Jimmy Graham Fantasy Football News | Shark Bites

Saints TE Jimmy Graham was held out of Thursday night's preseason game with a back injury.  He apparently went down hard in Wednesday's practice and was a bit sore the next morning.  It seems like New Orleans is just playing it safe here with their stud TE.  We'll keep an eye on Graham, but consider his fantasy stock is unchanged.

Despite an insanely productive 2011 campaign, Saints TE Jimmy Graham is still looking to get better.  He pinpointed blocking, route-running, and yards after the catch as areas needing improvement this year.  "I am kind of a perfectionist and I am always looking to get better any way possible," Graham said. "Whenever I look back to last year... I had a lot of missed opportunities out there, a lot of balls that I could have gotten to, a lot of routes that I should have been more disciplined on."  As scary as it sounds, it wouldn't be surprising to see Graham take another leap forward in 2012.  Remember that he played only 1 season of college football, so he's still relatively raw.  No TE has more upside than Graham this year.

As expected, Saints TE Jimmy Graham (back) is active for today's game against the Vikings.  Those back spasms appear to be behind him.  Graham remains a must-start.

Saints TE Jimmy Graham (back) put in a full week of practice.  There's no reason to believe those back spasms will be a reoccurring issue.  Graham remains a must-start, unless you own that Gronkowski guy.

Saints TE Jimmy Graham put in a full practice on Wednesday.  HC Sean Payton confirmed that there are no issues with his back.  Graham should play a full slate of snaps against the Vikings this weekend and remains a must-start.

Saints HC Sean Payton didn't express much concern over the back spasms that limited TE Jimmy Graham last weekend.  "He’s getting treatment and really that’s it," Payton said.  "But it was one of those and anybody that’s had back pains or occasionally stepped the wrong way, I would equate it to that. We were lucky that he was able to bounce back.”  We'll continue to monitor the situation, but Graham should be fine for Week 15.

Saints TE Jimmy Graham will go for an MRI on his back after spasms nearly prevented him from playing against the Titans on Sunday.  "It kind of scared me," Graham said.  "I was in excruciating pain. I didn't think I was gonna go... and then eventually it kind of loosened up on me a little bit. But I was pretty much in constant pain the whole game." Graham still managed to haul in 5 balls for 55 yards, though, and he fully expects to play next weekend.  "I'll be good," he said. "And even if I'm not, I'll still play... Doesn't matter the pain, doesn't matter what I'm going through, I'm still going to play."  We'll update Graham's status throughout the week.

Saints TE Jimmy Graham spent most of pregame warmups in the locker room with trainers.  As of 12:50 pm ET, he was back on the field in full uniform catching passes.  It's unclear if Graham suffered an injury in warmups.  It looks like he'll play, but beat writer Mike Triplett says that Graham "could be limited."  He certainly comes with some risk, but we'd only bench him in you have another top-5 option.

Update: Trainers were working on Graham's right leg/ankle prior to kickoff.

Saints TE Jimmy Graham (ankle) is active for today's game against the Rams.  The injury isn't a concern.  Graham remains a must-start.

Saints TE Jimmy Graham (ankle) is listed as probable for this weekend's game against the Rams after putting in full practices on Thursday and Friday.  The injury isn't a concern.  Graham remains a must-start.

As expected, Saints TE Jimmy Graham (ankle) is active for tonight's game against the Colts.  He practiced on Friday and was listed as probable, so the injury shouldn't be a factor.  Fantasy football's #1 TE is a must-start.

After sitting out on Thursday with ankle soreness, Saints TE Jimmy Graham returned to a limited practice on Friday.  He's listed as probable and will play against the Colts on Sunday night.  Graham remains a must-start.

Saints TE Jimmy Graham missed Thursday's practice after experiencing soreness in his ankle on Wednesday.  Beat writer Mike Triplett calls Graham's status "uncertain."  We'd expect him to be fine for Sunday night's game against the Colts, but check back tomorrow for an update.

Saints TE Jimmy Graham was targeted a team-high 8 times in Sunday night's preseason game against the Raiders. He hauled in 5 of those for 73 yards. Graham moved all around the formation, lining up at TE, in the slot, and out wide.  New Orleans has a boatload of pass-catchers, but it looks like Graham is slated to play a big role in the offense this season. We still think he's a bargain at his early-7th-round ADP.

Saints beat writer Krisitan Garic notes that TE Jimmy Graham has struggled with drops early in training camp.  "He’ll make a couple of tough catches and then drop a routine pass," Garic explains.  "It’s puzzling, but at the same time kind of expected from a guy that hasn’t been playing football very long."  Growing pains are to be expected here, but Graham is a supreme talent on a high-octane offense.  We can't call him a safe pick, but his upside is through the roof.  With an ADP in the 7th-round, he's worth the gamble.

Saints HC Sean Payton recently confirmed that TE Jimmy Graham's rapid development allowed the team to feel comfortable releasing TE Jeremy Shockey.  "I felt like, most importantly, none of it was too big for him," Payton said of Graham.  "I think he saw himself as someone who should excel in this game now. We began to see that especially the last third of the season. I think he has got some work to do in regards to the running game. But he has a lot of ability... The future is bright for him."  Graham will enter 2011 as New Orleans' starting TE.  His upside is through the roof.

Saints TE Jimmy Graham (ankle) has been ruled out for Saturday's Wild Card game against the Seahawks.  So much for that game-time decision thing.  TE Jeremy Shockey will start in Graham's place, with TE David Thomas also picking up some extra snaps.

Saints TE Jimmy Graham (ankle) is considered a game-time decision for Saturday's tilt with the Seahawks.  He was unable to practice all week, and we doubt he'll play a full slate of snaps even if he's active.  Graham isn't a recommended fantasy option this week.

Saints TE Jimmy Graham (ankle) was held out of practice again on Thursday.  He'll travel with the team to Seattle, but he's looking very iffy for Saturday's game.  Look for TE Jeremy Shockey to start against the Seahawks.

Saints TE Jimmy Graham (ankle) was unable to practice on Wednesday.  His status for Saturday's Wild Card game against the Seahawks remains unclear.