The New Orleans Saints are coming off of a bye week after having off last weekend and despite losing to the New England Patriots, the team is gearing up for a second half run at 5-1 and they will play on Sunday against the Buffalo Bills and the biggest question for the team will be whether tight end Jimmy Graham can go or not.
Fantasy football owners will be watching the injury report very closely for Graham, as he is by far one of the best players in the NFL and his numbers rival almost anyone this season despite him getting injured early in the Patriots loss and being held without a catch. Graham and Drew Brees have been clicking even more than usual and he is coming off of four straight games of at least 100 yards receiving before the Patriots loss. This season Graham has 60 targets and 37 catches for nearly 600 yards and he also has six touchdowns on the year, putting him in the top five for the league.
Fantasy owners have been without Graham now for three weeks and in fantasy time that is an eternity, as he had the Patriots game and then a bye week before this coming week against the Bills. No one except Rob Gronkowski can match the athleticism of Graham and the only one who has the size is Joseph Fauria and he is a solid replacement option along with Benjamin Watson for fantasy owners if Graham can't go.
Fauria is a very good sleeper option as well and if people haven't wised up to him yet, he is a prime pickup, as he already has five touchdowns this season and the team is playing against the Cowboys and they have given up some yards over the past few weeks. Fauria has five touchdown catches this season and while he had a slow game last week, he made three the previous week and has four in five games, making him a solid target for Matthew Stafford. He has just eight catches as well this season, but his size and skills in the redzone make him a prime option for the team on offense.
If the foot issue keeps out Graham, the top option to pick up is Benjamin Watson, as he would be next in line for Graham and with Brees loving the tight end position, he could be poised to have a big game. If all options are out, Watson is the pick and while he might not have a huge game, he is a solid short-term solution for Graham owners. Watson has just eight catches this season for 110 yards, but three of those and 61 yards came on Sunday against the Patriots and those totals were more than he had over the previous three weeks combined and that could mean a solid game on Sunday.
Graham has been one of the most prolific players in the NFL over the past few years and he comes into this season have having at least 900 yards in the past two and he had a breakout season in 2011, gaining over 1,300 yards and scoring 11 touchdowns while catching 99 balls from Brees, a huge number for a tight end on any team. Graham has been a healthy player for his career and now his foot injury could keep him out after he played in 15 games as a rookie and last season while playing in a full schedule back in 2011.
