FFToolbox - Saints sign TE Jimmy Graham to four-year, $40 million contract plus 9 more

Link to Fantasy Football Toolbox Updates

Saints sign TE Jimmy Graham to four-year, $40 million contract
Redskins TE Jordan Reed putting in extra work
Chiefs WR Dwayne Bowe trying to get lighter, stay healthy
Jordan Matthews doing well in offseason, expected to be Eagles WR3
Saints Jimmy Graham set to become highest paid TE in league history
On The Clock: Kyle Rudolph vs. Greg Olsen vs. Dennis Pitta
2014 Team Outlook: Indianapolis Colts
Bills RB C.J. Spiller to possibly see 20-plus touches a game
2014 Team Outlook: New York Giants
Texans beat writer: WR Andre Johnson will not be traded

Saints sign TE Jimmy Graham to four-year, $40 million contract

Posted: 15 Jul 2014 07:44 AM PDT

With just hours remaining before the franchise tag deadline, Saints TE Graham announced on his Twitter account that he has agreed to a deal with the New Orleans Saints. Graham is now the highest-paid TE in NFL history, with an average salary of $10 million per year. Additionally, $21 million of the contract is guaranteed. The deal follows an NFL arbitrator's decision to designate Graham a TE for the purposes of contract negotiations, which meant the Saints would only have had to pay Graham about $7 million to tag him for the 2014 season. FANTASY ANALYSIS: While Graham and the Saints were widely expected to work out a deal this offseason, this announcement comes as a big relief to fantasy owners, who now know exactly what they're getting with Graham and the Saints offense. What they're getting, by the way, is the best TE in the NFL by a fair margin, and a borderline first-round fantasy pick. Expect Graham's near-unstoppable connection with Saints QB Drew Brees to flourish this season, and the next several years.

Redskins TE Jordan Reed putting in extra work

Posted: 15 Jul 2014 04:40 AM PDT

Washington beat writer Rich Tandler said of Reed quot;During OTAs and minicamp Jordan Reed was the last player off of the field on almost every day the media was allowed to observe. He would stay out in the heat catching passes or working on techniques for 10 minutes or more while his teammates headed inside." Tandler also notes Reed has been riding his bike to practice in order to get more cardio into his workouts. Reed is clearly trying to make sure he is a part of the offense that will feature WR's Pierre Garcon and Desean Jackson. FANTASY ANALYSIS: All arrows are pointing up for him at the moment. He will enter this year as a sneaky TE1 with upside. Reed is ranked TE4 in FFToolbox's preseason rankings.

Chiefs WR Dwayne Bowe trying to get lighter, stay healthy

Posted: 15 Jul 2014 04:19 AM PDT

quot;I'm getting older, and talking to the old vets, the only way you last longer is to be in better conditioning. I took that to the heart and am training extremely hard this year." said Bowe. Turning 30 years old before the season begins, he has lost 10-12 pounds in order to stay healthy and maintain his speed/agility. He has also been working out at wide receiver Larry Fitzgeralds' camp at the University of Minnesota. Bowe signed a five-year $52 million dollar contract with $26 million guaranteed in 2013 but hasn't lived up to that deal yet. FANTASY ANALYSIS: Bowe has been a fantasy bust thus far. He also hasn't played a full 16 game season since 2011. Last year, under new head coach Andy Reid he had his second worst season of his career, putting up a 57/673/5 line. He is currently ranked as a WR38 in FFToolbox's preseason rankings.

Jordan Matthews doing well in offseason, expected to be Eagles WR3

Posted: 15 Jul 2014 02:48 AM PDT

Mark Eckel of NJ.com describes Jordan Matthews as quot;one of the standouts in the no-pads, no-hitting minicamp and organized team activities last month." He was able to catch up with wide receiver coach Bob Bicknell in which the coach said "You guys are seeing the same things we are, he's looked very good so far." The Eagles traded up to grab Matthews in the second round of the 2014 draft and should beat out fellow rookie Josh Huff in camp. FANTASY ANALYSIS: Matthews is talented and has a tremendous opportunity to be a part of the fast-paced Eagles offense. While he'll likely be their WR3, he'll still be sharing targets with Jeremy Maclin, Riley Cooper, Zach Ertz and running back LeSean McCoy. He currently only holds bye week/flex appeal.

Saints Jimmy Graham set to become highest paid TE in league history

Posted: 14 Jul 2014 05:56 PM PDT

Per Adam Schefter of ESPN, a deal is expected to make JImmy Graham the highest paid tight end in NFL history. Last year, Graham put up a 86/1215/16 line making him the most dominant TE by far. If a deal doesn't get done he is expected to be franchise-tagged by the Saints. He is currently appealing a ruling by arbitrator Stephen Burbank that labeled him a tight end instead of a wide receiver. FANTASY ANALYSIS: Graham is the best tight end in the NFL and should be paid as such. His lack of injury makes him a better value than Pats Rob Gronkowski. For fantasy purposes, you can feel free to take him as your first round pick.

On The Clock: Kyle Rudolph vs. Greg Olsen vs. Dennis Pitta

Posted: 14 Jul 2014 02:11 PM PDT

A free preview of an article from our On The Clock series where we recommend the best fantasy option between Kyle Rudolph, Greg Olsen and Dennis Pitta.

2014 Team Outlook: Indianapolis Colts

Posted: 14 Jul 2014 01:55 PM PDT

A fantasy football preview of the Indianapolis Colts this season. Profiled players include Andrew Luck, Matt Hasselbeck, Trent Richardson, Vick Ballard, and Ahmad Bradshaw.

Bills RB C.J. Spiller to possibly see 20-plus touches a game

Posted: 14 Jul 2014 01:52 PM PDT

Bills insider Chris Brown sat down with offensive coordinator Nathaniel Hackett to discuss the current running back situation in Buffalo. Hackett mentions newly-acquired talents Bryce Brown and Anthony Dixon have quot;play-making abilities" and will have oppurtunities to carry the ball this year. Brown determines "operating at peak efficiency C.J. Spiller is likely to touch the ball 20 times a game, they just won't all be carries out of the backfield." FANTASY ANALYSIS: If Spiller sees 20-plus carries a game he could be a legitamate RB1 this year. We remain cautious of this extra boost as last season head coach Doug Marrone and Nathaniel Hackett both publicly promised before the season to "run C.J. until he pukes." Spiller can be viewed as a RB2 with RB1 upside until he can prove he can stay healthy for a full 16 games.

2014 Team Outlook: New York Giants

Posted: 14 Jul 2014 01:34 PM PDT

A fantasy football preview of the New York Giants this season. Profiled players include Eli Manning, Ryan Nassib, Rashad Jennings, Andre Williams, and David Wilson.

Texans beat writer: WR Andre Johnson will not be traded

Posted: 14 Jul 2014 08:44 AM PDT

John McClain, NFL reporter for the Houston Chronicle, has guaranteed that Johnson will not be traded. This follows reports last week that the 33-year old Johnson, who had missed team activities earlier this year, wished to be traded to another NFL team. While there were reports of other teams expressing interest in a trade for Johnson, it now seems fairly certain that he will remain a Texan for the foreseeable future. FANTASY ANALYSIS: The idea of Johnson being paired with a top-level offense and quarterback was cause for great excitement in fantasy circles last week. Alas, all that speculation was for naught, as beat writer McClain has dashed hopes of a Tom Brady-Andre Johnson connection in New England. Still, even on the bad-to-mediocre Texans, Johnson should be drafted as a very high-end WR2. As the best big-play option on a team that is often down late in games, Johnson figures to be a big factor on fantasy scoreboards with quot;garbage time" points.