Jimmy Graham Injury: Fantasy Owners Must Trade Saints TE Now

Jimmy Graham missed the New Orleans Saints' Week 7 contest against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers with an ankle injury, and that should be enough for fantasy owners to trade him immediately.

Graham's trade value is absolutely lessened due to the ankle injury, but his borderline first-round preseason grade will likely still resonate in the eyes of many fantasy owners.

Plus, Drew Brees just had a field day against the Bucs' quality secondary coming out of the bye week. While many fantasy owners will look at that as the very reason to keep Graham, consider how deep the talent pool is at the position and how much Brees spreads the love.

The Saints' field general managed to hit seven different receivers Sunday. David Thomas, who filled in for Graham, only caught two passes. Though one of his receptions went for six, this isn't ideal for fantasy owners. They want to know that the position itself will see plenty of targets.

With the Saints' receiving core getting healthier by the week, Graham's presence will be felt less over the course of the season. To make matters worse, Graham could easily aggravate his ankle during practice or game time, which would be disastrous for fantasy owners that decide to stick it out with the talented veteran. 

For those that still need further proof on why they need to bail on one of their top picks, look no further than the depth at the tight end position this year. Players such as Scott Chandler, Heath Miller, Owen Daniels, Kyle Rudolph, Martellus Bennett, Jared Cook and Brent Celek are among the top fantasy-producing tight ends this season. Even Dennis Pitta, Anthony Fasano, Brandon Myers and Joel Dreessen are lending helping hands to fantasy teams.

If a fantasy owner desperately needs to make a splash to turn their season around, selling on Jimmy Graham for a capable running back or wide receiver would be a smart move.