Saints' Jimmy Graham: Quiet end to comeback season
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Graham finished the 2023 regular season with six receptions (on seven targets) for 39 yards and four touchdowns in 13 appearances.
Graham was never expected to make much of an impact for the Saints this season after coming out of retirement to sign a one-year, $1.32 million contract in late July. The 37-year-old caught just one pass over the first seven weeks of the campaign while filling an extremely limited role behind tight ends Juwan Johnson and Foster Moreau. Graham temporarily fell out of this rotation when he missed four games in a row either with illness or as a healthy scratch. But, he got a chance again when the Saints' wide receiver corps was shorthanded with numerous injuries. Graham went on to catch one touchdown pass in three consecutive games from Week 13 to Week 15 while almost exclusively working as a target in the red zone. Graham then went without a target over the final three contests of the year, and it appears unlikely that he'll be re-signed by New Orleans this coming offseason.
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Saints' Jimmy Graham: Grabs 4th touchdown in win
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Graham reeled in both of his two targets for nine yards and one touchdown during Sunday's 24-6 win against the Giants.
Graham leaked out on a play-action pass from the one-yard line for a wide open touchdown early in the fourth quarter, marking his third red-zone touchdown in as many weeks. The 37-year-old has now logged four touchdowns on just six receptions -- all of which have come in the red zone -- this season. Graham's longest reception of the season was a 12-yard catch in the red zone during last week's win over the Panthers. With Michael Thomas (knee) on IR and No. 1 wideout Chris Olave (ankle) banged up recently, the Saints have leaned more on their tight end corps between Graham, Foster Moreau and Juwan Johnson. While the latter two have seen the bulk of playing time, Graham's resurgence as a red-zone scoring threat lately makes him the most viable fantasy option of the group. He'll look to extend his scoring streak during a Week 16 matchup versus the Rams.
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Saints' Jimmy Graham: Finds paydirt again
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Graham gathered in both of his targets for 16 yards and one touchdown during Sunday's 28-6 win versus the Panthers.
Graham suited up for the second week in a row, as the Saints' receiving corps remained shorthanded with starting wideouts Michael Thomas (knee) still on IR and Rashid Shaheed (thigh) inactive. This led quarterback Derek Carr to continue relying on his tight ends, targeting the position group on six of his 22 passing attempts. Graham tied younger tight ends Juwan Johnson and Foster Moreau in both targets and receptions Sunday, but the 37-year-old paced the unit in receiving yards, and he has now caught a touchdown pass in the low red zone each of the past two weeks. Graham's repeated usage within the opposing 20-yard line has netted him a touchdown on all but one of his four receptions this season. While this ratio of touchdowns to receptions is not sustainable, Graham could be a decent option as a waiver-wire pickup in the deepest of fantasy leagues. It will also be worth monitoring the health of New Orleans' receiving corps when assessing Graham's value heading into the Week 15 contest against the Giants.
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Saints' Jimmy Graham: Scores touchdown in return to field
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Graham gathered in his only target for a six-yard touchdown during Sunday's 33-28 loss versus the Lions.
Graham was ruled a healthy scratch for four games in a row leading into Week 13, but with starting wideouts Rashid Shaheed (thigh) and Michael Thomas (knee - IR) unable to play, the Saints needed extra bodies Week 13. As a result, the 37-year-old tight end suited up and saw just his third target of the season when he got New Orleans on the board for the first time in the game with a six-yard touchdown catch. Graham has now recorded a touchdown on each of his two receptions on the season, both of which came within the 10-yard line. Fellow tight ends Juwan Johnson (three) and Foster Moreau (two) each recorded more targets in the game, and it seems like Graham's only value will come as a unique scoring threat when New Orleans is in the low red zone.
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Saints' Jimmy Graham: Inactive versus Falcons
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Graham (coach's decision) will not play in Sunday's game versus the Falcons, John Hendrix of Saints News reports.
This will mark Graham's fourth straight game on the sidelines and third as a healthy scratch. The veteran tight end's next opportunity to see the field will come in one week versus the Lions.
