NFL Player News

Fant (ankle) was a limited practice participant Wednesday.

Fant sustained an ankle injury during the Bengals' Week 15 loss to the Ravens. He was unable to play against the Dolphins in Week 16, but his ability to practice Wednesday -- albeit in a limited capacity -- indicates that he is progressing in his recovery. Fant would likely avoid an injury tag for Sunday's game against the Cardinals if he were to practice fully by Friday.

Hockenson (shoulder) has been ruled out for Thursday's game against Detroit.

Hockenson was held out of practice all week due to a shoulder injury that he likely picked up against the Giants on Sunday, and the injury has been deemed severe enough for the veteran tight end to be sidelined for Christmas Day. Josh Oliver, Ben Yurosek and Ben Sims will step into larger roles in Week 17, though their fantasy floors will be far lower given that Max Brosmer is under center for the Vikings due to J.J. McCarthy (hand) being ruled out. Hockenson's next and final opportunity to play this season is Week 18 against the Packers on Sunday, Jan. 4.

Coach Kyle Shanahan said Kittle (ankle) won't practice Wednesday but "has a chance" to play Sunday against the Bears, Nick Wagoner of ESPN.com reports.

Kittle was tackled awkwardly on his seventh and final catch in the middle of the third quarter of Monday's win at Indianapolis and wasn't able to return. Shanahan told Wagoner afterward that it was too early to touch on the severity of Kittle's ankle injury before Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.com reported Tuesday that Kittle was tending to a mid-to-low ankle sprain. Kittle doesn't necessarily need to practice in order to be active Sunday against the Bears, but his chances to play Week 17 would increase if he's able to mix into drills at some point Thursday or Friday. Jake Tonges likely would step into the pass-catching role in the 49ers offense if Kittle isn't able to suit up this weekend.

Helm (toe) was a limited participant in Wednesday's practice, Jim Wyatt of the Titans' official site reports.

Helm managed a toe issue ahead of the Titans' Week 16 win over the Chiefs, when he caught two passes (on three targets) for nine yards while playing 71 percent of the team's offensive snaps. His ability to practice in a limited capacity Wednesday indicates the injury isn't considered serious, and he'll have two more chances to increase his practice participation and avoid an injury designation for Sunday's game against the Saints. Helm has established a nice rapport with rookie quarterback Cam Ward in the six games since the Titans' Week 6 bye, with the duo connecting for 23 catches (on 28 targets) for 169 yards and one touchdown over that span.

The Chargers cut McLachlan from the practice squad Wednesday.

The move corresponds with the Chargers signing center Josh Kaltenberger to the practice squad. McLachlan has spent time with the Chargers and Bengals on their respective squads this season, and the 2024 sixth-rounder will aim to catch on with a team in need of depth at tight end.

The Raiders placed Brock Bowers (knee) on injured reserve Wednesday, which means Mayer will serve as the Raiders' No. 1 tight end for the final two games of the regular season, beginning with Sunday's game against the Giants.

Mayer has operated as the backup tight end for most of the campaign, though his best outing of the season -- five catches for 50 yards and a touchdown in a Week 6 win against the Titans -- came when Bowers was sidelined. With Bowers done for the year, Mayer will operate as the Raiders' top tight end in Week 17 and 18 while Ian Thomas and Carter Runyon provide depth at the position.

Culp (illness) was a limited participant in Wednesday's practice.

Culp seems to have come down with an illness, but his ability to practice even in a limited capacity implies that the tight end should be good to go for Sunday's game against the Dolphins. The 25-year-old will likely upgrade his practice participation later in the week and be cleared ahead of Sunday's game.

The Colts listed Ogletree (neck) as a DNP on Wednesday's estimated practice report.

Ogletree sustained a neck injury during the Colts' loss to the 49ers on Sunday. The injury prevented him from participating in Wednesday's walkthrough, and the fourth-year tight end will have two more opportunities to return to practice ahead of Sunday's home game against the Jaguars.

Waller (groin/rest) didn't practice Wednesday, David Furones of the South Florida Sun Sentinel reports.

Waller is listed on the practice report as being held out due to both the groin issue and rest, so it sounds like this is a maintenance day for him. Waller has been having his practice reps managed and has regularly been limited in practices, though Wednesday's DNP is a bit out of the norm. Still, there's currently nothing to suggest that the veteran tight end is in danger of missing Sunday's matchup against Tampa Bay.

Kincaid (knee) was listed as a non-participant in Wednesday's walk-through practice.

The same applies to fellow TE Dawson Knox (knee), though it's possible that both of their DNPs were maintenance-related. Kincaid -- who has been managing a knee issue -- was also deemed a non-participant both last Wednesday and Thursday before working fully Friday and approaching Week 16 action without an injury designation. A repeat of that pattern is plausible ahead of Sunday's game against the Eagles.