NFL Player News

Browns tight end MarQueis Gray (ankle) was able to play through his injury in Week 15 against the Bears. He is active, as expected, for Sunday's kickoff. 

Texans tight end Garrett Graham is unlikely to play Sunday against the Colts in Week 15, according to NFL.com. Graham was unable to practice this week because of hamstring injury. Ryan Griffin would likely get the starting nod in his place.

The Browns have listed six offensive players among their probables for the Sunday battle against the Bears, including premeir tackle Joe Thomas (back), backup quarterback Brandon Weeden (concussion) and top tight end Jordan Cameron (ribs).

The others are linemen Mitchell Schwartz (toe, knee) and Reid Fragel (illness) and tight end MarQueis Gray (hamstring).

Texans tight end Garrett Graham will be a game-time decision for Sunday against the Colts. He has not practiced this week, but Wade Phillips said Friday that he could still play. Ryan Griffin would likely serve as his replacement if he is unavailable.

Jaguars tight end Marcedes Lewis is not a strong play Week 15 against the Bills.

Buffalo has done a solid job defending opposing tight ends, limiting them to 6.23 Fantasy points per game. Through 13 games, the team has given up seven touchdowns to tight ends. While they are somewhat susceptible in the red zone, Buffalo locks down tight ends everywhere else. The team allows just 36.46 receiving yards per game to tight ends, the lowest figure in the league.

Lewis has come on a bit lately, scoring two touchdowns in the last two games. Lewis missed five games early in the season with a calf injury, which may be the reason for his early struggles. He's still not a big part of the passing game, with a season-high of three catches in a game, but he's been the top target at the goal line lately. Given the matchup, it's tough to trust Lewis to score for the third game in a row.

The Texans could be without a decent tight end Sunday at Indianapolis. Garrett Graham (hamstring) missed practice again on Thursday.

Their only legitimate option if Graham can't play could be Jake Byrne, who returned to practice after missing the Wednesday session with an illness and has yet to catch a pass this season.

Though the Redskins have yet to give any indication of tight end Jordan Reed's status for Week 15 at Atlanta, bringing him back probably isn't the biggest priority in a lost season. He's already suffered one setback in his return from a concussion, and it's not like Logan Paulsen has performed poorly in his absence, scoring a touchdown in back-to-back games.

Whichever player starts at tight end for the Redskins will have a favorable matchup. The Falcons rank 20th against the pass, allowing 245.8 yards per game, and have given up the seventh-most Fantasy points to tight ends.

Of course, matchup data only counts for so much. The one with the greatest say in how the Redskins tight ends perform in Week 15 is quarterback Kirk Cousins, who is starting over Robert Griffin III for the first time this season. Cousins played the entire fourth quarter last week against the Chiefs but was inefficient, completing 7 of 16 passes for 59 yards.

If Reed ends up playing, his upside makes him almost impossible to sit in Fantasy, but in the more likely scenario that Paulsen plays, he's a gamble in Fantasy despite the favorable matchup and touchdown-scoring streak.

There are certain skill position players whose production has eliminated all concern about upcoming matchups. Saints tight end Jimmy Graham is one of them.

Never mind that Week 15 foe St. Louis ranks third in the NFL against opposing players at his position. Graham is an equal opportunity destroyer. He leads all pass-catchers wtih 14 touchdowns and tops the list among tight ends with 74 catches for 1,046 yards. And when Drew Brees and the Saints are even sniffing the red zone, he is generally the primary target.

Graham has been held down - comparatively speaking - in the last two weeks with nine catches for 100 yards. But he also scored three touchdowns in those games, so there is really no stopping him. He sits atop the rankings produced by all three CBSSports.com senior Fantasy writers this week for a reason.

So just stick him in your lineups and watch the points add up. He could very well catapult your team into your league finals.

The Texans are struggling to keep their tight ends healthy. Starter Owen Daniels remained out Wednesday as he continues to recover from a fractured fibula that has had him on IR since Week 5. He was deemed close to returning three weeks ago.

Also out on Wednesday were fellow tight ends Garrett Graham (hamstring) and Jake Byrne (flu).

Getting a season-high 14 targets, Texans tight end Garrett Graham turned in one of his best performances of the season Week 14 at Jacksonville, catching eight passes for 73 yards and a touchdown. It was his first touchdown in three games. He put up ess than 40 yards in each of the previous two.

Though his production has been inconsistent, his targets haven't. He has averaged 11.5 in his last four games, getting no fewer than nine in any of them. That bodes well for his matchup Week 15 at Indianapolis. The Colts rank 18th against the pass, allowing 241.5 points per game. They've allowed the 10th-fewest Fantasy points to tight ends, but they haven't faced any notable ones since Week 7 against the Broncos, when Julius Thomas had five catches for 41 yards and a touchdown against them.

Graham had four catches for 46 yards when he faced the Colts in Week 9, but he wasn't being targeted as much at the time. As many looks as he's getting now, both Jamey Eisenberg and Nathan Zegura like him as a top-12 tight end for this week. Dave Richard is a little more reserved, ranking him 15th.