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Saints' Jimmy Graham: Won't play Sunday
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Graham (coach's decision) is inactive for Sunday's game against the Vikings.
This is the third game in a row that Graham will sit out. The last two he was a healthy scratch. He has just one reception for the season, which was an eight-yard touchdown in Week 3 against the Packers.
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Saints' Jimmy Graham: Gets extra rest Wednesday
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Graham (rest) was a limited participant at practice Wednesday.
Graham has not suited up for either of New Orleans' last two games, and he's now limited to start the Saints' new week of practice. His odds of playing in Week 10 would get a big boost if he were able to practice in full Thursday or Friday.
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Saints' Jimmy Graham: Sitting out Sunday
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Graham (coach's decision) is inactive Sunday against the Bears, John Hendrix of SI.com reports.
Graham missed Week 8 against the Colts due to an illness, but he'll now miss a second consecutive game, despite no longer being on the team's injury report.
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Saints' Jimmy Graham: Logs limited practice Wednesday
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Graham (rest) was a limited participant at practice Wednesday.
Graham sat out of Sunday's win at Indianapolis with an illness, so it's a bit concerning to see him limited for any reason to start the new week of practice. He'll likely need to manage a full practice Thursday or Friday to avoid carrying an injury designation into the weekend.
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Saints' Jimmy Graham: Won't suit up Sunday
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Graham (illness) is out for Sunday's contest against the Colts, John Hendrix of SI.com reports.
Graham popped up on the injury report after logging a limited practice session Thursday. Luckily for the Saints, tight ends Juwan Johnson (calf) and Taysom Hill (calf) will play in Sunday's game, so the lost depth of Graham will be mitigated.
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Saints' Jimmy Graham: Questionable due to illness
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Graham (illness) is questionable to play in Sunday's Week 8 matchup against Indianapolis.
There appears to be a bug going around the Saints' locker room, as Graham is among three players listed as questionable due to an illness heading into the weekend. The veteran tight end has just one catch so far this season, though that was an eight-yard touchdown grab Week 3 against the Packers.
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Saints' Jimmy Graham: Dealing with illness
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Graham (illness) was a limited participant at practice Thursday.
The details of the ailment are unknown at this point, but with Juwan Johnson (calf) and Taysom Hill (chest) also limited at practice Thursday, it's something to keep an eye on ahead of Sunday's game at Indianapolis. Graham will probably carry an injury designation into the weekend unless he practices in full Friday.
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Saints' Jimmy Graham: Targeted once in blowout
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Graham failed to haul in his lone target during Sunday's 34-0 win against the Patriots.
Graham recorded just his second target through five games so far this season. The 36-year-old saw extremely limited playing time over the first three games of the season, but he's seen more playing time with No. 1 tight end Juwan Johnson (calf) sidelined over the last two games. Graham lined up for 62 and 37 percent of New Orleans' offensive snaps in Weeks 4 and Week 5, respectively. His lack of offensive involvement over these two games indicates that Graham is, at best, just an emergency stopgap at the bottom of New Orleans' tight-end depth chart.
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Saints' Jimmy Graham: Nonfactor in starting role
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Graham notched zero targets during Sunday's 26-9 defeat versus the Buccaneers.
Graham was the only tight end to log a snap for the Saints in Week 4, as Foster Moreau (ankle) was inactive while Juwan Johnson (calf) was ruled out shortly after kickoff Sunday. Graham wound up playing 65 percent of New Orleans' offensive snaps, though he still never saw any usage as a receiver. The 36-year-old has totaled just one target across four games so far this season, and it appears his fantasy value will be limited to the occasional red-zone target in the Saints' struggling offense.
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Saints' Jimmy Graham: Catches first TD of 2023
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Graham caught his only target for eight yards and one touchdown during Sunday's 18-17 defeat to the Packers.
