Week 9: Graham vs. Panthers
Jimmy Graham caught five passes for 59 yards and a touchdown in the Saints' Week 8 win over the Packers. After playing on just 30-of-75 snaps the week prior in Detroit, Graham's snap count climbed to 43-of-69 versus Green Bay. While he isn't 100-percent recovered from his shoulder injury, Graham is back to being a safe start for fantasy owners. He ranks as our No. 2 overall TE behind Rob Gronkowski for Week 9 and should be in your lineup for Thursday night's tilt with the Panthers.
Week 8: Graham vs. Packers
Jimmy Graham was targeted twice in the Saints’ Week 7 loss to the Lions but failed to catch a pass while playing roughly 30 snaps due to a shoulder injury. The good news is that he didn’t suffer a setback but he remained limited in practice earlier this week. Monitor his status on Sunday morning but understand that the Saints play the Packers late and thus, you’ll need to have a solid Plan B in case Graham is limited again. We’d recommend playing it cautious with Graham until he isn’t practicing on a limited basis. For now he ranks as our No. 8th overall TE for Week 8.
Week 5: Graham vs. Bucs
Jimmy Graham caught eight of his 10 targets for 86 yards and a touchdown in the Saints' Week 4 loss to the Cowboys. He had just one catch in the first half before going off as New Orleans trailed throughout the second half. He's now on pace for 128 catches, 1,704 yards and 12 touchdowns through four games and is a weekly start. He's our No. 1 overall TE for Week 5.
Week 4: Graham vs. Cowboys
Jimmy Graham caught 6-of-8 targets for 54 yards in the Saints' Week 3 win over the Vikings. It was a quiet day for Graham, although credit Minnesota for limiting his production. He should have a better day against a Dallas defense that has zero pass rush and a patchwork linebacker corps. He remains our top fantasy tight end for Week 4.
Week 3: Graham vs. Vikings
Jimmy Graham exploded for 118 yards and two touchdowns on 10 receptions last week in the Saints' 26-24 loss to the Browns. He's going to be our No. 1 TE week in and week out and has a great matchup on Sunday at home versus a Minnesota team that is reeling following a 30-7 loss to the Patriots in Week 2. Leave Graham in your starting lineup.
Week 2: Graham vs. Browns
Jimmy Graham caught eight passes for 82 yards in the Saints' 37-34 loss to the Falcons, but he was shut out of the end zone in a disappointing start for standard owners. Then again, if you have Graham in PPR leagues then you were fine with his 16-point production. Regardless, Graham remains fantasy's No. 1 tight end and he'll reach paydirt more times than not this year for fantasy owners. He's our No. 1 TE for Week 2 against Cleveland.
Week 1: Graham vs. Falcons
Jimmy Graham has terrorized the Falcons in the past, catching 35 passes for 500 yards and seven touchdowns in just eight games versus the Saints' biggest rival. He's a must-start in all fantasy formats and is currently listed as our No. 1 tight end for Week 1. Get him in your lineup.
Fantasy Upside
The biggest concern about Graham coming into the 2014 season had nothing to do with his on-field ability, but whether or not he would even play given his shaky contract status. But everyone’s concerns were quelled when the Saints made him the league’s highest paid tight end in July. With Sean Payton, Drew Brees and Marques Colston back in the fold, as well as the addition of lightning bolt rookie Brandin Cooks, there’s no reason to believe that Graham won’t post outstanding numbers again this season. In fact, even though he’s dealt with nagging injuries over the years (such as the foot injury he suffered in 2013), he’s still led the NFL in touchdown catches over the last three seasons. He remains a fantasy stud.
Fantasy Downside
Even though they haven’t slowed him down, injuries are a small concern with Graham. But he played a full 16-game season a year ago despite suffering what many thought was a serious foot injury. While he was hobbled in some games (he only played in 54.3 percent of the Saints’ offensive snaps in a Week 16 loss to the Panthers, for example), he was still able to produce a monster year. Thus, there’s not much downside when it comes to owning fantasy’s No. 1 tight end.
Bottom Line
Graham ranks as our No. 1 tight end in both standard and PPR formats. He’s going to cost you a first-round pick but he’s also going to produce like a WR1 so don’t get caught up in what position he plays. It’s guaranteed that he’ll see a ton of targets in Payton’s dynamic offense and Brees will continue to look his way in the face of constant double teams. Provided he stays healthy, Graham is as sure a thing in fantasy as you can find.
