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Jimmy Graham, TE, New Orleans Saints (1 Viewer)

Jason Wood

Zoo York
2011 Player Spotlight Series

One of Footballguys best assets is our message board community. The Shark Pool is, in our view, the best place on the internet to discuss, debate and analyze all things fantasy football. In what's become an annual tradition, the Player Spotlight series is a key part of the preseason efforts. As many of you know, we consider the Player Spotlight threads the permanent record for analyzing the fantasy prospects of the player in question. This year, we plan to publish more than 140 offensive spotlights covering the vast majority of expected skill position starters.

With the labor uncertainty, there are more unanswered questions entering the summer than usual. The good news is that gives us some more time to discuss the merits of players without having to react (or overreact) to the smallest bits of news about a slight injury in practice, or coach speak. We'll have plenty of time for that when it comes (we hope).

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Thread Topic: Jimmy Graham, TE, New Orleans Saints

Player Page Link: Jimmy Graham Player Page

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[*]Detailed viewpoint from a Footballguys staff member

[*]Highlighted member commentary from the message board threads

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55 catches, 750 yards, 8 TD. Will be horribly overdrafted in the 6th/7th rounds and extremely valuable to the Saints.

 
Jimmy Graham was the name that was whispered last year here in the Shark Pool, and those whispers grew into murmurs and they grew into a loud roar. Now that the cat is out of the bag, there will be many people on the Graham bandwagon. He’s a big target at 6’6” and 260 lbs. He’s athletic and showed some good chemistry with Drew Brees, as he replaced the injured Jeremy Shockey. But Brees spreads around the ball too much to rely on his TE for consistent production.

After getting a small sample of Jimmy Graham last year, there are going to be reports that he is going to emerge as a superstar TE ala Jermichael Finley. With his basketball skills, athleticism, and opportunity playing for a powerhouse offense in New Orleans, there’s no denying his upside. But I think the hype will overshoot the draft value, especially if he makes some plays in preseason. Still, I like Graham as a weak TE#1 in a tandem with a TE#2. Someone I would target for a TE by committee with a K. Winslow or B. Pettigrew pairing. If I can get him at this type of value, fine. If not, then pass.

Here’s my prediction:

55/670/5

 
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Jimmy Graham was the name that was whispered last year here in the Shark Pool, and those whispers grew into murmurs and they grew into a loud roar. Now that the cat is out of the bag, there will be many people on the Graham bandwagon. He’s a big target at 6’6” and 260 lbs. He’s athletic and showed some good chemistry with Drew Brees, as he replaced the injured Jeremy Shockey. But Brees spreads around the ball too much to rely on his TE for consistent production.

After getting a small sample of Jimmy Graham last year, there are going to be reports that he is going to emerge as a superstar TE ala Jermichael Finley. With his basketball skills, athleticism, and opportunity playing for a powerhouse offense in New Orleans, there’s no denying his upside. But I think the hype will overshoot the draft value, especially if he makes some plays in preseason. Still, I like Graham as a weak TE#1 in a tandem with a TE#2. Someone I would target for a TE by committee with a K. Winslow or B. Pettigrew pairing. If I can get him at this type of value, fine. If not, then pass.

Here’s my prediction:

55/670/5
This sounds like a weekly lineup decision making nightmare.....I think people are missing the boat here and it almost seems like its fashionable to jump on the "don't buy into the hype" thing....at some point their is a reason for "hype" and if you watched how Brees worked with Graham last year you would understand why....why is it when someone shows talent, so many are quick to label it as hype....maybe the dude is just good....his coach and teamates recognize his talents and he will be used to create matchups nightmares and will most likely be THE first red zone option because of the mismatches he creates with his size and maybe even more importantly his athleticism....top 3 numbers or higher that you may be able to get after 6-7 other guys are gone....I hope the "it's all hype he really ain't that good/proven" talk continues and it keeps his ADP down....I think he is a plug in and play every week, no questions asked TE that you don't have to worry about for the first 10 weeks of the season...

 
55 catches, 750 yards, 8 TD. Will be horribly overdrafted in the 6th/7th rounds and extremely valuable to the Saints.
While I think your projection is a good one, it wouldn't make him horribly overdrafted. Those numbers would have made him TE5 in 2010 and 2009, and TE2 in 2008.TE was not a big position for touchdown production on the Brees/Payton Saints until Graham arrived. He had more TDs last year than the whole TE position had each of the three previous seasons. The Saints TEs have produced an average of 97 receptions for 1000 yards the last few years, and with Graham the only good receiving TE on the roster right now, I'm comfortable giving him about 70% of that, with a small bonus for his talent and seeming rise to prominence in that offense.63 receptions, 800 yards, 7 TDs. The caution is that, given how hard it is to predict who'll be the leading Saints receiver week to week, those touchdowns may all be bunched in 4 games.
 
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While I think your projection is a good one, it wouldn't make him horribly overdrafted. Those numbers would have made him TE5 in 2010 and 2009, and TE2 in 2008.
Good points. I drank the kool aid last year and bought low in all my dynasty leagues on Graham. In redraft leagues, I'm not looking for 750 yards and 8 TDs in the 6th/7th rounds, hence my stance on that being to costly a price. I'd rather take two high upside guys that I can drop into my Flex slot and hope they play at RB2/WR2 level (Fred Jackson/Britt/Manningham) or grab my QBBC after loading up on RBs/WRs early (Roth/Freeman/Stafford/Bradford). He very well might surpass my projections (especially the TD number) and be a great value @ his current ADP of low to mid 70s. I guess I'm just a wait on TE unless Gates is there and is by far the BPA in round 4 type of guy. If I could grab Graham in rounds 8/9, I'd jump. Fast.
 
