Fantasy Upside
The biggest concern about Graham coming into the 2014 season had nothing to do with his on-field ability, but whether or not he would even play given his shaky contract status. But everyone’s concerns were quelled when the Saints made him the league’s highest paid tight end in July. With Sean Payton, Drew Brees and Marques Colston back in the fold, as well as the addition of lightning bolt rookie Brandin Cooks, there’s no reason to believe that Graham won’t post outstanding numbers again this season. In fact, even though he’s dealt with nagging injuries over the years (such as the foot injury he suffered in 2013), he’s still led the NFL in touchdown catches over the last three seasons. He remains a fantasy stud.
Fantasy Downside
Even though they haven’t slowed him down, injuries are a small concern with Graham. But he played a full 16-game season a year ago despite suffering what many thought was a serious foot injury. While he was hobbled in some games (he only played in 54.3 percent of the Saints’ offensive snaps in a Week 16 loss to the Panthers, for example), he was still able to produce a monster year. Thus, there’s not much downside when it comes to owning fantasy’s No. 1 tight end.
Bottom Line
Graham ranks as our No. 1 tight end in both standard and PPR formats. He’s going to cost you a first-round pick but he’s also going to produce like a WR1 so don’t get caught up in what position he plays. It’s guaranteed that he’ll see a ton of targets in Payton’s dynamic offense and Brees will continue to look his way in the face of constant double teams. Provided he stays healthy, Graham is as sure a thing in fantasy as you can find.
