Fantasy Football Player Notes
2020 Rest of Season Rankings
|
1.
Travis Kelce
KC (vs . LAC)
Kelce caught all six of his targets for 50 yards and a touchdown in the opener against the Texans. He's a dominant force at the position and at worst the second option at tight end. Absent injury, it should be another fantastic season for Kelce and pretty much every part of the Chiefs offense.
|
|
2.
Darren Waller
LV (at DEN)
Waller should be the fifth tight end off the board, but fantasy managers should temper their expectations a bit. The Raiders added Jason Witten, Henry Ruggs, Lynn Bowden, and Bryan Edwards, so there will be plenty of more competition for targets. Also, remember, last season, the Raiders assumed they'd have Antonio Brown and then had to coordinate a new offensive gameplan on the fly. With their new additions, the Raiders have had months to figure out how to involve them in their offense, so Waller's usage and target share should likely decrease. Again, he should be the fifth tight end off the board, but he might not be worth the draft capital you'll need to spend to acquire him given the later options available at the position.
|
|
3.
Mark Andrews
BAL (at CIN)
After a monstrous Week 1, Andrews has been quiet for the last two weeks, with just 51 yards receiving total. He did have a near-touchdown in Week 3 and he's still clearly a favorite target of Lamar Jackson. But perhaps the excitement level after Week 1 was a bit high, and he'll remain the outstanding but inconsistent option we saw in 2019.
|
|
4.
T.J. Hockenson
DET (vs . MIN)
Hockenson battled injuries throughout his rookie season bit is extremely talented, seeing a high average depth of target and more than a 14% target share. He's a potential breakout candidate but there's been some pessimism on his recovery from his ankle injury, and he admitted at the start of camp that he's not 100%. Monitor his progress but unless he's fully recovered, he's not worth drafting against other TE2s going in the same area, such as Jonnu Smith and Jack Doyle.
|
|
5.
Hunter Henry
NE (vs . NYJ)
Henry dealt with an injury yet again last season, but he was productive when he was able to play. Playing 12 games, he had the most targets, receptions, and yardage of his career. The departure of Philip Rivers, however, will likely do no favors for Henry, as the veteran quarterback historically targeted his tight ends heavily. Although Tyrod Taylor targeted Charles Clay often in Buffalo, he's almost certainly going to throw the ball less than Rivers did, meaning Henry is likely to see a dip in targets. He should still be valued as a TE1, but his stock has dimmed a bit with the change in quarterback.
|
|
6.
Noah Fant
DEN (vs . LV)
Fant suffered a sprained ankle against the Jets in Week 4 and is expected to at least miss Week 5's game against the Patriots. He's week-to-week after that, and considering how well he played and the likely return of Drew Lock, fantasy managers should do their best to hold onto him, as he's likely a top-12 option when he returns.
|
|
7.
Rob Gronkowski
TB (vs . ATL)
At his peak, Gronkowski was likely the greatest tight end of all time. But after a year off, fantasy manager can't expect him to simply return to his peak self, especially since he hasn't played a full season in nearly a decade. With his immense talent and back with Tom Brady, Gronkowski should still be drafted a TE1, but don't expect a full season of health or a return of the Gronk of old.
|
|
8.
Robert Tonyan
GB (at CHI)
|
|
9.
Dallas Goedert
PHI (vs . WAS)
Goedert will return in Week 8 from his ankle fracture. a bit earlier than expected with the Eagles on bye in Week 9. He immediately vaults in TE1 territory, particularly with Zach Ertz out.
|
|
10.
Logan Thomas
WAS (at PHI)
Thomas had a big Week 1 against the Eagles, seeing plenty of targets and a high percentage of air yards. It may be a fluke, but given the dearth of reliable pass catching options for Washington, Thomas should be added in all tight-end premium leagues, at the very least. If he has another good game, he'll move up to borderline TE1 status.
|
|
11.
Evan Engram
NYG (vs . DAL)
Engram is extremely talented, has one of the best rookie tight end seasons on his ledger, and is jut 25 years old. But despite all that, there are several strikes against him from a fantasy perspective. Not only has he missed 13 games the last two seasons, but he's also going to be sharing targets with Saquon Barkley, Sterling Shepard, Golden Tate, and Darius Slayton. He's a starting tight end for any fantasy team, but his star doesn't burn quite as bright this draft season as in previous years.
|
|
12.
Eric Ebron
PIT (at CLE)
|
|
13.
