For years the tight end position in fantasy football was a virtual afterthought. Many would go out and try to draft the top two or three guys available and others would just fill the position with whoever was left. Well things have certainly changed over the past few years. Tight ends have grown into vital parts of winning fantasy rosters and more often than not we have seen new names contribute each year. As we get closer to the start of training camps, the Fantasy Spotlight focuses on the top 10 PPR fantasy football tight ends you should target in 2018.
2018 Fantasy Football Spotlight: Top 10 PPR Tight Ends
10. Trey Burton
After spending a few seasons as the back-up tight end for the Eagles behind Zach Ertz, Trey Burton is set to take on a bigger role with the Chicago Bears. Burton profiles more like a wide receiver despite being listed as a tight end. In 2017, he lined up in the slot 37.5 percent of the time which was more than he lined up as a tight end (37.2 percent). Burton has stated that he already knows “95 percent” of the offense new Bears head coach Matt Nagy runs, which happens to be the same offense that has seen both Ertz and Travis Kelce have great success. Burton should become a new favorite target for second-year quarterback Mitch Trubisky.
9. Evan Engram
2017 was a very forgettable season for the New York Giants. Injuries, lack of depth and a beleaguered former head coach led to a dismal three-win season for Big Blue. One bright spot was Evan Engram. Engram took advantage of the injuries to Odell Beckham Jr, Brandon Marshall, and Sterling Shepard and had a very nice 2017 season. He led all rookie tight ends in the major categories and finished with 64 receptions, 722 yards, and six touchdowns. The major fantasy concern this season is there might be too many weapons in the Giants offense for Engram to have a better campaign. Beckham and Shepard are healthy and the team drafted running back Saquon Barkley in the first round of the NFL Draft. Despite finishing as the TE5 last season, logic states that it will be difficult for everyone on this Giants offense to be a fantasy star. Look for Engram’s target share to drop with the addition of the healthy wide receivers.
8. Jimmy Graham
Things never really clicked in Seattle for Jimmy Graham. Despite scoring ten touchdowns (all from inside the 20-yard line) in 2017, Graham saw his yardage numbers dip to 520, the lowest since his rookie season in 2010. After four straight seasons of 85 catches or more from 2011-2014, Graham failed to catch more than 65 in any of his three seasons in Seattle. Graham enters his ninth season in the league and joins his third team, the Green Bay Packers. The tight end position was targeted only 82 times by Packers quarterbacks last season, while Graham had 96 targets by himself. He lined up in the slot nearly 50 percent of the time which certainly aided those targets. It will be interesting to see if Graham’s presence forces Randall Cobb to move from the slot, a spot he lined up at 77 percent of the time last season, to the outside. Either way, if you are drafting Graham you are looking for double-digit touchdowns in 2018. As far as receptions, anything over 50 should be considered a bonus.
7. Greg Olsen
Before injuries essentially wiped out Greg Olsen’s 2017 season, he had been a continuous force in the Carolina Panthers offense for years. During each season from 2013-2016, he recorded at least 73 catches. He had three straight 1,000+ yard receiving years from 2014-2016. During his last two fully healthy seasons, Olsen was targeted 35 times in the red zone. Olsen is a favorite target of quarterback Cam Newton. Since the two started playing together in 2011, he has caught 21 percent of Newton’s 158 touchdown passes (33). Olsen has managed to stay healthy most of his career and there shouldn’t be any chronic injury concern going forward.
6. Kyle Rudolph
Pro Bowl tight end Kyle Rudolph is coming off a 57 catch, eight touchdown season in 2017. His yardage dropped from 840 in 2016 to 532 in 2017. Most people will look at the yardage drop off and balk at the idea that Rudolph could be top-six fantasy tight end. However, the addition of new quarterback Kirk Cousins will increase Rudolph’s production. Cousins has a reputation for effectively using his tight ends. Over the years we have seen success with Niles Paul, Jordan Reed and the reincarnation of Vernon Davis. He has been even more effective with two tight end sets (10.24 yards per attempt), which bodes well for Rudolph who lined up in dual tight end sets 19.2 percent of the time last season. New offensive coordinator John DeFilippo comes from an Eagles offense that ran two tight end sets 24.6 percent of the time. So, whether its David Morgan or Blake Bell as the second tight end, Rudolph is primed for a big year with Cousins in 2018.
