Fleener played 43 snaps (58 percent) in Week 7 against the Chiefs, compared to 41 snaps (55 percent) for tight end Josh Hill, reports the New Orleans Times-Picayune.

EDGE Analysis

After exiting in Week 1 with an ankle injury, Hill returned to the Saints' lineup in Week 6 and actually played more snaps than Fleener (46 snaps for Hill; 41 snaps for Fleener). Yet, it was Fleener who had the big game, catching six passes for 74 yards and a touchdown. Fleener even scored a second touchdown on a two-yard rushing play. In Week 7, however, Fleener again almost evenly split snaps with Hill but had far less success against Kansas City, hauling in only two passes on two targets for 44 yards. Going forward, Fleener should continue to have value, as the Saints heavily utilize the tight end in the offense and Fleener is a superior receiver to Hill, but the recent downward trend in playing time is certainly not welcome news for his fantasy owners.

Fleener caught two passes on two targets for 44 yards in Sunday's loss to the Chiefs.

EDGE Analysis

Quarterback Drew Brees threw 48 passes, but only two were cast in Fleener's direction. The talented tight end has been up-and-down all season -- alternating good games with bad ones -- but that has been the case for most of the Saints' skill position players, Simply, Brees is known for spreading the ball around, so while Fleener has plenty of upside on a weekly basis, it may be difficult to predict his breakout games.

Fleener brought in six of seven targets for 74 yards and a touchdown and added a two-yard rushing score on his sole carry in Sunday's 41-38 win over the Panthers.

EDGE Analysis

The veteran tight end caught the Panthers off guard in the first quarter with the first rushing touchdown of his career, an end-around on fourth down in the first quarter that opened the scoring. Fleener later added a more conventional 50-yard grab down the middle in the third quarter for his second visit to the end zone. The 28-year-old's involvement and production has fluctuated week-to-week so far this season, but he does encouragingly have three total touchdowns over the last three contests.

Fleener caught three passes on five targets for 19 yards in Sunday's win against the Chargers.

EDGE Analysis

Fleener exploded for seven grabs and 109 yards in last week's tilt against the Falcons, but he was quiet once again in Week 4. Whereas Fleener was frequently targeted downfield against Atlanta, all three of his receptions in San Diego were much closer to the line of scrimmage, as he was often merely a check down option for quarterback Drew Brees. Still, Fleener has the talent to be a weapon in the Saints' offense, which has been one of the friendliest in the league for tight ends, even if consistency may continue to be a problem with Brees' penchant for spreading the ball around to his pass catchers. With the Saints on bye in Week 5, however, fantasy owners will be without Fleener's services until the team returns to the Superdome to host the Panthers in Week 6.

Fleener caught seven passes (on 11 targets) for a team-high 109 yards and a touchdown in Monday night's loss to the Falcons.

EDGE Analysis

Fleener appeared out of sorts during the first two weeks of this season, but broke through with a stellar display Monday night. New Orleans' offseason signing opened the scoring with a two-yard touchdown catch early on and never looked back, regularly finding space down the seam of Atlanta's defense. After leading all tight ends with 109 yards in Week 3, Fleener will now try to improve his consistency within the Saints' offense, where opportunities for him to make an impact should be abound.

Fleener caught only two of his eight targets for 29 yards in Sunday's loss to the Giants.

EDGE Analysis

Fleener was noticeably more involved in the offense in Week 2, but the results were nonetheless disappointing. In addition to be unable to secure some catchable passes from Drew Brees, Fleener also missed an opportunity for a touchdown when he inexplicably slowed down on his route on a seam pattern where Brees' pass ended up just out of his reach. The fact that Brees looked Fleener's way more often in Week 2 is encouraging, but it's clear that the talented tight end is not yet on the same page as his quarterback. Still, Fleener will be in play for fantasy owners in a favorable Week 3 tilt against a Falcons defense that has allowed three touchdowns to opposing tight ends in the season's first two weeks.

Fleener caught one of his four target for six yards in Sunday's season opening loss to the Raiders.

EDGE Analysis

Fleener was more or less invisible for most of the game, despite the fact that he played on 56 of the Saints' 69 offensive snaps, according to the New Orleans Times-Picayune. Perhaps his disappointing performance was merely the result of a game plan that emphasized attacking Oakland's slow-footed secondary downfield, as the Saints' speedy outside receivers frequently made plays deep, but Fleener's disappearing act certainly does not instill confidence in light of offseason reports that he was struggling to grasp the playbook. It's too early to panic on the talented tight end, but his owners will want to see make some plays in a favorable Week 2 tilt on the road against the Giants.

Fleener caught one pass for four yards on four targets in Friday's preseason game against the Steelers.

EDGE Analysis

Fleener had a 31-yard gain wiped out by a holding penalty, but he also dropped another long pass after taking a hit from a defender. He played deep into the second quarter, even after Drew Brees, Brandin Cooks and Willie Snead had all left the game. The Saints are clearly a bit frustrated with their prized offseason acquisition, as suggested by recent quotes from head coach Sean Payton. However, the team doesn't have much in the way of alternatives for the starting tight end job, leaving Fleener with some time to work out the kinks. At worst, Fleener might lose some snaps to Josh Hill early in the season.

According to head coach Sean Payton, Fleener remains a "work in progress," reports Mike Triplett of ESPN.com. "I'd say it's an ongoing progression," Payton said of Fleener. "I think, man, there are some plays that are real good, and then there's some plays where we've gotta be a little more detailed. And that's something that I know he's gotta work on."

EDGE Analysis

While Payton has been unabashed about his praise for rookie receiver Michael Thomas, he's been far more reserved when discussing Fleener throughout the summer. In fact, Fleener himself admits that he doesn't yet have all the intricacies of the playbook down as much as he would like yet. Fleener's struggles raise some red flags, as CJ Spiller similarly had difficulty grasping the playbook after coming to New Orleans last offseason and he struggled to see the field as a result. For fantasy owners, Fleener's comments are further frustrating, because the Saints' offense is one of the friendliest in the league for tight ends. Since Payton and Brees arrived in 2006, the Saints rank second in the NFL in tight end targets, behind only the Dallas Cowboys, according to ESPN Stats and Information. Last season, veteran tight end Benjamin Watson posted the best numbers of his 12-year career. Fleener should still be productive in his first season in New Orleans, even if he has to fight through the occasional mental flub, but fantasy owners should probably exercise some caution when drafting him, as it may take some time for Fleener to mesh with Brees in a new offense.

Fleener caught two passes for 12 yards on two targets in Saturday's preseason game against Houston.

EDGE Analysis

Fleener got quite a bit of playing time, catching one pass from Drew Brees in the first quarter and then another from Luke McCown early in the third quarter. While it was surprising to see him stay in the game for so long, Fleener is locked in as the top tight end for an offense that's been extremely friendly to the position in recent years.