I love drafting Travis Kelce and George Kittle early. It’s kind of like having good beers in your fridge. You come over to my house, and there are going to be a bunch of high-quality local offerings. It’s just the way I conduct my business. (Although, there are times when I need a Michelob Ultra, don’t hate me.) It’s going to cost me a second-round pick to draft such a player, and I’m cool with the cost. I drafted Chris Godwin/Michael Thomas in the first-round last year, and then backed him with Kelce. The results were pretty damn good. And while I would recommend you draft a running back in the first this year and then go with Kelce/Kittle. I understand that this might not be an option for everyone. Mostly because it’s just two guys. And even if you intend on drafting one of those guys, they might be picked before it’s your turn in the second-round. It happens.
Just don’t bail on the position. Because I’ve seen a lot of you do that. You’re also the person who won’t order a nice Stone IPA unless somebody else is paying. While your home is filled with bootleg American macro-produced lagers. Don’t do that.
Here are some of the best, worst and sleeper values at the position for those of you who aren’t able to land Kelce, Kittle or Zach Ertz.
Best tight end values
Mark Andrews, Baltimore Ravens
The secret might be out with Andrews. It’s like finding a killer sushi joint where it’s not problem getting a table. But now one of your neighbors is talking it up and if you don’t get there right when it opens at 5 p.m., you’re never getting seated. Of course, nobody eats out anymore, but you know what I’m saying. We’ve seen Andrew leap over Ertz in some instances, but he’s been available in the fourth round of some of my recent drafts. The reason people love him? He led the Ravens with 10 touchdowns last year, and I’m not sure that touchdown rate can continue. But he had 180 targets last year. Even with as much as we love Hollywood Brown this year, the targets are going to be there for Andrews.
Austin Hooper, Cleveland Browns
Hooper has been disrespected in fantasy because he joined the Browns, who already have OBJ and Jarvis Landry. And I get that. But Hooper had at least 10 fantasy points in 10 of 13 games last season. PLAYING ON A TEAM WITH JULIO JONES AND CALVIN RIDLEY. If I’m not mistaken, I believe those players are pretty good. There is a huge discount for Hooper, with his ADP landing him in the double-digit rounds. It’s ridiculous. I’ve been grabbing shares all over the place and I’m not mad at it.
Evan Engram, New York Giants
Engram scored at least 10 fantasy points in six of eight games last year. He was a top 10 tight end in 63 percent of his games in 2019. That was fourth in the league. I’m excited for the addition of Jason Garrett as offensive coordinator. No, I’m being sincere. Look, I understand you guys love to meme Garrett standing on the sidelines clapping. Dude is a good offensive coordinator. Jason Witten thrived for years with Garrett calling the plays in Dallas. The main thing for Engram is his health. Engram has battled some injuries. But look, draft a backup. Boom, that problem is solved.
Dallas Goedert, Philadelphia Eagles
This one is pretty easy. Zach Ertz led the Eagles with 135 targets last year. Goedert was second with 87 targets. And given the troubles the Eagles have had with the wide receiver position, it’s easy to imagine the Eagles running a lot of 12 personnel (two tight ends) this season.
Worst tight end value
And if I’m being honest, there really aren’t bad values at tight end because most players wait on tight ends, so there isn’t a lot of risk. The only player I’m really worried about is Tyler Higbee, who was a beast at the end of last season. But people seem to forget he averaged 5.3 fantasy points per game from Weeks 1-12. And that his end-of-the-season heroics came after Gerald Everett was sidelined. Which has me concerned and why I wouldn’t overvalue what he did at the end of last season. And if you do want to go with Higbee, let’s go to the sleepers.
Sleepers
Blake Jarwin, Dallas Cowboys
The fantasy community loves Blake Jarwin. Which is always a concern. Like when you hear a critic say, “No, this Superman movie is the best one in years!” It’s off-putting. But let me share a few things with you. Jason Witten is leaving 83 targets on the table as he moves to Las Vegas. Dallas ranked seventh last year with 95 receptions by the tight end position. Blake himself had 31 catches. His ADP is like the 15th round. So you can afford this. I would recommend you take him that late, even if you end up with a high-end tight end.
Mike Gesicki, Miami Dolphins
Gesicki could end up making a leap this season. He already ranked third in the NFL at the position last season with 10 red zone targets. He had 89 targets on the season, most by a Dolphins tight end since Charles Clay in 2013, and five receiving touchdowns in his final six games. Gesicki had 923 air yards, according to Next Gen Stats, the fourth-highest total among tight ends. And most important: Because his head coach was once on the Patriots staff, that means he’s going to get endless Rob Gronkowski comparisons. So, he has that going for him.
Some other sleepers for this season: Eric Ebron is not too far removed from his monster season where he had 13 touchdowns. He’s got a great opportunity in Pittsburgh with Ben Roethlisberger returning. … Jonnu Smith had five games with at least 50 receiving yards. He played on 71 percent of snaps for the Titans last year. He also led the team with five red zone targets last season. … Gerald Everett, who we mentioned a moment ago. He had four games with at least 14 fantasy points in 2019, which makes you wonder if it would have been his breakout year had he stayed healthy. With Austin Hooper gone in Atlanta, there are a lot of targets left. Hooper had the sixth-most fantasy points last year with the Falcons despite missing a few games. That’s why I would take a run at Hayden Hurst.