Saints TE Jimmy Graham (shoulder) is questionable for Sunday night’s game against the Packers. He’s going to play, but the question is just how productive he’ll be. Graham played just 40% of the snaps last week and finished without a catch. He put in 3 limited practices this week after just 2 last week. Graham’s fantasy ceiling and floor are lower than usual for Week 8, but he remains a top-5 TE play thanks to his talent and matchup.

Saints TE Jimmy Graham (shoulder) put in his 2nd straight limited practice on Thursday.  It's tough to get a read on just how much healthier he is now than he was last week.  We'd love to see him get in a full practice on Friday.  For now, consider Graham a risk/reward Week 8 fantasy play.  We'll have another update tomorrow afternoon.

Saints TE Jimmy Graham (shoulder) put in a limited practice on Wednesday.  It's an upgrade over last week, when he sat out Wednesday's workout.  We'd like to see Graham get in a full practice on Thursday or Friday, but he'll be nearly impossible to bench in fantasy this week regardless.  Saints-Packers should be one of the highest scoring games of the season.

Saints TE Jimmy Graham (shoulder) is active for today’s game against the Lions. He got in 2 limited practices this week and is expected to be limited this afternoon. There’s no way of knowing exactly how many snaps Graham will play or how effective he’ll be. But it’s worth noting that in 5 games playing less than 55% of the snaps last year, Graham posted lines of 10-135, 3-37-2, 5-59, 5-73-1 and 5-71-1. Click here to see where he sits in our Week 7 TE Rankings.

Insiders Adam Schefter, Ian Rapoport and Albert Breer all report that Saints TE Jimmy Graham (shoulder) is expected to play against the Lions today.  All 3 guys add that a final decision won't be made until after pregame warmups.  And Schefter hears that Graham is not expected to start.  He'll likely be limited to obvious passing downs and red-zone snaps.  But he's still capable of doing plenty of damage.  Note that in 5 games playing less than 55% of the snaps last year, Graham posted lines of 10-135, 3-37-2, 5-59, 5-73-1 and 5-71-1.  Click here to see where he sits in our Week 7 TE Rankings.

Saints TE Jimmy Graham (shoulder) is listed as questionable for this weekend's game against the Lions.  He put in limited practices on Thursday and Friday and will be a game-time decision.  "I think (coach) Sean (Payton) might try to see how I'm doing on Sunday and maybe work me before the game to see where I'm at," Graham said Friday afternoon. "As of right now I don't know."  The good news is that we'll find out Graham's status by noon ET on Sunday.  If active, he'll be a top-5 TE play.  It's possible -- maybe even likely -- that his snaps would be limited, but Graham had outings with 10 catches and 2 TDs while playing less than 55% of the snaps last season.

Saints TE Jimmy Graham said Friday afternoon that he "might" be a game-time decision for Sunday's tilt with the Lions.  “I’m all right. I’ve been better," Graham added.  We'll find out his official designation on the injury report in about an hour, but expect him to be listed as questionable.  For what it's worth, insider Nick Underhill's "gut" tells him that Graham will see "some action" this weekend.

Saints TE Jimmy Graham (shoulder) returned to a limited practice on Thursday.  HC Sean Payton said earlier in the day that he remains "optimistic" about Graham's chances of playing this weekend, and it certainly looks like he has a chance.  We'll have another update on Graham's status tomorrow.  Saints-Lions kicks off at 1 pm ET on Sunday.

Saints TE Jimmy Graham (shoulder) did not practice on Wednesday.  HC Sean Payton refused to rule him out for this weekend's game against the Lions, but most signs point to Graham sitting out.  We'll have another update on his status tomorrow.

ESPN's Adam Schefter reports that Saints TE Jimmy Graham (shoulder) is "hoping" to play against the Lions this weekend.  No surprise there -- not many players like missing games.  But Schefter adds that Graham would not have been able to go if New Orleans had played this past weekend and that Graham's status for this Sunday remains in doubt.  We'll track his progress throughout the week.

Saints TE Jimmy Graham (shoulder) is expected to miss 2-3 games, according to NFL Network's Ian Rapoport.  The bye week saved him a game, but it sounds like New Orleans will be without Graham for games against the Lions and Packers.  Ben Watson figures to step in as the Saints' starting TE.  Josh Hill could see some additional work, too.  Neither guy will be a strong fantasy play, though.  Potential waiver-wire adds such as Dwayne Allen, Heath Miller and Owen Daniels will be better bets.  Graham owners should also check to see if Jordan Reed is available.

