FAVORABLE MATCHUP
Evan Engram (DK – $5,600/FD – $5,800): It was amazing to see Engram slide in some drafts in the high-stakes market over the last weekend in Vegas. He’s a young upside player with a strong supporting cast around him. He did struggle in Week 1 (2/18 on five targets) against a tough Jaguars’ pass defense. Last year in two games against the Cowboys, Evan had eight catches for 98 yards on 12 targets. Dallas was league average defending TEs in 2017 while showing more risk over the last nine games of the season. With Odell Beckham in the starting lineup and a stud RB, Engram is going to have some chances to make big plays while seeing favorable coverage in the end zone. I like his matchup the best of the top tier TE options in Week 2.
George Kittle (DK – $3,800/FD – $5,600): Kittle did a nice job in Week 1 (5/90 on nine targets), which was nice to see after his preseason shoulder issue. Jimmy Garroppolo will get the ball to the TE position helping Kittle move up the TE rankings in 2018. San Fran gave George 77 percent of their offensive snap. The Lions weren’t challenged by the low-grade TEs that the Jets offered in Week 1. Last season Detroit ranked 17th in the NFL vs. TEs with three teams scoring over 20 Fantasy points. With questionable pass-catching options at RB, Kittle looks on the doorstep of a huge jump in chances. Possible low-value hookup with Jimmy G.
O.J. Howard (DK – $3,200/FD – $5,400): Howard led the Bucs’ TEs in snaps (43 – 65 percent) in Week 1, which may be a sign of a breakout season. Tampa didn’t attempt many passes (28) with most of their success coming in the deep passing game to their WRs. O.J. finished with two catches for 54 yards on two targets. Philly had one disaster game defending TEs in 2017, which came against Washington (13/163/2). The Eagles will be game planning to control the Bucs’ WRs, which means Tampa will shift their focus to their TEs this week. Excellent buy at this level as long as he holds onto his playing time.
MATCHUP RISK/AGAINST THE GRAIN
Travis Kelce (DK – $5,900/FD – $6,800): As expected, the Chargers did a nice job defending Kelce in Week 1. He caught only one of his six targets for six yards. Last year Travis had only four catches for 37 yards on seven targets vs. the Steelers with a short score as well in 2016 (5/23/1). Pittsburgh was a top team defending TEs last year with ten teams scoring fewer than ten Fantasy points. They had no problem neutralizing David Njuko in Last week (3/13 on 13 targets). A poor matchup with not enough explosiveness to support his salary.
Kyle Rudolph (DK – $4,200/FD – $5,900): The target pie in Minnesota in Week 1 didn’t have enough slices for Rudolph to be Fantasy relevant. He did score a TD to at least give him a pulse in the season-long games. Kyle finished with one catch for 11 yards on two targets. Last year he had six catches for 53 yards on ten targets in two games against the Packers. Green Bay finished fourth in TE defense in 2017. As the fourth option in the passing game, Rudolph is going to be tough to time this year. His only positive is his low salary, which won’t require a huge game to pay off.
David Njoku (DK – $3,000/FD – $5,300): Njoku had seven targets in Week 1, but a poor showing by Tyrod Taylor in bad weather led to only three catches for 13 yards. Cleveland had him on the field for 78 out of 89 plays, which is a nice bump in opportunity if repeated going forward. The Saints finished 7th in the NFL defending TEs in 2017 with their last eight opponents including last week scoring fewer than ten Fantasy points. Possible TD if this game plays at a high pace.
TOUGH MATCHUP WITH LIMITED UPSIDE
Rob Gronkowski (DK – $7,000/FD – $8,100): Gronkowski busted out with a strong game in Week 1 (7/123/1 with eight targets). He had four catches of 20 yards or more. Last year in the playoffs, Rob caught only one of his three targets for 21 yards vs. the Jaguars. Jacksonville held Evan Engram to two catches for 18 yards on five targets last week. In 2017, the Jaguars had a top ten defense vs. TEs with 14 teams scoring fewer than 14 Fantasy point in PPR leagues. Tough matchup with a high salary is an easy avoid in Week 2.
Jimmy Graham (DK – $4,800/FD – $6,000): It doesn’t take much for the Fantasy wood to fade on a player after one game. An injury to Aaron Rodgers and a short game (2/8 on four targets) by Graham does get the mind racing with failure thoughts at the TE position. Jimmy had plenty of playing time (59 of 60 plays), which is enough of a reason to stick with him in the season-long games. The Vikings had the second best TE defense in 2017 leading to eight of their last nine opponents scoring fewer than ten Fantasy points. George Kittle did make some long plays last week (5/90) while receiving strong targets (nine). Let’s call him only a maybe if Aaron Rodgers plays while the data says to fade.
Charles Clay (DK – $3,100/FD – $4,800): The Ravens shutout Clay on two targets last week. QB play is going to be a problem in Buffalo all year. Last year Charles had three catches for 27 yards on four targets against the Chargers. It would be tough to get excited about playing Clay this week when you add in that LA held Travis Kelce to one catch for six yards in six targets. Crossed him off your daily sheet in Week 2.
PLAYING TIME CONCERN
Jack Doyle (DK – $3,500/FD – $5,500): It was good to see Ebron catch his first TD chance after failing to do so many times with the Lions. Eric caught four of his five targets for 51 yards and a TD while playing second fiddle to Jack Doyle in playing time. The Redskins will give up TDs to TEs (7 in 2017), which gives Ebron a chance of being viable at this level. My gut says he’ll be a better play at home plus I’d like to see more playing time before reaching for him again in the daily games.
