Dolphins TE Charles Clay will miss “multiple practices” and “perhaps” the 1^st preseason game, per beat writer Armando Salguero. Clay’s nursing a knee injury that’s believed to be minor. With over a month to go until Week 1, it’s not enough to change his projection as a low-end TE1.

ESPN's Chris Mortensen calls Patriots TE Rob Gronkowski (back, forearm) "60-40" to play against the Falcons on Sunday night.  ""He's probably ready to play," Mort said.  Gronk has been practicing for 3 weeks now and has made steady progress.  It was reportedly the surgically repaired forearm that kept him out last weekend.  We're expecting him to play on Sunday night, but we might not find out for sure until an hour before game time.  Fantasy owners hoping to start Gronk should grab another TE in the week's last 2 games.  Miami's Charles Clay would be ideal.

The Dolphins will give Charles Clay the 1st crack at replacing Dustin Keller as the starting TE.  “You’d have to give the nod to Clay as the starter,” OC Mike Sherman said. “He’ll play in a bunch of different packages. He’ll play in the backfield as well as on the line of scrimmage. He’ll play split out. He’ll do a lot of different things for us, and he’s more than capable.”  Clay spent his college career at Tulsa as a pass-catching FB.  He hauled in 189 balls across 4 seasons.  He's transitioned to a TE/H-Back hybrid in Miami.  The 6'3, 250-pounder has just 34 catches in his first 2 NFL seasons, although he's averaged 13.1 yards per and scored 5 times.  We've always been intrigued by Clay's playmaking ability at the position, but it's tough to imagine him emerging as a reliable fantasy option this year.  TEs Dion Sims and Michael Egnew will also see action for the Fins.

According to beat writer Barry Jackson, the Dolphins are "more convinced than ever" that they have a dangerous weapon in Charles Clay.  The 2011 6th-round pick finished his rookie campaign with just 16 catches, but averaged 14.3 yards per and scored 3 times.  Clay was reportedly been lining up at both TE and WR during OTAs and minicamps.  He could be a valuable weapon for a Fins team lacking much playmaking talent on the outside.  And HC Joe Philbin and OC Mike Sherman are creative offensive minds who should find ways to get Clay the ball.  It's still difficult to see him making a fantasy impact in a deep TE position though.

The Dolphins plan on using 6th-round rookie Charles Clay in a variety of roles. “We saw this guy as a TE, we saw this guy in the backfield, we saw him in the slot—he has a very unique set of skills and that’s kind of the way we plan to use him,” Dolphins GM Jeff Ireland said. “What we liked about the kid was his versatility. He can run the ball, he can catch the ball, he can block.” Clay played both TE and FB at Tulsa, racking up 911 rushing yards, 2,544 receiving yards, and 38 total TDs. He's a longshot for any fantasy value in 2011, but he could be an interesting guy to keep on your radar.