This year’s Dynasty Busts series concludes with TEs. The tight end position is a little trickier to designate busts in due to the very low value of rookie TEs in general. O.J. Howard will likely be the first rookie TE taken in dynasty and keeper leagues, but he is unlikely to even be drafted in redraft leagues. The focus has to be on how soon we can expect a positive return on our investment. With that in mind, here are some young TEs that you don’t need to invest in.
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David Njoku (TE – CLE)
I’m cheating a bit on this one because I don’t think Njoku is a total bust – not in the slightest. But the Browns’ rookie TE is still just 20 years old. He has plenty of time to develop into a very formidable professional football player. The thing is – it might take a while. Njoku is a very good route runner and oozes athleticism. He also struggles with drops and isn’t a great blocker just yet. And those are just some of the things he can control. He landed in Cleveland, a team that is currently terrifying opponents with the prospect of having to face Cody Kessler, DeShone Kizer, or Brock Osweiler. None of these quarterbacks are ready to turn David Njoku into Antonio Gates, or anything even close. The learning curve for TEs is already considered to be the steepest of any offensive position. Njoku may very well develop into an excellent player (in fact, I think he will), but there is no reason to spend a dynasty draft pick on a guy that is likely at least two years away from being relevant.
Jared Cook (TE – OAK)
I am putting Cook here because of the same reason I’d put him here every year. How many times are we going to go through this? This is not some young guy waiting to break out. He’s 30 years old. He was drafted in 2009. Whenever this guy changes teams, for some reason, the whole “he’s so athletic and talented” narrative gets resurrected. I will admit to having given him a second chance in 2013 when he went to St. Louis. I am over it now. This is his fourth different team and the fourth time that “this is the year” for Jared Cook. It’s not the year. It was never the year. There is a reason he hasn’t succeeded yet. There is a reason teams continue to not prioritize bringing him back. If you want 40-50 catches for approximately 500 yards, he’s your man. He’s probably good for a couple of touchdowns, too. Unfortunately, not much else. Just let it go.
View busts from other positions:
Quarterbacks
Running Backs
Wide Receivers
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Jason Katz is a featured writer at FantasyPros. For more from Jason, check out his archive or follow him @jasonkatz13.