Jonnu Smith
NE (vs . NYJ)
Smith is one of the more intriguing names to be outside of the TE1 range. He is one of the most efficient tight ends in the game, and has a clear road to targets at the position now that Delanie Walker is no longer in his way. The problem is that there aren't all that many targets to go around in Tennessee, and Smith's targets have rarely come around the end zone. If that changes, then he's certainly got a shot at being fantasy-relevant. For now, however, he should be drafted as a TE1 only in 15-team leagues or larger or those that reward bonus points for tight ends.
|
|
14.
Austin Hooper
CLE (vs . PIT)
Hooper underwent an appendectomy prior to Week 7, and will miss at least one game, but likely more. He had begun to see plenty of targets from Baker Mayfield and was slowly establishing himself as a borderline TE1. Move on from Hooper if you need to, but he'll likely provide value late in the season.
|
|
15.
Hayden Hurst
ATL (at TB)
Hurst rarely played even half the snaps with Baltimore, but he was sixth in yards per target last year and was PFF's eighth-highest graded tight end. Dirk Koetter's offense likes to target the tight end, as Austin Hooper saw 60 targets through eight games last year and Tony Gonzalez saw 118 targets per season under Koetter. Add in that Hurst is likely to run routes out of the slot this year and Hurst's first year with the Falcons should be a big one.
|
|
16.
Jared Cook
LAC (at KC)
Cook's will miss Week 4 with a groin injury he suffered against the Packers. The severity is unclear, but given that he couldn't even muster a limited practice this week, his availability for Week 5 has to be considered questionable at this point. Monitor his progress, but make other short-, and potentially long-term arrangements.
|
|
17.
Zach Ertz
PHI (vs . WAS)
Ertz injured his ankle in Week 6 and is expected to miss 3-4 weeks. It's been an incredibly disappointing season for the veteran thus far, though there's some reason for optimism when he returns to full health, as the schedule lightens up considerably and the Eagles should get back some other pass-catchers who will lighten the load for Ertz. Still, given the timetable, he can be dropped in redraft leagues if you're in any sort of a roster crunch.
|
|
18.
Dalton Schultz
DAL (at NYG)
Schultz is in line for a fairly hefty workload with Blake Jarwin lost for the season. He saw 10 targets in his first full game as the top tight end target in Dallas, and although he's unlikely to see that number in any game going forward, he should still be an option that fantasy managers can play in the right matchup.
|
|
19.
Tyler Higbee
LAR (vs . ARI)
Higbee had one of the most unexpected and dominant short-term breakouts in recent memory last season. Over the final five games, he averaged 8.6 receptions and 104 yard per contest after being essentially a fantasy afterthought for his entire career prior. There are questions about heading into the season, including whether the Rams will continue running more of the 12 personnel they ran late in the year and the impact of a healthy Gerald Everett. But, there just aren't many tight ends who are even capable of doing what Higbee did at the end of last year, meaning he needs to be viewed as a mid-tier TE1, albeit with a bit of a skeptical eye.
|
|
20.
George Kittle
SF (vs . SEA)
Kittle banged up his knee in Week 1 and will miss at least two games. The good news is that the injury doesn't sound serious, and Kittle has suggested he could play through the injury if necessary. For the short term, those managers rostering Kittle need a replacement, but think about upcoming matchups for the next week or two only, rather than a season-long outlook.
|
|
21.
Irv Smith Jr.
MIN (at DET)
Smith played a fair amount in his rookie season, but he's still second fiddle to Kyle Rudolph. Although the two tight ends essentially split targets last year, Smith was used fairly closer to the line of scrimmage and almost never had a chance to break big plays. He may see a bit more usage now with plenty of vacated targets in the absence of Stefon Diggs, but he's nothing better than a low-end TE2.
|
|
22.
Jordan Akins
HOU (vs . TEN)
Akins caught both of his targets for 39 yards and a touchdown in Week 1 against the Chiefs. He splits time with Darren Fells and is unlikely to be heavily involved, but in deep leagues with bonus points for tight ends, he could be a bench option that fills in during bye weeks.
|
|
23.
Jordan Reed
FA (BYE)
|
|
24.
Cole Kmet
CHI (vs . GB)
|
|
25.
Trey Burton
FA (BYE)
|
|
26.
Jimmy Graham
CHI (vs . GB)
It's hard to imagine Graham clawing his way back into being fantasy relevancy this year. Despite the lack of a second option behind Davante Adams, Graham barely made any noise last year for the Packers, finishing 22nd in 1/2 PPR points among tight ends. Now in what was a stagnant offense last year and with several other tight ends on the roster, it would be surprising if Graham found a way to factor in significantly. Ignore him in all leagues but deeper formats that award bonus points to tight ends.
|
|
27.
