The New Orleans Saints will be coming off a bye week in hopes of getting a few marquee players back into the lineup. The offense has not looked its typical high-flying self to start the season and the Saints are hoping returns of players like Mark Ingram help get things back on track. Meanwhile as one player returns another gets shut down as Jimmy Graham could miss upwards of three weeks.
New Orleans had been hopeful that Graham was not lost for a significant period of time, but that might not be the case. According to Ian Rapoport of NFL Media, Graham is expected to miss the next next two to three weeks due to a shoulder injury he suffered in Week 5. The Saints were hopeful that a week of rest would help Graham avoid any time off the field, but it does not look like it helped much. Head coach Sean Payton downplayed the severity of the shoulder sprain, simply saying that Graham was "doing fine." However, Rapoport believes the Saints are preparing to be without the most explosive players for a period of time.
Graham is easily the favorite target of Drew Brees in an offensive that is lacking big playmakers for the time being. The tight end has been earning his new high-paying contract as he has 376 yards and three touchdowns on the season. He has been a defensive nightmare while continuing to be Brees' favorite red zone target. In wake of the injury, the Saints signed tight end Tom Crabtree to split time with both Benjamin Watson and Josh Hill. However, the pressure will be on the remaining wide receivers to make up for the loss.
Brees will be pushing the underperforming receivers corps in wake of Graham's injury. Players like Brandin Cooks and Marques Colston will be expected to step up quickly along with Kenny Stills. The run game will also need improving, which could be the case as Mark Ingram is expected after suffering a broken hand. Ingram still sits in second in terms of rushing yards despite having missed a majority of the first half of the season. Khiry Robinson has been stabilizing but will return as a backup for Ingram.