Graham scored a vintage red-zone touchdown with his first target of the 2023 campaign, going up for an eight-yard reception in the end zone during the first quarter. The 36-year-old fulfilled a larger role with usual TE2 Foster Moreau (ankle) inactive Week 3. However, Graham still logged three fewer targets than starting tight end Juwan Johnson, and he also saw as many targets as hybrid tight end/quarterback Taysom Hill. Graham's touchdown is likely indicative of how New Orleans would like to use him this season, though he's still unlikely to see significant or consistent playing time unless Moreau remains sidelined moving forward.
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Saints' Jimmy Graham: Nonfactor Week 1
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Graham recorded zero targets during Sunday's 16-15 victory against the Titans.
Graham didn't play much of a factor during his first NFL game since the end of the 2021 campaign. Instead, starting tight end Juwan Johnson was the Saints' only tight end to receive any targets (five) from Derek Carr, as Foster Moreau also went without any targets Week 1. Graham was one of the NFL's best red-zone targets during his prime with the Saints and Seahawks from 2011 to 2017, though it's unclear how effective he'll be during his age-36 season. Still, it will be worth seeing how he's utilized if New Orleans can generate more red-zone trips Week 2 against Carolina.
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Saints' Jimmy Graham: Makes final 53-man roster
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Graham was not included in the Saints' final cuts ahead of Tuesday's 53-man roster deadline, NewOrleans.Football reports.
New Orleans coach Dennis Allen reiterated Tuesday that Graham's performance over the final two weeks of the preseason went a long way toward securing him a roster spot. The 36-year-old unexpectedly signed a one-year deal with the Saints in late July after he sat out the entire 2022 season, as it seemed like his time in the NFL may have come to an end following a career-worst season with the Bears in which he caught 14 of 23 targets for 167 yards and three touchdowns. His comeback to New Orleans then seemed to be in jeopardy after he experienced a medical episode Aug. 19 just ahead of the team's preseason contest versus the Chargers. However, he returned to practice four days later and suited up for the preseason finale versus Houston, catching three passes for 34 yards and a touchdown. The five-time Pro Bowler should now slot into a reserve role alongside Foster Moreau while up-and-coming tight end Juwan Johnson likely accounts for the majority of targets at the position.
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Saints' Jimmy Graham: Vintage performance Sunday
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Graham (illness) had three receptions (four targets) for 34 yards and a touchdown in Sunday's preseason finale against Houston.
Graham returned to action in style after missing last week's preseason tilt due to a non-football-related medical issue. The long-time Saint got the start at tight end with Taysom Hill, Juwan Johnson and Foster Moreau all sitting out the final exhibition showcase. Graham turned in a vintage performance highlighted by a short touchdown in the second quarter in which he used his 6-foot-7 frame to body the slot corner assigned to him in coverage. Perhaps the 36-year-old can survive Tuesday's roster cuts and carve out a red-zone role as he attempts to extend his career back to where it all began back in 2010.
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Saints' Jimmy Graham: Looks good in return to practice
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Graham (illness) returned to practice Wednesday, John Hendrix of SI.com reports.
Graham had a medical episode Friday but has been cleared to resume practicing. The 36-year-old tight end is battling to make the team, and head coach Dennis Allen said Graham looked good in practice Wednesday. Allen added that Graham did some of the things that he did in the past; Graham was one of the league's most productive tight ends for the Saints during his prime, highlighted by a 16-touchdown season in 2013.
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Saints' Jimmy Graham: Expected to practice soon
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Coach Dennis Allen doesn't expect Graham, who had a medical episode Friday night, to miss a significant amount of practice time, Katherine Terrell of ESPN reports.
Per the report, Allen indicated that the tight end could be back on the field as soon as Wednesday, but either way Graham, who the Saints believe potentially had a seizure Friday, is expected back soon. "I think the important thing is that Jimmy is OK, and we plan on having him back out here and giving him an opportunity to prove he should be part of the team," Allen noted of the 36-year-old, who signed a one-year deal with New Orleans on July 25 after spending 2022 away from the NFL.
