NFL Player News

For the first two quarters Week 8 against Green Bay, Saints tight end Jimmy Graham looked like he was just a decoy again, as was the case in Week 7, when he went without a catch. But Graham, who's still working his way back from a shoulder sprain, came to life in the second half, catching five passes for 59 yards and a touchdown.

The touchdown -- a 22-yard grab in which he had to extend his arms over his head while backpedaling -- was especially encouraging because he had only three touchdowns in five games before the injury.

Graham is still at less than 100 percent and will have a short week to prepare for Thursday night's game at Carolina, but he recently said he'll live in the training room to make sure he's ready. Based on what he showed he could do in just one half Sunday, you'll want to keep him active in Fantasy.

The farther he gets away from a shoulder injury he suffered Week 5, the more Saints tight end Jimmy Graham is starting to round into his All-Pro form. After a slow start Sunday against the Packers, Graham had a strong second half to finish with five catches for 59 yards and one touchdown in a 44-23 win.

Though, Graham admitted after Sunday's game it's going to take some work to get ready for the quick turnaround for Thursday's game against the Panthers.

"(Monday’s) gonna be pretty rough for me, I already know. But I’ll take the next 48 hours, that’s really what’s most important, trying to get the swelling and what-not down and try to get ready on Thursday," Graham said, per ESPN. "I’ll pretty much live in the treatment room, and I’ll be hooked up to all kinds of stuff while I sleep."

Graham didn't have a catch in the first half Sunday, extending his streak without a reception to six quarters. However, Graham said he didn't get frustrated with the lack of stats.

"(Coach) Sean (Payton) always tells me, 'Hey, be patient. You know, at a big moment, when it matters, we’re gonna come your way. And we’re gonna come your way big,'" Graham said. "So he’s telling me that all through the first half, and he goes through some plays and says, 'Hey listen, it’s your time.' So when you have a head coach that does that for you and you have an offensive coordinator that does that for you -- and Pete Carmichael came up to me and said the same thing -- its buckle your chin strap, because it’s coming your way."

Saints tight end Jimmy Graham had zero catches on one target at halftime of Sunday's win over the Packers. Drew Brees finally began targeting Graham in the third quarter, and the results were striking.

Graham caught all five of his passes in the period and proved to be a complete mismatch when he outjumped Packers corner Tramon Williams for a 22-yard touchdown. He finished with those five grabs on six targets for 59 yards.

Up to four touchdowns this year, Graham still does not look fully healed from his shoulder injury. But he's once again a major factor in the Saints' offense. He'll visit the Panthers on Thursday.

Browns quarterback Brian Hoyer found eight different receivers Sunday against Oakland and six of them caught two or fewer passes.

That group included wideouts Taylor Gabriel, who raced 48 yards with a screen pass midway through the first quarter and finished with two catches for 60 yards, and Miles Austin (2-34), tight end Jim Dray (2-27) and running backs Terrance West (1-10) and Isaiah Crowell (1-8). West also rushed for 11 yards on seven carries while Crowell added a carry for one yard.

Hey, guess what? Patriots tight end Timothy Wright caught seven passes for 61 yards and a touchdown Week 8 against Chicago. Pretty cool, right? It kind of reminds me of those five catches for 85 yards and a touchdown he had Week 5 against Cincinnati.

Because we were all so thrilled with where he went from there.

That's sarcasm, of course. No one was thrilled with one catch for 1 yard over a two-game span, even if that catch was a touchdown. And that makes this performance so much harder to assess. We could say it's a sign the Patriots are looking to get him more involved in the passing game, reverting to the two-tight end attack that was so successful for them back when Aaron Hernandez was still around. But that clearly wasn't the case last time. So then we could say it's just a fluke, but flukes generally don't happen twice within a four-game span.

I'm thinking it's confirmation he's another player the Patriots will work in and out of the game plan based on matchups, and since they're not exactly forthright about their plans from week to week, you won't really know the right time to start Wright. He's an intriguing add in deeper leagues, where you can afford to take a zero now and then, but in standard 12-team formats, not so much.

For the fifth straight game, Eagles tight end Zach Ertz failed to clear 50 receiving yards. He caught five of eight targets for 48 yards in the loss at Arizona.

While he did set a season high in catches, Ertz did not make any big plays. He'll visit Houston in Week 9.

Saints tight end Jimmy Graham, who was questionable with a shoulder injury, is active as expected for Sunday night's game against the Packers. Graham is expected to play more than he did Week 7 when he played 30 snaps and was targeted twice without a catch.

Graham put in limited practices throughout last week.

Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce totaled four catches for 45 yards during a 34-7 win Week 8 vs. St. Louis. Kelce was targeted six times and his longest reception went 17 yards.

Kelce came close to an 18-yard touchdown catch early in the second quarter. However, he was dragged down at the 1-yard line following a 17-yard reception. Kelce now doesn't have a touchdown in two straight games after scoring in three straight.

The Chiefs are back in action Week 9 vs. N.Y. Jets.

The Patriots backup pass catchers did little Week 8 against the Bears.

Tight end Timothy Wright actually turned in a strong performance, hauling in seven receptions for 61 yards and a score. He caught all seven of his targets. Julian Edelman only hauled in one pass, gaining 14 yards. Danny Amendola was able to catch two balls, but only gained 5 yards.

The three will look for more Week 9 against the Broncos. 

Jets wide receiver Eric Decker had a team-high seven catches on 11 targets for 40 yards in his team's 43-23 loss to the Bills in Week 8.

It was an all-around abysmal performance for the Jets passing attack, as two quarterbacks combined for six turnovers while averaging just 2.9 yards per pass attempt. Decker's yardage total was surpassed only by tight end Jace Amaro, who caught all five of his targets for 51 yards. Jeremy Kerley could muster just two catches on five targets for 25 yards.

The Jets will hit the road to face the Chiefs in Week 9.