Fantasy Football Player Notes
2019 Rest of Season Rankings
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1.
Travis Kelce
KC (vs . LAC)
What more can owners ask of Kelce, who has finished as the tip tight end and totaled at least 1,000 yards receiving in three straight seasons. You want a negative? With Tyreek Hill set to avoid suspension, Kelce won't see the likely uptick in targets he otherwise would have. Fantasy owners will have to settle for just having the best tight end in the game put up his usual dominant stat line. Buy with confidence, obviously, and draft him as a borderline first-rounder.
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2.
George Kittle
SF (at SEA)
The absence of Jimmy Garoppolo had no impact on Kittle, who racked up an incredible 1,377 yards last season. His record-setting total was largely due to a ridiculous amount of yards after the catch, the most in the NFL. Some regression could be expected, but given the enormous upgrade in quarterback with Garoppolo healthy, perhaps it shouldn't be as much as you think. Kittle may still be behind Travis Kelce as the top tight end in fantasy, but the gap is narrow.
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3.
Zach Ertz
PHI (at NYG)
Ertz saw a preposterous 156 targets last year, which led to 116 catches for 1,163 yards and eight touchdowns. He almost certainly will see a meaningful drop in targets this year with the addition of DeSean Jackson and with a healthy Darren Sproles. But he can give away plenty of targets and still finish as an easy top-three tight end. Draft him with confidence early.
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4.
Hunter Henry
LAC (at KC)
Henry has immediately vaulted into the discussion of top-five tight ends in fantasy football, as he's seen both the targets and the yardage to make him one of the rare, truly reliable players at the position. The Chargers may struggle on offense, but Henry should continue to get his going forward.
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5.
Darren Waller
LV (at DEN)
Waller has been one of the best surprises in football, as he's offered some semblance of reliability at an unreliable position. His only negative is the fact that he has yet to score a touchdown, but so long as he keeps seeing the high volume of targets and piling on the receptions, they will come soon enough. He's one of the few tight ends you can simply leave in your lineup.
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6.
Mark Andrews
BAL (vs . PIT)
After topping 100 yards receiving in each of his first two games, Andrews has come back down to earth a bit in his last three, totaling just 91 yards overall. But he's seen at least seven targets in each game and scored three touchdowns, and in the tight end landscape, that makes him a borderline superstar. Start him each and every week without hesitation.
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7.
Austin Hooper
CLE (at CIN)
Hooper has now scored in three straight games and is simply having a marvelous season. Atlanta may be in the midst of an awful season, but that hardly matters for their offense, which continues to play from behind and maximize its receiving options. With few reliable tight ends, Hooper is extremely valuable this year, and there's no reason to expect it to end.
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8.
Jack Doyle
IND (at JAC)
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9.
Jared Cook
NO (at CAR)
Cook was perhaps the lone bright spot for the Raiders last year, and he parlayed his success into a multi-year deal with the Saints. The coaching staff hasn't been shy about talking up Cook, and outside of Michael Thomas and Alvin Kamara, reliable pass-catchers for New Orleans are few and far between. Cook is getting a little long in the tooth, but after last year, and with a spot on an elite offense, he certainly should be considered a top-10 tight end on draft day.
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10.
Dallas Goedert
PHI (at NYG)
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11.
O.J. Howard
TB (vs . ATL)
Howard is off to a brutal start to the season, and there's little reason for optimism at the moment. He's running routes on only about 60% of Jameis Winston's dropbacks so far this season. For now, there are plenty of other more intriguing names to be starting, though you should keep Howard on your bench.
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12.
Jacob Hollister
SEA (vs . SF)
The Seahawks have the Panthers and Cardinals in Weeks 15 and 16, two of the better matchups for tight ends. They both rank in the top three in yards per target allowed to tight ends. With Tyler Lockett seemingly struggling as of late, Hollister could be the answer to your tight end problems.
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13.
Noah Fant
DEN (vs . LV)
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14.
Greg Olsen
SEA (vs . SF)
Olsen looked to be returning to form for a few games, but has basically fallen off a cliff. He has just two catches for five yards combined in his last two games. The number of reliable tight ends is small, so Olsen is still a starter in deeper leagues. But there's not much to be optimistic about at the moment.
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15.
Kyle Rudolph
MIN (vs . CHI)
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16.
Mike Gesicki
MIA (at NE)
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17.
David Njoku
CLE (at CIN)
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18.
Jason Witten
LV (at DEN)
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19.
Tyler Higbee
LAR (vs . ARI)
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20.
Gerald Everett
LAR (vs . ARI)
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21.
Vance McDonald
PIT (at BAL)
McDonald quietly had an excellent season last year, seeing 72 targets and pulling down 50 catches for 610 yards and four touchdowns despite missing a game. With Antonio Brown and his 168 targets gone, McDonald should see plenty of action. He has an extensive injury history but if he can stay healthy, he could be in line for a monster season.
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22.
Jimmy Graham
CHI (at MIN)
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23.
Darren Fells
HOU (vs . TEN)
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24.
Jonnu Smith
TEN (at HOU)
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25.
Dawson Knox
BUF (vs . NYJ)
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26.
Ian Thomas
CAR (vs . NO)
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27.
Tyler Eifert
JAC (vs . IND)
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28.
Benjamin Watson
FA (BYE)
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29.
Cameron Brate
TB (vs . ATL)
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30.
Irv Smith Jr.
MIN (vs . CHI)
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31.
Hayden Hurst
ATL (at TB)
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32.
Jesse James
DET (vs . GB)
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33.
Nick O'Leary
FA (BYE)
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34.
C.J. Uzomah
CIN (vs . CLE)
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35.
Jordan Reed
SF (at SEA)
Reed is one of the most injury-prone players in the game, and he suffered a concussion in Thursday night's preseason game against the Falcons. When healthy, Reed is a TE1, but that so rarely is the case that you can't draft him as such. Draft him as a TE2 with upside, but nothing more.
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36.
Vernon Davis
FA (BYE)
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37.
Logan Thomas
WAS (at DAL)
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38.
Jordan Akins
HOU (vs . TEN)
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39.
Demetrius Harris
CHI (at MIN)
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40.
Kaden Smith
NYG (vs . PHI)
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41.
Blake Jarwin
DAL (vs . WAS)
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42.
Foster Moreau
LV (at DEN)
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43.
Nick Boyle
BAL (vs . PIT)
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44.
Ricky Seals-Jones
KC (vs . LAC)
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45.
Ross Dwelley
SF (at SEA)
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46.
Jaeden Graham
ATL (at TB)
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47.
Luke Willson
SEA (vs . SF)
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48.
Jeremy Sprinkle
WAS (at DAL)
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49.
Virgil Green
LAC (at KC)
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50.
Nick Vannett
DEN (vs . LV)
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51.
Geoff Swaim
FA (BYE)
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52.
Jace Sternberger
GB (at DET)
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53.
Charles Clay
FA (BYE)
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