5. Jack Doyle
Perhaps one of the most underrated players at the position is Jack Doyle. He led all tight ends with 80 receptions last season and did so with backup quarterback Jacoby Brissett. Franchise quarterback Andrew Luck is progressing very well and could be ready to go for week one. With the team thin at wide receiver, T.Y. Hilton being the most notable, Doyle is all but certain to approach 80 receptions again this season. The addition of Eric Ebron in the offense shouldn’t deter you from drafting Doyle. His presence will only help boost Doyle’s value. A healthy Luck is good thing for Doyle who is the Colts unquestioned number two receiving option.
4. Delanie Walker
A model of consistency since joining the Tennessee Titans in 2013, Delanie Walker has five straight seasons of at least 60 catches. He has scored 26 touchdowns over the past five seasons and has averaged a first down per reception for four consecutive years. He finished third in tight end targets (111) last season. As a talented vet, Walker is a stabilizing force in the Titans offense. With so much young talent surrounding him like Corey Davis, Derrick Henry, and Taywan Taylor, Walker remains a reliable target for Marcus Mariota.
3. Rob Gronkowski
Gronk’s talent is undeniable. When on the field, he is a catch-grabbing, touchdown-producing fantasy machine. The biggest question with Gronkowski has always been his health. There were also some retirement rumblings in the off-season. Over the past five seasons, he has missed 22 games due to injury. He has missed time due to concussions, hernia surgery, hamstring pulls, knee strains and tears of both his ACL and MCL in his right knee. Sportsinjurypredictor.com predicts him to miss at least two and a half games this season due to injury. He had his career highs in receptions (90) and yards (1327) way back in 2011. Despite the games missed, he has 34 touchdowns over the past four seasons and has topped 1,000 yards three of the last four years. He would be the clear-cut number one tight end in fantasy football if there was a pattern of consistent health.
2. Travis Kelce
Over the past four seasons, Travis Kelce has missed only one game and has more yards than Gronkowski over that period of time. He has averaged 77 receptions and nearly six touchdowns per season for his career. The question now is, can he have the same success that he had with Alex Smith, with Patrick Mahomes? Smith was among the most efficient passers in the league last season on both the deep ball and short passes. We know that Mahomes has a big arm and comes with a lot of hype. Tyreek Hill profiles as a speedy big-play wide receiver and Sammy Watkins was brought in to line up on the outside. As a first-year starter, Mahomes will target his 6’5” tight end often leading to another 80+ catch, 1,000+ yards receiving year for the talented Kelce.
1. Zach Ertz
2017 was a career season for Zach Ertz. He won a Super Bowl championship with the Philadelphia Eagles and he had his best fantasy season to date. His 202.4 fantasy points per game (PPR format) was third only behind Kelce (233.5) and Gronkowski (227.4). He has surpassed 100 targets in three straight seasons and has become a favorite target of Carson Wentz, especially in the red-zone. All eight of Ertz’s touchdowns in 2017 occurred on red-zone targets. In fact, five of the eight occurred inside the 10-yard line. There is no reason to expect these red-zone numbers to regress. Last season Trey Burton caught four touchdowns on seven red-zone targets as well. With Burton now in Chicago look for Ertz’s numbers to increase. It’s not all about the red-zone for Ertz. Per numberfire.com Ertz had 12 targets that were at least 16 yards beyond the line of scrimmage. His catch rate of 58.3 percent on those was well above the league average of 39.6 percent. He finished with 14.5 PPR points per game, which if he played wide receiver, would’ve made him the 12th best at that position in 2017.