Cameron Brate (DK – $2,800/FD – $4,700): Tampa only had Brate on the field for 24 of 66 plays in Week 1, which was a surprise after they paid him well in the offseason. He didn’t catch any of his two targets, which leaves a Fantasy owner in a quandary of his 2018 value. I know this for sure, the Bucs will throw to the TE. He’ll make plays and score TDs, but I can’t play him in the daily games until he gets more playing time. For now, just a thorn in O.J. Howard’s upside.
NEUTRAL
Zach Ertz (DK – $6,100/FD – $5,800): Ertz had a boring game (5/48) against Atlanta in Week 1, but he did have ten targets. The Eagles had him on the field for 97 percent of their plays while backup TE Dallas Goedert saw the field on only 17 of 72 plays. The Bucs gave up four catches for 44 yards on four targets to Ben Watson last week while ranking 5th vs. the TE position in 2017. Last week both of their top two LBs struggled in coverage, which is a positive sign for Ertz this week. His salary is a bit high, but Zach should have a mid-teen floor with more upside if he scores a TD.
Jordan Reed (DK – $5,000/FD – $6,200): The Redskins eased Reed into action vs. the Cardinals. They had him on the field for about half of their plays. Jordan caught four of his five targets for 48 yards with a TD. His playing time and opportunity should grow going forward with continued health. The Colts ranked 22nd in the NFL defending TE last year with two teams scoring over 20 Fantasy points from the position. Right kind of player at this salary, but he may need another week or two to gain a full complement of snaps.
Jack Doyle (DK – $4,000/FD – $5,600): The TE mix in Indy played out exactly how I envisioned in Week 1. Doyle played the part of dump off king when game score got out of line. Jack ended up catching seven of his ten targets for 60 yards. The Colts had him on the field for 94 percent of their offensive plays compared to 45 percent by Eric Ebron. Washington struggled to defend TEs in 2017 (26th), which led to seven teams scoring over 15 Fantasy points. Luck will throw plenty of balls to the TE position. The best play of the week will be the TE option that finds the end zone. Worth a dink of your bankroll.
Jared Cook (DK – $3,600/FD – $5,000): Cook had the best game of his career in catches (9) and yards (180) in Week 1 while receiving 12 targets. He had a dream matchup thanks to an aggressive pass rush by the Rams and two strong CBs taking away the top two outside WRs. Oakland didn’t reinvent the Jared wheel, so Fantasy owners need to throttle their expectations of Cook going forward. He’s a nice third option in the passing game with some scoring ability. His career resume points to 50 to 60 catches for about 700 yards with a handful of TDs. Last year he had two short games vs. the Broncos (3/46 and 1/2) while receiving 13 combined targets. Denver failed to cover the TE in Week 1 (4/116/1 on seven targets) while ranking poorly vs. the position in 2017 (29th), but I’m sure that issue will be corrected in this matchup. Possible trap.
Ben Watson (DK – $3,400/FD – In his first game back with the Saints, Watson caught all four of his targets for 44 yards. New Orleans had him on the field for 80 percent of their offensive snaps. The Browns struggled vs. TEs in 2017 (30th) with eight teams scoring over 15 Fantasy points. The success of Alvin Kamara and Michael Thomas will draw the attention of Cleveland’s defensive coordinator this week, which may lead to some easy catches for Watson. Sneaky piece to a Brees’ stack.
Austin Seferian-Jenkins (DK – $3,200/FD – $4,600): In his first game with Jacksonville, Seferian-Jenkins caught three of his five passes for 25 yards while having a TD called back due to a penalty. Last year he had one of his better games vs. New England (8/46/1 on 11 targets) while also having a second TD ruled a fumble as he crossed the goal line. The Patriots held TEs to fewer than 11 Fantasy points in nine of their last ten games in the regular season. Austin popped up on the injury report on Friday with an abdomen issue. Not a great matchup while needing a better updatSmith e on his health.
Jonnu Smith (DK – $3,100/FD – $4,200): Smith moved into an interesting opportunity with Delanie Walker out for the season. Over four years in college, Smith caught 178 passes for 2,001 yards and 18 TDs highlighted by his sophomore year (61/710/8). Jonnu has plenty of talent with the speed, the strength, and the athleticism to make plays at the next level. He needs to improve his route running while doing a better job when given a chance to catch the ball. A vertical threat with some value as a blocker. There’s a lot to like here, and he should be rewarded with plenty of looks going forward. The Titans have injuries on their offensive line, which may require Smith to block more this week thus lower his upside. Worth a play due to the void created at TE.
Austin Hooper (DK – $2,900/FD – $4,800): Opportunity continues to be an issue for Hooper. Over his last 17 games, he only has 69 targets. Austin gained only 24 yards on three catches in Week 1 while receiving his token four targets. Last year he had two short games vs. the Panthers (3/36 and 3/35 on nine combined targets). Carolina ranked 12th in the NFL defending TEs in 2017. Only an afterthought in the Falcons’ passing game leading to failed results in too many games.
Ricky Seal-Jones (DK – $2,900/FD – $5,200): Seals-Jones had a favorable matchup in Week 1, but he delivered a losing score (3/19 on six targets). Arizona had him on the field for 92 percent of their plays, which is a big improvement from last year. The Rams gave Jared Cook plenty of space in Week 1, which led to a nice game (9/180 on12 targets). LA was league average defending TEs in 2017 with one bad game (PHI – 6/76/3). I’d love to say success by Cook points to winning game by RSJ, but he doesn’t have the same skill set at this point of his career. Sam Bradford needs to play better, which will be a tough task with the Rams attacking the QB position. If you must…
