Tight End is typically an afterthought for most folks who aren’t targeting a top guy in the first 3-4 rounds. This year you’ll most likely see 5 studs go off the board in the first 3 rounds (Travis Kelce, Mark Andrews, George Kittle, Kyle Pitts, Darren Waller) and then a patient wait until about the 5th-6th for the next tier of guys to go. If I miss out on one of the top 5 I’m always stacking other positions and then looking for diamonds in the rough late.
The following group of guys all fit the same mold for my yearly late round method: Upside, Opportunity, Potential.
All ADP (Average Draft Position) via: 4for4.com
#1 Cole Kmet (Tight End / Chicago Bears)
ADP: 10.12 / TE15
Every time I get ready to pick a topic to write about there is always a “poster player” for the blog, this week it’s Cole Kmet out in Chicago. The media torched the Bears for the lack of weapons they’ve put around Justin Fields after losing Allen Robinson to the Rams this offseason. Kmet is in a fantastic position to receive 100+ targets entering his 23 year old season, and his plus speed 6’4 / 262 frame gives him a chance to do damage in the YAC category. He’s proven he can be a threat down field as well, and with a young QB like Justin Fields who has excellent velo on throws, Kmet has a ton of upside heading into 2022. Side note, Cole Kmet plays with an extreme amount of fire and flare, the man loves contact and I love that.
#2 David Njoku (Tight End / Cleveland Browns)
ADP: 13.04 / TE21
If you look at Njoku’s workout metrics and athletic scores you see a more than promising athlete (4.63 40 time + 97th percentile burst.) Cleveland not only has steadily been a running team over the past few years but also has had a pretty deep TE room since Njoku’s been on board. With Austin Hooper out of the picture and multiple reports of an extension for Njoku he seems to be their guy for the Deshaun Watson Era. He flashed brilliance last year against the Chargers, in his lone game with 6+ targets recording 149 yards on 7 catches with 27.9 PPR Points. The potential target share within this offense due to a thin receiving core + an upgrade at QB has me loving his current 13th round value.
#3 Austin Hooper (Tight End / Tennessee Titans)
ADP: 16.06 / TE 26
I know I just stated how thin of a receiving core the team Hooper left has.. But the Titans are right in the same boat. Hooper is a 2x pro bowler but struggled to produce in Cleveland. He finds himself in a similar position, QB Ryan Tannehill struggled with turning the ball over last season. As my colleague Maher always says, a solid TE is a struggling QB’s best friend. Hooper provides a fantastic safety blanket for this team and the ability to do damage in the redzone. Every year we try to make the Titans TE happen and I think this season fantasy football has a legit chance of seeing this come to fruition. The talent and potential opportunity are there with Hooper, and with his current ADP it’s definitely worth the dart throw.
#4 Evan Engram (Tight End / Jacksonville Jaguars)
ADP: 14.01 / TE23
Tell me if you’ve heard this one before… follow the money. The Jaguars spent cash on multiple offensive pieces to help provide Trevor Lawrence with some extra assets, do we love all the signings? No. Do we love this one? Yes. The Jags signed Engram to a 1 year, $9 Million deal this offseason, his athleticism and ability to move with the ball could prove very useful for T-Law. Engram constantly created separation last season as he finished 3rd in target separation, a big problem was the throws coming to him. He had a 74% catchable target rate.. not good. He has top tier speed at the TE position and will do a ton of damage in the slot if given the reps, this could be a homerun pick late in PPR leagues. Yes the clip here is from 2019 but this dude can FLY.
Honorable Mentions:
- Robert Tonyan (Packers / 13.08 / TE22)
- Tyler Higbee (Rams / 13.01 / TE20)
- Brevin Jordan (Texans / 17.09 / TE28)
- Jonnu Smith (Patriots / 24.09 / TE38)
* Shoutout to Playerprofiler.com for the advanced stats
- Ryan Mobley / Upside Play
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