Hill leaves with ankle injury

Saints TE Josh Hill broke his fibula in Sunday's loss to the Lions, according to NFL Network's Ian Rapoport. That'll end his 2016 season. Hill's absence should give TE Coby Fleener a boost in playing time the rest of the way. His 67.2% snap rate yesterday was his highest since Week 3.

Saints TE Josh Hill injured his ankle on a 2nd-quarter catch against the Lions and did not return. He was in a walking boot and on crutches afterward. TE Coby Fleener benefitted from Hill’s absence, finishing with 5 catches on 7 targets for 86 yards. We should get an update on Hill tomorrow.

The Saints on Friday retained TE Josh Hill by matching the offer sheet that he signed with the Bears. ESPN reported that the 3-year deal could be worth as much as $7.5 million, with $3.25 million guaranteed. That's a fairly significant amount when you consider the 5-year, $36 million deal ($18 million guaranteed) that New Orleans already gave TE Coby Fleener. The addition of Fleener lowers the ceiling on Hill, but the fact that the Saints matched suggests they still like the guy that HC Sean Payton talked up last offseason. Hill's return might also lower the ceiling a bit on Fleener, though he's a near lock to sit among our top 10 TEs when the 2016 fantasy football projections come out.

The Bears have signed Saints restricted free-agent TE Josh Hill to a 3-year offer sheet worth "close" to $2 million per year, according to insider Brad Biggs.  New Orleans now has 5 days to match the offer or lose Hill.  Considering they don't have much cap space and handed TE Coby Fleener a 5-year, $36 million deal earlier this month, the Saints seem unlikely to match.  That'd ship Hill to Chicago, where he'd compete with TE Zach Miller for snaps and targets.  Hill was a hot name in fantasy circles around this time last year but was beat out by Ben Watson and finished with a 16-120-2 line.  Despite totaling just 36 grabs through 3 seasons, Hills remains an intriguing prospect.  He turns 26 in May, goes 6'5, 250 pounds and is a plus athlete.

Saints insider Nick Underhill calls TE Josh Hill's performance in training camp so far "underwhelming."  He wasn't very involved in the passing game early, missed a few days with an undisclosed injury and dropped the 1st pass thrown to him on Monday.  Hill is listed as the #2 TE behind Ben Watson on New Orleans' initial depth chart.  We'll see if he can pick things up in preseason action, but Hill looks like just a late-round flier in fantasy drafts right now.