NFL Player News

Giants CB Terrell Thomas and TE Bear Pascoe are probable Week 11 against the Packers.

Both players were able to participate in limited practice Thursday and Friday. Thomas is dealing with a knee injury, while Pascoe has an ankle issue.

Texans tight end Garrett Graham was on a roll to start the season -- three touchdowns in the first four games. Since then, though, Graham has failed to find the end zone, and has just one game with more than 40 receiving yards since Week 4. 

This Sunday, Graham faces off against the Raiders, who have put up uneven numbers against tight ends this season. The Raiders have held tight ends to 6.1 Fantasy points per game, the 10th-lowest average in the league. But they have given up four of their five touchdowns to Graham-esque players -- Dwayne Allen, Clay Harbor, Zach Ertz, and Brent Celek.

There's not much to go on here -- Graham seems to have lost his early-season magic and Case Keenum taking over at quarterback didn't give him any significant bump. He's probably best left on benches in most leagues, but a desperate owner chasing touchdowns may want to take a risk on Graham fitting the profile of the tight ends who have scored against the Raiders and take a shot on him. 

Lions tight end Joseph Fauria hasn't done much since his three touchdown game, and continues to be a risky week-to-week Fantasy play. 

Fauria hasn't been a big part of Detroit's offense lately. In his last three games, Fauria has caught two passes for just 40 yards. Against the Bears, Fauria's only reception came in the four quarter. Fauria wasn't even targeted against Dallas, and wound up going without a reception.

If Matthew Stafford decides to look for Fauria, he has a decent matchup. The Steelers have been middle of the pack against opposing tight ends, allowing 7.00 Fantasy points per game. Of the team's 10 passing touchdowns, three have gone to tight ends. Fauria remains a risky play due to his lack of targets, even in a good matchup.

Jaguars tight end Marcedes Lewis, who was hobbled by a calf injury earlier this season, is coming off his best game of the season Week 10 at Tennessee, totaling three catches for 39 yards. Lewis will look to build off that performance Week 11 vs. Arizona.

Tight ends have done well against Arizona this season. They are averaging 85.4 receiving yards and 13.8 Fantasy points per week, which is the highest average in the NFL. Tight ends have totaled nine touchdowns in nine games against Arizona.

Three tight ends have had multi-touchdown games against the Cardinals. They are Jared Cook, Jimmy Graham and Vernon Davis. Clearly, teams have had success attacking the middle of the field against Arizona, which could be a strategy Jacksonville employs Week 11.

It's definitely a gamble to start Lewis because he hasn't done much this season. But if you need a bye-week replacement or looking for a sleeper option at tight end, then Lewis is a viable candidate given the favorable matchup.

Saints tight end Jimmy Graham (foot) put in a limited practice Wednesday, a good sign considering he was unable to practice last Wednesday. New Orleans hosts San Francisco on Sunday.

After back-to-back touchdown-scoring performances, Buccaneers tight end Timothy Wright had one measly catch for 19 yards against the Dolphins last week, continuing to frustrate Fantasy owners with his unpredictability. Well, guess what? That's not expected to change Week 11 against Atlanta.

The Falcons rank 25th against the pass, allowing 252.0 yards per game, and have given up the 14th-most Fantasy points to tight ends this season. Judging by those numbers, it's a good matchup, right? Except it also looked like a good one Week 7 at Atlanta, and Wright, who was coming off a breakthrough 91-yard performance at the time, could muster only two catches for 15 yards.

Of course, wide receiver Vincent Jackson got an unruly 22 targets in that game, so as long as he comes back down to earth a bit, Wright should get his share this week. Jamey Eisenberg, Dave Richard and Nathan Zegura all expect better than last time, ranking him among their top eight at the position.

After two strong games, Buccaneers tight end Timothy Wright was nearly invisible in the win over Miami, catching his only target for 19 yards. Wright had scored a touchdown in each of the previous two weeks while reeling in nine grabs for 106 yards.

Wright will try to get back on track Week 11 vs. Atlanta.

Heading into Week 11 last season, Lions tight end Brandon Pettigrew had seven dropped passes. Heading into Week 11 this season, he has just three drops and has caught 26 of the last 33 passes thrown his way, according to MLive.com.

"He's played very consistent for us," coach Jim Schwartz said Monday. "I think that's really a testament to him. He kept his head down, kept on working, kept his confidence and I think we're seeing the results of that, both in the pass game but also in the run game too."

Saints tight end Jimmy Graham did not play a full complement of snaps in the win over Dallas. While he caught all five of his targets for 59 yards, Graham did not score a touchdown despite his team getting seven of them. Graham's lingering foot injury likely limited his snaps.

Graham did notch another milestone. He surpassed Hoby Brenner as New Orleans' all-time leader in receptions by a tight end with 269. Graham, who has 10 receiving touchdowns this year, will try to get back in the scoring column Week 11 vs. the 49ers.

Cardinals TE Jake Ballard, TE Jim Dray and WR Jaron Brown each caught one pass against the Texans Week 10.

Both Dray and Brown were targeted twice, but each came down with one reception. Dray picked up 9 yards, while Brown's catch went for 7 yards. Ballard caught his only target, picking up 15 yards.

They'll take on the Jaguars Week 11.