Will a new head coach rejuvenate Jordan Cameron’s career?

Eric Moody breaks down the fantasy value of three different tight ends who are entering a contract year in 2016.

Imagine you are a professional football player. Seventy thousand pairs of eyes are fixed on you while millions around the world watch you on television. You are a top performer but have dealt with adversity like many other players. You are entering a contract year and your livelihood is on the line. Pressure raises self-awareness and anxiety about your performance. Will you execute your assignments efficiently or will you crumble under the pressure?

This is the epitome of an NFL player entering a contract year season. Money talks in the NFL just like in other lines of business. The purpose of this series is to highlight notable running backs, wide receivers, quarterbacks, and tight ends who are looking to get paid in 2016. My goal is to highlight players who have the potential to finish within the top five of their position or outperform their draft position that I am aggressively targeting. The fourth part of this series will focus on tight ends.

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Martellus Bennett (NE)

Bennett is a late-round flier in fantasy drafts that could pay huge dividends. He is entering a contract year with the Patriots explosive offense and will be catching passes from Tom Brady. The Patriots led the NFL last season in percentage (43.2) of offensive drives ending in a score. The team has scored points in excess of 40 percent of its offensive drives since 2007. I anticipate Bennett filling the void of the “move” tight end for the Patriots, also called the joker. This would allow him to run routes, catch passes, and test opposing defenses vertically. What makes Rob Gronkowski unique is that he can not only block, but also make an impact as a receiver. The Patriots have not had this dynamic offensively since Aaron Hernandez. Here is a visual of how productive Gronkowski and Hernandez were using the RotoViz Career Graphs:

If the Patriots can recreate this type of tight end production with Bennett then he will easily outperform his draft position. He has averaged 98 total targets and 15.75 red zone targets over the last four seasons. Bennett is currently the TE15 according to FantasyPros consensus ADP (average draft position) rankings.

Jordan Cameron (MIA)

Cameron broke out during the 2013 season after being touted as a breakout candidate and finished as the No. 5 fantasy tight end. He has not finished inside the top 20 since that season. Cameron has only been targeted 118 times over the last two seasons. The irony is that he had 118 targets during the 2013 season. The arrival of head coach Adam Gase in Miami may be the catalyst for Cameron’s redemption. Julius Thomas thrived in Gase’s offensive scheme when he was the Broncos offensive coordinator from 2013 to 2014.

Part of Thomas’ success was tied to Peyton Manning, but Gase has the ability to groom quarterbacks. Jay Cutler finished 2015 with the highest quarterback rating (92.31) of his career under Gase’s tutelage. If Ryan Tannehill displays a similar progression in 2016 then Cameron will be a beneficiary. He is currently the TE21 according to FantasyPros consensus ADP (average draft position) rankings.

Jared Cook (GB)

Cook signed a one-year contract with the Packers that includes numerous bonuses. He has disappointed fantasy owners year in and year out with the Rams never having the ability to capitalize on his physical gifts.

Can Cook final deliver catching passes from Aaron Rodgers in the Packers phenomenal offense? The biggest hurdles that he will have to overcome in Green Bay is usage and the presence of Richard Rodgers. The tight end has not a focal point of the Packers offense.

Cook is likely to have some monster games in 2016. It will be difficult to forecast when those games take place. It would be best to pair Cook with another late round tight end and execute a streaming strategy. He is currently the TE26 according to FantasyPros consensus ADP (average draft position) rankings.

Conclusion

If you are a believer in targeting tight ends entering a contract year this article provided context on a few late round options that can outperform their draft position. Here are my personal 2016 projections for the wide receivers mentioned above.

What is your perspective on the tight ends I mentioned? Do you feel differently? Let’s connect via Twitter to have a discussion. I encourage you to follow me at @EricNMoody.

• 3 Contract Year Quarterbacks
• 3 Contract Year Running Backs
• 6 Contract Year Wide Receivers