NFL Player News

Kroft (knee/ankle) did not participate in Wednesday's practice, Geoff Hobson of the Bengals' official site reports.

Kroft missed last week's game against Houston due to his injuries and is hoping to be back for Cincinnati's season finale. He worked at rehabbing his injury on the side of practice and may see some limited practice time later in the week. His ability to practice on Thursday and Friday will provide a better indication of his status for Sunday's game against Baltimore.

Hooper intends to test out his sprained knee at Wednesday's practice, ESPN's Adam Caplan reports.

The rookie tight end has been slowed by a sprained MCL of late and missed Atlanta's Week 16 contest against the Panthers. However, it looks as though Hooper is progressing towards a return, as he's expected to practice in an undisclosed capacity Wednesday. Depending on how his knee responds to the uptick in activity, Hooper could put himself in line for a return for Atlanta's regular season finale.

Cajuste (undisclosed) was placed on injured reserve on Tuesday, Rob Demovsky of ESPN reports.

Cajuste had been on the Packers' practice squad for much of the season and he's yet to be active for a single NFL contest. He was seen using crutches at team facility but the specifics of his injury were not disclosed.

Graham caught only two passes for 43 yards Saturday in a loss to the Cardinals, but he scored his sixth touchdown of the season.

Graham has been a victim of circumstance recently, totaling four receptions on nine targets in the last three games. The Seahawks often align him tight to chip block before he starts his route, and head coach Pete Carroll said Monday the Cardinals were "rerouting him more at the line of scrimmage than we would like." That, however, doesn't really explain Graham's lack of use in the red zone, where he's had two targets the last three games. With Tyler Lockett (lower leg) out for the season, Graham could see more targets in Week 17 and the playoffs, but that didn't help him Saturday.

Henry did not record a catch during Saturday's loss to the Browns.

Henry curiously played in just 19 snaps Saturday as the Chargers struggled to keep pace with the winless Browns. Prior to Saturday's game, Henry had seen at least three targets in three of the last four games, so it was somewhat surprising to see his lack of involvement in the passing game. The rookie tight end will look to rebound when the Chargers take on the Chiefs next week.

Uzomah replaced the injured Tyler Eifert (back) as the Bengals' starting tight end on Saturday night and had five catches for 28 yards on six targets.

Eifert was placed on IR on Monday, meaning Uzomah is in line for another start, with fellow tight end Tyler Kroft (knee) also hurt. Uzomah hasn't yet scored this season, and once Eifert was healthy, the former was a healthy scratch for five weeks prior to Week 16.

Kelce hauled in 11 of his 12 targets for a career-high 160 yards and a TD in Sunday's 33-10 win over the Broncos.

The surging tight end, who saw action on 70 of 76 snaps on offense in the game, has now topped 100 yards in five of his last six outings and heads into Week 17's game against the Chargers with something to play for, with the Chiefs still jostling for playoff seeding.

Head coach Dan Quinn stated his hope Monday that Hooper (knee) will be able to play Sunday against the Saints, Vaughn McClure of ESPN.com reports.

In order to do so, Hooper will have to take part in practice, which he hasn't undertaken since injuring his left knee in Week 15. When healthy, he's the No. 1 tight end in the NFL's highest-scoring offense, so his status will be monitored closely as the week proceeds.

James hauled in four of five targets for 49 yards in Sunday's 31-27 win over the Ravens.

The second-year tight end was quiet the majority of the night but came alive with some key catches during the game-winning drive for the Steelers. With Ladarius Green sidelined by a concussion, the potential for a bigger game for James existed, but he understandably served as a fourth option in the passing game behind Antonio Brown, Le'Veon Bell and Eli Rogers. However, James' yardage total was his second highest of the season, and his four receptions were the most he'd tallied since Week 10 against the Cowboys. He'll look to close out the season on a strong note against the Browns in Week 17, a game in which he would presumably serve as the top tight end if Green is unable to return.

Allen had three receptions for 31 yards on four targets in Saturday's loss to Oakland.

Allen had just four targets and one catch the prior two weeks, so this is a mild bounce back. Still, he's become the second tight end in the passing game after Jack Doyle and has to contend with an emerging Eric Swoope as well.