Dalton Schultz burst onto the fantasy football scene in 2020 after Blake Jarwin suffered an ACL injury in Week 1. Schultz took advantage of this great opportunity and has established himself as a viable fantasy starter week in and week out. With the departure of Amari Cooper, Schultz should see an uptick in targets and red zone opportunities.
2022 Fantasy Football Outlook: Dalton Schultz
2021 Season Recap
Schultz put together an impressive 2021 season with 808 yards on 78 receptions. The 25-year-old former Stanford Cardinal followed up his breakout 2020 season with an impressive eight touchdowns. His targets have increased the last two seasons following the injury to Jarwin opening the door for his increased usage. Schultz saw 19 combined targets from 2018 to 2019. After Jarwin’s injury, Schultz saw 89 targets in 2020 and 104 more in 2021.
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2022 Outlook
Schultz is sure to have another great season. With Cooper’s departure, Schultz’s projected fantasy production is sure to increase in every category. Cooper occupied 17 red-zone targets in 2021 as the alpha wide receiver. The Dallas Cowboys are a more conservative team as they approach the end zone and are sure to take advantage of Schultz’s big frame with more high-priority targets.
The #DallasCowboys have officially placed their franchise tag on Dalton Schultz. pic.twitter.com/AKVxREd5F5
— Dallas Cowboys (@dallascowboys) March 8, 2022
CeeDee Lamb is the favorite for the leading pass catcher in the Cowboys offense but Schultz will play a significant role in the offense. Between Michael Gallup, Ezekiel Elliott, Tony Pollard, and newcomer Jalen Tolbert, there are a lot of mouths to feed. Schultz has a firm grasp on the starting tight end position and he will likely be a priority target in the red zone and on third down.
Prime Games
Schultz has several prime games against teams with the worst defense against the tight end position. Dallas and Schultz get to play against the Philadelphia Eagles twice in weeks six and 16. The Eagles were the second-worst team against tight ends offering up 17.4 DraftKings fantasy points per game to the position, which include points per reception scoring and three-point bonuses for 100-yard games. Schultz also gets to play against the Cincinnati Bengals, Detroit Lions, Indianapolis Colts, and Houston Texans, all teams in the bottom 10 giving up points to the tight end position. Schultz will be a popular streamer during these weeks but could struggle in weeks between these prime games.
ADP
Schultz is currently being drafted as the sixth tight end taken off the board. His average draft position (ADP) sits around 65th overall. Schultz is being drafted behind Travis Kelce, Mark Andrews, Kyle Pitts, Darren Waller, and George Kittle by position. ESPN ranks Schultz 56th overall around players like Travis Etienne Jr., Brandin Cooks, Jerry Jeudy, and Kyler Murray.
2021 leaders in routes run at the TE position:
1. Mark Andrews
2. Travis Kelce
3. Dalton (Dr.) Schultz
4. Mike Gesicki
5. Zach Ertz pic.twitter.com/Dex7tmKswK— Fantasy Footballers (@TheFFBallers) May 9, 2022
This ADP is high for a fringe top-five tight end. The tight-end position is extremely top-heavy as Kelce, Waller, and Kittle have dominated the position for the last several seasons. Andrews is a recent breakout alongside rookie Pitts. Fantasy owners have been paying up for these top-tier tight ends in early rounds. However, if unable to snatch top-four tight-end fantasy owners have elected to draft the position later in the draft.
With a 10-team league, an ADP of 65 puts Schultz in the middle of the sixth round. Fantasy owners might be better off building running back or wide receiver depth, or even drafting a quarterback like Kyler Murray, Jalen Hurts, Tom Brady, or even fellow Cowboy Dak Prescott. When Schultz’s ADP comes up there will be a lot of big-time names left on the board. Fantasy owners might benefit more from solidifying the quarterback position, taking a flier on a sleeper like Adam Thielen or Michael Thomas, or even building depth at the increasingly thin running back slot.
