NFL Player News

Njoku (ankle) officially is listed as questionable for Sunday's game against the Commanders, Chris Easterling of the Akron Beacon Journal reports.

Njoku will have a chance to retake the field Sunday after a three-game absence. The standout tight end returned to practice Wednesday as a limited participant before he received a planned day of rest Thursday. The Browns may wait to see how Njoku looks in pregame warmups Sunday before making a final decision on his availability, in which case his status may not be made official until 90 minutes prior to Sunday's 1:00 p.m. ET kickoff. Jordan Akins and Blake Whiteheart will be available to split tight end reps again if Njoku can't go.

Vikings head coach Kevin O'Connell said Friday that Oliver (wrist) will not carry an injury designation for Sunday's matchup against the Jets in London, Alec Lewis of The Athletic reports.

Oliver has been limited in practice due to a wrist injury, but he'll continue to play through the issue as he's done since Week 3. The 2019 third-round pick is coming off a Week 4 performance against Green Bay in which he played a season-high 70 percent of offensive snaps while securing both of his targets for 10 yards and one touchdown, but it's worth noting that Minnesota designated starter T.J. Hockenson (knee), who isn't a candidate to suit up versus New York, for return from the reserve/PUP list Friday.

Tremble (knee) doesn't have an injury designation for Sunday's game at Chicago, David Newton of ESPN.com reports.

Tremble returned to practice Friday as a limited participant after being held out Thursday. Fellow tight end Ian Thomas (calf) is considered questionable to return from injured reserve for Sunday's game, although it isn't clear if that would impact Tremble's role. Tremble played 86 and 87 percent of snaps on offense the past two games, catching three passes for 29 yards in a Week 3 win over the Raiders before going without a target on 31 routes in last week's loss to the Bengals. He has a long track record of extremely low target rates and has topped 35 yards just once in 52 games.

Hockenson (knee) has been ruled out for Sunday's game against the Jets after returning to practice Friday as a limited participant, Alec Lewis of The Athletic reports.

There was probably never any chance the Vikings would rush Hockenson back into action right before a Week 6 bye. The question is whether he'll be ready for Week 7 against the Lions on Sunday, Oct. 20 or a Week 8 game against the Rams four days later. That's presumably what the Vikings expect, as it otherwise wouldn't make any sense to open Hockenson's 21-day practice window Friday instead of waiting until next week or the week after.

Coach Jonathan Gannon said Friday that McBride (concussion) will play Sunday at San Francisco, Darren Urban of the Cardinals' official site reports.

It sounds like McBride has either cleared concussion protocol or is on track to do so at some point Friday. He missed a Week 4 loss to Washington after suffering a concussion in a loss to the Lions a week prior.

The Vikings announced Friday that Hockenson (knee) has been designated to return to practice from the reserve/PUP list.

Vikings head coach Kevin O'Connell has made clear that Minnesota's plan was to get Hockenson back on the practice field Friday, after traveling with the team to London in preparation for Sunday's matchup against the Jets. That gives the Vikings a 21-day window to monitor Hockenson at practice. The standout tight end can be activated at any point in that span and then be eligible for game days, though it doesn't seem like he's in consideration to come back this weekend. After a Week 6 bye, the Vikings will play two games in quick succession, facing the Lions on Sunday, Oct. 20 and the Rams on Thursday, Oct. 24. Hockenson, who is recovering from right ACL and MCL tears sustained late last December, could more realistically make his return to play in one of those contests.

Pitts brought in seven of eight targets for 88 yards in the Falcons' 36-30 overtime win over the Buccaneers on Thursday night.

Pitts finished third in receptions and receiving yards on a prolific passing night for the Falcons offense, generating a receiving line that also served as a season-best one across the board. Much like teammate Bijan Robinson, another player with a rich skill set that transcends his position, Pitts' usage has been the subject of much consternation by team fans and fantasy managers alike. Thursday night's numbers was therefore highly encouraging, but whether it will have any long-term carryover is a question that will begin to be answered in a Week 6 road divisional clash with the Panthers on Sunday, Oct. 13.

Brown (foot) was a limited participant in practice for the second day in a row Thursday, John Boyle of the Seahawks' official site reports.

The backup tight end recorded one catch on two targets on 25 snaps during Seattle's loss to Detroit on Monday. Starter Noah Fant (toe) was also limited for the second straight day Thursday, leaving AJ Barner and Brady Russell as the only healthy tight ends on Seattle's roster at the moment.

Fant (toe) practiced in a limited fashion Thursday, John Boyle of the Seahawks' official site reports.

With back-to-back capped sessions to begin Week 5 prep, Fant has just one more chance to return to full participation Friday before the Seahawks potentially give him a designation for Sunday's contest versus the Giants. Despite the toe injury following him all season, he's been available for each of the team's four games, but his output (11-111-0 on 15 targets) has been lacking in an offense that features the NFL's leading passer in QB Geno Smith.

McBride (concussion) practiced fully Thursday, Theo Mackie of The Arizona Republic reports.

After opening the week as limited Wednesday, McBride returned to full participation one day later. Per Darren Urban of the Cardinals' official site, McBride also didn't have on a yellow non-contact jersey while running routes and catching passes from QB Kyler Murray, signifying that he's closing in on emerging from the concussion protocol. Clearance from an independent neurologist awaits for McBride, though, so his listing on Friday's injury report will be telling in that regard. The third-year tight end is seeking to miss just one game as a result of the head injury that he sustained Week 3 against the Lions.