As teams trim down their rosters to the required 53-man limit by Saturday afternoon, several notable names will pop up among the cuts. After the Detroit Lions traded for Timothy Wright on August 31, it seemed clear Joseph Fauria's days in Detroit were over.
Now those beliefs seem confirmed with Field Yates' report that Fauria is among a series of players Detroit is releasing. An undrafted free agent out of UCLA in 2013, Fauria surprised early in his rookie season, finishing with seven touchdowns on just 18 receptions. At 6'7" with nice hands, he gave Detroit a red-zone threat who Matthew Stafford turned to often in 2013.
Last season didn't go quite as planned for Fauria. He played in just seven games due to injury and finished the season with six receptions for 74 yards and a touchdown. The addition of Eric Ebron certainly took away many of Fauria's opportunities, but Ebron also struggled.
After the acquisition of Wright, Fauria sat behind Ebron, Wright and Brandon Pettigrew on the roster. No team is going to keep four tight ends when they are only allowed 53-man roster spots, making this release a foregone conclusion.
Fauria should receive plenty of interest as a free agent. His youth and size are huge factors in his favor and there will be several teams out there who likely believe he can be a red-zone option for them. Of course, it's also extremely unlikely that he ever repeats a seven-touchdown season. From a fantasy perspective, perhaps Fauria gains significant value if he lands on a team that is craving a pass-catcher and shallow at the spot, but he is not worth a draft pick in even the deepest leagues.