Saints TE Jimmy Graham injured his shoulder in the 1st quarter of Sunday's game against the Bucs. He returned for a few plays in the 2^nd quarter but then headed back to the locker room and did not return. HC Sean Payton didn’t provide any details afterward. “I think we were smart and got a chance to take a peek (at the shoulder) and decided we were going to wait,” he said. Pro Football Talk hears that Graham is dealing with a sprained shoulder that "isn't believed to be serious."  Hopefully we’ll learn more tomorrow. The good news for Graham and his fantasy owners is that the Saints have a bye this week.

Saints TE Jimmy Graham injured his shoulder in the 1st half of Sunday's game against the Bucs.  He went to the locker room for x-rays, but the team is calling him probable to return.

Update: The Saints ruled Graham out for the rest of the game at the start of the 2nd half.

Saints S Kenny Vaccaro told ESPN.com that TE Jimmy Graham looks even better so far in camp than he did last year: “The dude’s flying. He’s faster than last year, he seems stronger." Graham, of course, spent the 2nd half of last year playing on an ailing foot, but Vaccaro faced him in practice throughout the summer and early season as well. And the Saints use Vaccaro regularly in slot coverage, which has meant plenty of practice matchups with Graham. No one's questioning Graham's status atop his position in fantasy football rankings, but let this serve as a reminder that he might even retain some upside beyond his TE dominating numbers of 2013.

The Saints and TE Jimmy Graham have agreed on a 4-year, $40 million deal with $21 million guaranteed. It makes Graham the highest-paid TE in NFL history, an honor he certainly deserves. Graham has averaged 90 catches, 1,169 yards and 12 TDs over the past 3 seasons. And he remains in his prime at 27 years old. Graham won’t miss any training camp and will remain listed as a TE in fantasy leagues. There’s no reason to avoid him in the mid or late 1^st round of drafts.

Arbitrator Stephen Burbank ruled that Jimmy Graham will be franchised tagged as a TE -- and not a WR.  He’s now tagged at just over $7 million, a number that would have jumped to $12.3 mil had Graham won.  The 27-year-old can appeal this decision, but it’s unlikely to get overturned.  This development ensures that Graham won't carry WR eligibility into 2014 fantasy leagues.  We still expect the Saints to sign him long-term, but it might be an 11th hour deal.  The deadline to ink Graham to a new deal is July 15.

TE Jimmy Graham has officially filed a grievance against the Saints for his franchise-tag designation.  You know the story by now -- New Orleans tagged him as a TE, but Graham believes he should be considered a WR.  The difference in 2014 salary is over $5 million.  The whole brouhaha will likely end with a record-breaking long-term contract for Graham.  Unless this spills into August, it's not a concern for his fantasy stock.

The Saints officially slapped Jimmy Graham with the TE franchise tag on Monday.  That gives him a 2014 salary of $7.035 million.  But Graham and his agent are arguing that he's a WR and should be paid as such.  The WR franchise tag is worth $12.312 million -- a difference of over $5 million.  It sounds like Graham is prepared to hold out until he gets paid.  "[The Saints] won’t see him for a while," NFL Network's Ian Rapoport tweets. "Don’t expect him to show up until it’s resolved."  The 2 sides will likely end up agreeing to a long-term deal that will make Graham the highest-paid TE in league history.  The question is when that agreement will be made.  Graham's fantasy stock won't be impacted unless this stretches into training camp.

ESPN reports that the Saints will apply the franchise tag to TE Jimmy Graham to keep him from hitting the open market.  The long-rumored move comes as no surprise.  Although Graham has made it clear he doesn't like the tag, we expect the 2 sides to work out something here.  New Orleans will have little choice but to make him the highest-paid TE in the league.

NFL Network's Ian Rapoport reports that Saints TE Jimmy Graham would file an immediate grievance if the team classifies him as a TE while applying the franchise tag. Graham would instead fight to be tagged a WR, which would pay $11.5 million vs. $6.8 million for a TE. Graham, of course, has already indicated he wouldn't be happy with the franchise tag in general. Both sides would obviously rather work out a long-term deal, and we expect that to happen this offseason.