NFL Player News

Hooper (knee) is making progress in his quest to play in Saturday's divisional-round game versus the Seahawks, Adam Caplan of ESPN reports.

Although his activity level hasn't been revealed from Tuesday's practice, Hooper "moved around well" during the "limited work" afforded to him during the Falcons' bye last week, per Caplan. Assuming he at least sustains said workload on his healing MCL, Hooper should be a limited participant as the week progresses. Ultimately, Wednesday's injury report will give the first indication of his potential to suit up this weekend.

Helfet signed a reserve/future contract with the Raiders on Monday.

Helfet appeared in 25 games for the Seahawks in 2014 and 2015 but was waived after fracturing his foot in training camp last summer. With Mychal Rivera set to hit free agency, Helfet appears to have a wide-open shot to secure the Raiders' No. 3 tight end slot in advance of the 2017 campaign.

Hooper (knee) is expected to practice Tuesday, Vaughn McClure of ESPN.com reports. "We anticipate, for tomorrow, everyone to be able to participate," head coach Dan Quinn said Monday.

Hooper missed the last two games of the regular season due to a Grade 2 MCL sprain, which is generally accompanied by a 2-to-4 week recovery timetable. Although the Falcons will fit in a session Tuesday, his activity level won't be confirmed until the Falcons submit their first injury report of the week after Wednesday's practice. If Hooper doesn't make the requisite progress in advance of Saturday's divisional-round game versus the Seahawks, Levine Toilolo would likely handle the majority of snaps among their group of tight ends.

Johnson was not targeted in the Steelers' 30-12 wild-card win against the Dolphins on Sunday.

Going without a touch is not unusual for Johnson. He played in all 16 games this season, recording just seven catches on 11 targets for 80 yards. An unrestricted free agent, his role is unlikely to change regardless of whether he returns to Pittsburgh or move on to another team next season.

James caught one pass for six yards in Pittsburgh's 30-12 wild-card win against Miami on Sunday.

After jumping out to a 20-6 lead, the Steelers attempted just six passes after halftime, leading to a quiet afternoon for anyone not named Antonio Brown or Le'Veon Bell. Even if Ladarius Green (concussion) misses next week's game, temper your expectations for James against a Kansas City defense that held opposing tight ends to an average of 43 yards per game and just four touchdowns all season.

Graham hauled in three of four targets for 37 yards in Saturday's 26-6 wild-card victory over the Lions.

The play-making tight end was relatively quiet on the night compared to fellow pass-catchers Doug Baldwin and Paul Richardson, who both turned in memorable performances. However, Graham's final reception of the night stood out, as his 10-yard catch on third down with 9:33 remaining in the game brought the ball to the Lions' four-yard line, setting up a Thomas Rawls touchdown run a play later. Despite the modest output Saturday, Graham could well play a key role in next Saturday's divisional round playoff against a Falcons squad that surrendered 11.5 yards per reception to the tight end position this season.

Escobar caught four passes on seven targets for 30 yards and a touchdown in 16 games in 2016.

The Cowboys had depth problems at tight end in 2016 due to injuries to James Hanna (knee) and Geoff Swaim (chest), but rather than give Escobar more responsibility, Dallas simply moved away from using two-TE sets and he actually saw fewer snaps than he had either of the previous two years. That's as clear an indication as any that the organization doesn't see Escobar as part of their future, so expect to see him in a different uniform in 2017.

Gray played on just one of 59 offensive snaps during the Dolphins' season finale against the Patriots.

Despite possessing status as Miami's No. 2 tight end behind Dion Sims, Gray was almost exclusively contained to special teams work on Sunday. This is nothing new, as the converted college quarterback has only been involved in the passing attack in games this season when both Sims and Jordan Cameron (concussion) sat out (forcing Gray to start). With Cameron an unrestricted free agent in the offseason, there's a chance Gray will maintain his current slotting on the depth chart in 2017, but his role in the offense is unlikely to change considering the Dolphins' indifference towards featuring tight ends.

McGrath caught two passes for 25 yards with the Chargers in 2016.

McGrath was mainly used as a blocking tight end when he played, while Antonio Gates and Hunter Henry garnered most of the attention from quarterback Philip Rivers. A restricted free agent heading into the offseason, it seems likely the Chargers will opt to bring back their tight end, but with both Gates and Henry expected to return, McGrath isn't expected to put together strong enough numbers to garner fantasy attention.

Higbee did not garner a target and played just 12 offensive snaps in Week 17 against Arizona.

After receiving 15 targets over the previous six games, Sunday was the first time since Week 10 that the rookie wasn't looked at in the passing game. It was further disappointing because Higbee had scored his first career touchdown in Week 16. The Rams invested a fourth-round pick in Higbee, and the Western Kentucky alum has plenty of potential, but he'll also have to steal more work from Lance Kendricks to gain any fantasy value in 2017. Additionally, until there are signs of major improvements from the entire Los Angeles offense, it will likely remain a dire situation for the passing attack.