Fantasy Football: Free-Agent Tight End Team Changes

While Tight Ends sometimes appear to be overlooked in fantasy football, these guys are probably the best athletes on the field who are asked to block the fastest and strongest edge rushers and also have the nimbleness to outrun defenders and catch the ball. Tight ends are important to your fantasy team, especially if you have an “every week” tight end that you don’t have to worry about playing from the waivers.

Tight ends that change teams sometimes do not perform as well as they need time to learn a new playbook and blocking scheme. This is usually not true for the very best receiving Tight Ends who most times can use their size and abilities to make plays. This offseason, we did not see any huge names get moved around, except for the former All Star Jimmy Graham.

Jimmy Graham signed with Packers ($20 mil guaranteed)

Jimmy Graham by Seatacular [CC BY 3.0]

Jimmy Graham spent many seasons as a top-level fantasy tight end with Drew Brees throwing him the ball in New Orleans. Graham tore his patella tendon in 2015, and has not quite been the same since. His seasons where he used to always be above 15+ yards per catch are over since his injury.

Many football analysts say Graham looked sluggish in 2017 with the Seahawks. But he still plays at very high level for fantasy TEs. Graham scored a lot of TD last year, but you can’t count on that again. In 2017, Graham had 26 Red Zone targets and led the NFL in this category. He scored 10 TDs.

Jimmy Graham joins one of the best NFL QBs in Aaron ROdgers and a receiving core which just let go of their top red zone threat. Jordy Nelson was the Red Zone target scoring 33 TDs in his last 3 healthy seasons (missed 2015 season due to injury). Graham will could work his way into the red zone threat, but TDs are hard to predict week-to-week and season-to-season.

While the Packers have had some hype in offseason signings (Cook in 2015, Bennett in 2017), the last time Packers had fantasy relevant TE was in 2011, seven seasons ago!

Bottom Line: Jimmy Graham will probably be over-hyped this offseason, as most Packers TEs in off season

Tre Burton signs with the Bears ($18 mil guaranteed)

Wow Burton got a lot of money! He was backup last season with the Super Bowl champion Eagles. There are not a lot of situations where a backup signs away to another team and performs as a top tight end. Delanie Walker did this a few years ago, he was a backup behind Vernon Davis in San Fran.

Burton played well when the starter Zach Ertz missed a couple of games. He is a great blocker and decent route runner/pass catcher. It is unclear how he will be used, but he did sign a big contract so likely he will be given a chance to start and will be on the field quite a bit.

Tre Burton will join 2nd year QB Mitchell Trubisky as well as free agent WRs Allen Robinson (formerly of Jacksonville Jaguars) and Taylor Gabriel (formerly of Atlanta Falcons). The Bears also have a new head coach, Matt Nagy who will hopefully bring a new offensive mindset to the team.

Bottom Line: I would wait and draft as last-round flyer, or try and pick him off waivers. His chemistry with Trubisky in the pre-season could move him up my draft board.

Austin Seferian-Jenkins signs with Jaguars 2-year, $10 million

Austin Seferian-Jenkins by Jeffrey Beall [CC BY 3.0]

After serving a 3-game suspension for drug use, ASJ went on to have an underwhelming 2017 season. He ended up with 50 catches for 357 yards and 3 TDs.

He joins an offense with Blake Bortles who finished the 2017 season on fire and almost made the Super Bowl. Many people believe that Bortles’ 2017 season was an outlier and will not repeat.

ASJ could be the top red-zone target on the Jags, but it appears unlikely at the moment. ASJ will join a crowded and talented receiving core including WRs Donte Moncrief, Marqise Lee and Dede Westbrook. The Jags did cut TE Marcedes Lewis, but they also signed veteran TE Niles Paul from the Washington Redskins.

Bottom Line: ASJ has been underwhelming since being drafted high in 2014, and his situation doesn’t look like he will be worth owning for fantasy in 2018.

Other Fantasy-Relevant TE Moves
Eric Ebron / Indianapolis Colts / 2-year / $15 million
Will split time with TE Jack Doyle
Ed Dickson / Seattle Seahawks / 3-year / $14 million
Will split with 2017 3rd round draft pick Nick Vanette

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