Niklas has drawn praise from head coach Bruce Arians this training camp, the Cardinals' official site reports. "He's made a really nice move," Arians said Wednesday. "He's looking like the player we drafted and wanted. He had all those injuries and had bad luck, and knock on wood I don't want to jinx him, but he's where I want him to be right now."
If Niklas has been lingering on dynasty benches since the Cardinals selected him in the second round of the 2014 NFL Draft, owners may be able to deploy the hulking tight this season. His first two campaigns weren't friendly from an injury standpoint, but avoiding the bug so far, he's showed off his blocking capability, which is a staple for tight ends within Arians' offense. Niklas has four preseason tilts to move past Darren Fells and Jermaine Gresham (hamstring) in the TE pecking order. However, when Niklas received 16 percent of the offensive snaps last year, he had a measly four catches for 33 yards and two touchdowns.