of ESPN.com reports.

Injured in the closing minutes of Sunday's 34-20 loss to Green Bay, the 24-year-old tight end is now in danger of sitting out Week 15 against the Cardinals, though coach Dan Quinn said Monday that Hooper should have a chance to play. No. 2 tight end Logan Paulsen (knee/ankle) returned to practice Wednesday after missing the Week 14 game.

Graham (knee/thumb) wasn't present at practice Wednesday, Rob Demovsky of ESPN.com reports.

The Packers may reach the point of no return as early as this weekend -- i.e. officially out of playoff contention -- which could spur them to shut down the veteran tight end, who has had difficulty hauling in high-velocity passes from Aaron Rodgers, according to Pete Dougherty of the Green Bay Press-Gazette. More so than the knee, Graham's broken left thumb has hindered him over the last three games, a span in which he's posted 12 catches (on 20 targets) for 97 yards. As long as he's available, he'll follow his typical practice regimen with a Week 15 visit to Chicago on tap.

James caught both of his targets, totaling 28 yards, during Sunday's 24-21 loss to Oakland.

After looking like one of the teams to beat in the AFC, the Steelers look like they might slide out of the playoff hunt with three straight losses, all to teams in the AFC West. James has stayed quiet during that span. The fourth-year target started the season off hot with eight catches and 198 yards in his first two games. He's averaged just two catches for 19.6 yards per game since then: Vance McDonald has made himself at home. Sunday offers an opportunity to rebound against a bottom-10 Patriots pass defense surrendering 274 receiving yards per game, but James likely won't take advantage because of his questionable offensive role.

Andrews was unable to haul in either of his two targets during Sunday's 27-24 loss to Kansas City.

It was Andrews' first catchless outing of the season. The rookie tight end has been the Ravens' most productive option at the position despite the numerous early-round picks in the stable. He entered Sunday with five catches for 140 yards in three games with fellow rookie Lamar Jackson at quarterback. The Ravens have been run-heavy with Jackson at quarterback, but Andrews is one of the safer Baltimore targets to roll with on a weekly basis, which might not be saying much. Sunday brings a bottom-10 Tampa Bay pass defense to Baltimore.