Gerald Everett
SEA (at SF)
Everett wasn't a startable tight end for most of the season anyway, but he dealt with injuries over the last several weeks of the year and was completely irrelevant. Unfortunately for Everett, Tyler Higbee emerged as a force down the stretch, furthering deepening the divide between Everett and fantasy-relevancy. He's beyond even TE2 consideration at this point.
|
|
28.
Dan Arnold
CAR (vs . NO)
|
|
29.
Dawson Knox
BUF (vs . MIA)
Knox had a respectable rookie season, playing nearly 2/3rds of the snaps and seeing 50 targets. He saw plenty of deep targets, ranking seventh in aDOT (9.1) among tight ends who saw at least 50 targets, ahead of Travis Kelce, Zach Ertz, and Darren Waller. Unfotunately, he brought in just 28 of those targets, likely due to Josh Allen's inaccuracy downfield. With Stefon Diggs added, there should be fewer targets to go around in Buffalo, so although there are positive signs for Knox, it's unlikely they'll be fantasy-relevant this season.
|
|
30.
Mike Gesicki
MIA (at BUF)
Gesicki has scored a touchdown in two of his three games this year, but he's also failed to top 30 yards receiving in two of those games. He's talented, and is that large group of low-end TE1 caliber players. You can start him each week, but don't be concerned about streaming with a different option if necessary.
|
|
31.
Jacob Hollister
BUF (vs . MIA)
|
|
32.
Drew Sample
CIN (vs . BAL)
Joe Burrow has heavily targeted the tight end position early in his young career, and with C.J. Uzomah lost for the season, Sample should have a fairly big role. He saw nine targets in Week 2 against the Browns, and although he's unlikely to come close to that number again (unless Burrow again makes 61 pass attempts), he should be a streamable option in the right matchup.
|
|
33.
Anthony Firkser
TEN (at HOU)
|
|
34.
Will Dissly
SEA (at SF)
|
|
35.
Tyler Eifert
FA (BYE)
|
|
36.
Kyle Rudolph
NYG (vs . DAL)
Rudolph scored six touchdowns last season, but overall, it was a disappointing effort from the veteran. He essentially split targets with Irv Smith Jr. (seeing just 48, his lowest since 2014), and had just 39 catches for 367 yards, both well below his usual numbers. Even without Kevin Stefanski, the Vikings are surely going to be a run-first offense once again, which will leave Rudolph searching for targets for the second straight season, well outside of TE1 consideration.
|
|
37.
Durham Smythe
MIA (at BUF)
|
|
38.
Chris Herndon IV
NYJ (at NE)
Herndon was a popular breakout candidate but has barely been used by the Jets, despite their lack of other options. Move on from him in redraft leagues if you were still holding out hope.
|
|
39.
Adam Shaheen
MIA (at BUF)
|
|
40.
Jack Doyle
IND (vs . JAC)
|
|
41.
Darren Fells
DET (vs . MIN)
Fells caught both of his targets for 19 yards in the opener, but it was Jordan Akins who found the end zone and had the more productive day. Neither is worth rostering in anything other that deep, tight end-premium leagues.
|
|
42.
Tyler Conklin
MIN (at DET)
|
|
43.
Mo Alie-Cox
IND (vs . JAC)
|
|
44.
James O'Shaughnessy
JAC (at IND)
|
|
45.
MyCole Pruitt
SF (vs . SEA)
|
|
46.
Richard Rodgers
PHI (vs . WAS)
|
|
47.
Ian Thomas
CAR (vs . NO)
|
|
48.
Cameron Brate
TB (vs . ATL)
|
|
49.
David Njoku
CLE (vs . PIT)
|
|
50.
Ross Dwelley
SF (vs . SEA)
|
|
51.
Harrison Bryant
CLE (vs . PIT)
|
|
52.
Jesse James
FA (BYE)
|
|
53.
Maxx Williams
ARI (at LAR)
|
|
54.
Jace Sternberger
GB (at CHI)
|
|
55.
Tyler Kroft
NYJ (at NE)
|
|
56.
Devin Asiasi
NE (vs . NYJ)
|
|
57.
Vance McDonald
FA (BYE)
McDonald has always felt like he could be a breakout candidate one year, but those feelings are gone by this point. Although he'll return with the Steelers, Eric Ebron should see the primary snaps from the tight end position, making McDonald an afterthought in fantasy. Either way, the oft-injured McDonald has cleared 391 receiving yards and 38 catches just once in his career, and is no longer a fantasy option, even in deeper leagues.
|
