NFL Player News

Vannett (shoulder) was a limited participant at practice Tuesday ahead of Saturday's game at Minnesota, Dan Salomone of the Giants' official site reports.

Vannett made his second grab of the season at Washington on Sunday night, but he played a much smaller share of snaps than in Weeks 13 or 14, which suggests he may have sustained his shoulder injury during that game. If Vannett can't go Saturday, Lawrence Cager would probably operate as the Giants' second tight end.

Hurst (calf) was present for Tuesday's walkthrough and was listed as a limited participant on the practice report estimate, Paul Dehner Jr. of The Athletic reports.

It's a sign of progress after back-to-back absences, though far from a guarantee Hurst will be ready for Saturday's game at New England. Mitchell Wilcox has played more than 70 percent of offensive snaps in three straight games for Cincinnati, and while he's been targeted only six times in that stretch, he did score a TD in Sunday's win over Tampa Bay. Even so, a healthy Hurst is much more useful to the Cincinnati passing game.

The Colts signed Dafney to their practice squad Tuesday, JJ Stankevitz of the team's official site reports.

Dafney has been a free agent since being cut from the Broncos' practice squad in October. He hasn't appeared in any NFL contests this year, but he did catch four of six targets for 60 yards and a touchdown across 15 appearances with Green Bay during the 2020 and 2021 campaigns.

Njoku (knee) is listed as a limited participant on Tuesday's practice estimate, Scott Petrak of the Elyria Chronicle-Telegram reports.

Two separate knee injuries have cost Njoku time this season, including a Week 13 absence, but he played 96 and 94 percent of offensive snaps the past two games en route to 10 catches for 87 yards and a touchdown on 15 targets. The workload checks out and seemingly makes him a solid TE1 for fantasy, except that the Browns offense has struggled with QB Deshaun Watson and now faces some ugly weather in Cleveland this weekend unless forecasts drastically change. Projections as of Tuesday called for the type of wind and precipitation that would make it hard to confidently start any QBs, WRs or TEs in the game.

Likely had two receptions on three targets for 18 yards in Saturday's 13-3 loss to the Browns.

Likely once again took the backseat to fellow tight end Mark Andrews, as the latter saw 30 more offensive snaps in Week 15 compared to the rookie. With wide receiver Devin Duvernay having suffered a potentially significant injury during Tuesday's practice, Likely could be more involved in Baltimore's passing game down the stretch if Duvernay indeed misses time. The Ravens are now scheduled to host the Falcons on Saturday.

Trautman (ankle) was a limited participant in Tuesday's practice.

Trautman dealt with the same injury last week and took a questionable tag into Sunday's game against the Falcons before gaining clearance ahead of kickoff. Though he took on a normal snap share (65 percent), Trautman drew just one target on the afternoon, while position mate Juwan Johnson (four catches for 67 yards and two touchdowns on six targets) commanded more attention from quarterback Andy Dalton despite playing eight fewer snaps than Trautman. Assuming Trautman is able to play through the ankle issue again this weekend in Cleveland, expect him to once again see most of his work as a blocker while Johnson serves as the Saints' preferred pass-catching tight end.

Wilcox caught all three of his targets for 34 yards and a touchdown in Sunday's 34-23 win over the Buccaneers.

Wilcox was well on his way to another disappointing fantasy outing before he caught a 12-yard touchdown strike late in the fourth quarter. He's served as Cincinnati's No. 1 tight end during each of the last two contests with Hayden Hurst sidelined due to a calf issue, catching four passes on just five targets for 44 yards and a score in that span. If Hurst is able to gain clearance before the weekend, Wilcox would presumably see his snap count drop Saturday in New England.

The Commanders designated Hodges (thigh) to return from injured reserve Tuesday, Nicki Jhabvala of The Washington Post reports.

Hodges has been on injured reserve with a thigh issue ever since the beginning of September, but Tuesday now marks the start of the 21-day window for Washington to activate the undrafted rookie back to its active roster. With both Armani Rogers (knee) and Eli Wolf (undisclosed) currently on injured reserve, Hodges has a decent chance to insert himself into the tight end rotation alongside Logan Thomas and John Bates.

The Falcons designated FitzPatrick (undisclosed) to return from injured reserve Tuesday, Michael Rothstein of ESPN.com reports.

FitzPartick has been on Atlanta's injured reserve since the beginning of September due to an undisclosed injury, but Tuesday now marks the start of the 21-day window for the team to activate him back to their active roster. With Kyle Pitts (knee) now done for the year, the Falcons could give the rookie tight end some extra snaps down the stretch alongside Parker Hesse, MyCole Pruitt and Anthony Firkser.

Gray reeled in all three targets for 31 yards during Sunday's 30-24 overtime win versus Houston.

Gray has accumulated three grabs in each of the last two weeks, a number he has reached four times but hasn't bested so far this year. Gray also has just two touchdowns -- one receiving and one rushing -- on the season, so he's not particularly relevant in most formats. However, he may still be worthy as a bench stash in some dynasty leagues just in case he takes over as the starting tight end in Kansas City once Travis Kelce retires.