Graham hot and cold:

The Saints love his talent and the mismatches he presents in the red zone for the Saints offense. However, Tight end Jimmy Graham has struggled with drops at times in the camp so far. He’ll make a couple of tough catches and then drop a routine pass. It’s puzzling, but at the same time kind of expected from a guy that hasn’t been playing football very long. Graham was primarily a basketball player until the end of his college career. There are still going to be growing pains with Graham, but for the most part he’ll be a huge weapon in 2011.

http://www.wwl.com/Kristian-s-quick-hits--Hot-offense-and-Ingram-rook/10565914

 
Graham hot and cold:

The Saints love his talent and the mismatches he presents in the red zone for the Saints offense. However, Tight end Jimmy Graham has struggled with drops at times in the camp so far. He'll make a couple of tough catches and then drop a routine pass. It's puzzling, but at the same time kind of expected from a guy that hasn't been playing football very long. Graham was primarily a basketball player until the end of his college career. There are still going to be growing pains with Graham, but for the most part he'll be a huge weapon in 2011.

http://www.wwl.com/K...m-rook/10565914
Maybe he's been too much time blogging about Pajama Jeans?

This is the new twitterverse we live in. some ##### none of us have ever heard makes one comment, and this story is now spread everywhere, but all linking back to Kristin whatever.

meanwhile less than a week ago Nola.com said he was being massively targeted and was on the precipice of nfl stardom. I just hope this 'inconsistent news' shies people away from the next antonio gates...

New Orleans Saints TE Jimmy Graham is on the cusp of NFL stardom

Published: Sunday, July 31, 2011, 12:04 PM Updated: Sunday, July 31, 2011, 12:22 PM

By James Varney, The Times-Picayune

One thing has been made very clear during the New Orleans Saints first three days of practice: tight end Jimmy Graham, the second year man out of Miami, looms large in the New Orleans offense.

Rusty Costanza/The Times-Picayune

Tight end Jimmy Graham will be key for the New Orleans Saints offense.

And Graham appears ready for his starring role. He has added 10 pounds of muscle and now weight in at 265. But he still has his explosiveness and leaping ability, and quarterback Drew Brees has targeted Graham repeatedly in drills.

Graham said that's not surprising - Brees is trying to get him more reps to build confidence in the connection between the two. But with veterans David Thomas and Tory Humphrey still floating in the free agent ether, Graham is unquestionably the man.

"I'm going to have to block a lot more than I did last year so I'm constantly working at that and trying to get better at that," he said. "I'm definitely going to have a lot more responsibility than I did last year and the mental errors I had last year I can't have that."

Fellow Hurricane tight end Jeremy Shockey is gone, let go by the Saints and signed by Carolina. But Shockey still kept his Miami roots close in the off-season, working out back on campus with middle linebacker Jonathan Vilma. Graham played one year at Miami after exhausting his basketball eligibility and yet still found himself drafted in the third round in 2010.

"It's incredible to think how far I've come in two years and it seems like I'm still taking steps forward," he said.

© 2011 NOLA.com. All rights reserved.
 
Yea. I have to take a serious new look at where I have him ranked. That was a very impressive performance and it seems clear the Saints plan on using him in many packages, lined up outside frequently. There is big time boom potential here.
 
It looked like the Saints want to use him as a bigger, stronger, faster version of Dallas Clark. That's scary. Brees looked his way constantly.

I knee jerk posted in the game thread after 3 targets on the first drive that he could be a top 3 TE this season. The rest of that first half did nothing but reinforce that position.

He was the reason I watched the game. I wanted to see how they were planning on using him. Very impressed.

 
They had him lining up in the slot against safeties. Payton is going to have all sorts of different and scary ways to use him. I got him in the 9th yesterday, couldn't be happier.

 
They had him lining up in the slot against safeties. Payton is going to have all sorts of different and scary ways to use him. I got him in the 9th yesterday, couldn't be happier.
I got him 10.6 yesterday (12 team) and have seen him go as low as the 12th (10 team) last week.TE is crazy deep this year... I didn't even draft a #2 because there are 4 or 5 guys on the wire right now (Gresham, Keller, Kendricks OTTOMH) I'd happily take as my platoon 1.
 
Is he now a top 5 TE going into the season?
Looks that way. The training wheels are most definitely off. He was lining up everywhere in that first half. He was split out wide against a corner or safety on the nice sideline grab he made. Matchup nightmare.
 
75 catches, 1000+ yards, 10+ TD. Will be horribly underdrafted in the 6th/7th rounds and extremely valuable to the Saints.
is what I meant...so glad I loaded up this guy in 90% of my dynasty leagues last year, now the question is, how high to take him in redraft. Colston is hurt, Moore is hurt (probably not serious but not a lot of time to get healthy playing a game per week, Saints have a late bye), Henderson, Meacham and Graham might be all be +EV.
 
He was part of my winning team last season. I had him ranked higher than Vernon Davis coming into the season simply because he's in a high powered offense. In my draft this past Saturday, I drafted him at 8.01 after Gates/Clark/Witten/Finley/Daniels went off the board in a 12 team league. I'm glad that I did. I think he easily puts up the same if not better numbers than some of the guys that went ahead of him.

70+ catches/975+ yards/10+ touchdowns would be my prediction

 
What a story. Jimmy Graham. :thumbup:
I don't own him on any team but what a kid!! People that use all kinds of excuses for the way their life has turned out need to see that ESPN piece. I can't imagine the stuff he went through that wasn't part of that story. Good for you Jimmy!! :thumbup:
 

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