With only a few weeks remaining in the NFL preseason, what better time to begin preparing for the upcoming fantasy football season?
Over the next few weeks leading up to Week 1, we will be previewing the 2018 season and helping you prepare for your fantasy drafts.
We already took a look at some quarterbacks, running backs, and wide receivers. Now we move on to the tight ends.
In this piece, we will break down several TE options that are in a great position to outperform their preseason rankings.
Here we go.
(NOTE: For consistency throughout the next month, we will be using ESPN's fantasy rankings)
Evan Engram, New York Giants
Engram accomplished the rare feat of actually being a legitimate fantasy option as a rookie tight end.
Appearing in 15 games for the Giants last season, the rookie racked up 64 receptions for 722 yards and six touchdowns, finishing as one of the top tight ends in all of fantasy. However a significant factor in Engram's first-year success was the injuries suffered by New York. Odell Beckham Jr., Brandon Marshall, and Dwayne Harris were all lost for the season in Week 5, while Sterling Shepard dealt with injuries for a chunk of the season as well. With all four of the Giants' top receivers missing at least some time, Engram became Eli Manning's de facto number one target.
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It wasn't all roses for Engram last year, as he did finish with 11 dropped passes, the most by any rookie tight end since 2012. But it's important to keep in mind that while he did register a large number of dropped passes, he also ran more routes than any other rookie tight end, saw more targets than any other rookie tight end, and almost led all rookie tight ends in yards per route. Those numbers are likely to be lower this season, as the receiving corps is healthy again. But with the addition of RB Saquon Barkley, defenses will be forced to respect New York's run game, which in turn should help open up the field for Engram and the wide receivers.
Throughout his career, Manning has enjoyed leaning on his tight ends in the passing game. Even with all of the firepower in New York's offense, this year should be no different. Currently ranked as the TE6, Engram has the potential to finish as a top 3 tight end this season.
Trey Burton, Chicago Bears
Despite not seeing a lot of action in his first three NFL seasons, Burton enters the 2018 season as one of the most popular tight end breakout candidates.
Burton caught just 23 receptions for 248 yards for the Eagles last season, but managed to find the end zone five times. Not bad for the team's second tight end... Burton will now call Soldier Field home for the foreseeable future after signing a four-year, $32 million contract with the Bears this offseason, which included $22 million guaranteed. Considering how much money they threw at the 26-year-old, it seems pretty obvious that head coach Matt Nagy has big plans for his new tight end.
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Last season, Chicago's tight ends accumulated a 21.2 percent target share, which was good for 12th best in the NFL. With Nagy now in charge of the offense, along with Mitchell Trubisky entering his second season under center, things are starting to look up for the Bears. The number one spot in Chicago's passing attack will surely belong to the newly acquired Allen Robinson, but Burton looks primed to be Trubisky's number two option.
Finally getting the opportunity to serve as a team's primary pass-catching tight end, Burton could be one of fantasy football's biggest sleepers this year. Considering the volume of targets he should get, Burton has a chance, if all goes well, to crack the top 5 at his position this season. And even if he falls short, he should outplay his preseason TE9 ranking.
Jack Doyle, Indianapolis Colts
In what was an otherwise lost season for the Indianapolis Colts, Doyle was one of the lone bright spots in Indy last year.
With Andrew Luck missing the entire season, many expected the Colts passing game to struggle immensely. However Jacoby Brissett was able to put together a respectable season, all things considered, and a big reason for that was his reliance on Doyle. In his fifth year in Indianapolis, Doyle caught a career-high 80 receptions for 690 yards and four touchdowns. In fact, the tight end's 107 targets fell one shy of T.Y. Hilton for the team lead, while no other player received more than 45 targets. His successful campaign saw him finish as fantasy's sixth-best tight end.
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Luckily for Doyle, Luck is back on the field looking like his old self. And although some will point to the Colts' signing of Eric Ebron this offseason as a deterrent to drafting Doyle, I do not think this is the case. Indianapolis intends on playing a lot of two tight end sets this season, and with the pass-catching options outside of Hilton not being very established, look for Luck to target both of his tight ends early and often. Of the two, Doyle is definitely the preferred fantasy option.
Even if he does lose some targets to Ebron, Doyle has a chance to be a true breakout star at the tight end position. As long as Luck continues to prove he's over the mysterious shoulder injury from last year, Doyle looks to be in a great position to build on his successful 2017 campaign and outperform his preseason TE11 ranking.
David Njoku, Cleveland Browns
If you miss out on the top tier of tight ends, Njoku could be a great player to target in the later rounds of your fantasy draft.
Njoku's rookie season was a disappointment, as the young tight end managed to reel in only 32 receptions for 386 yards and four touchdowns. However the entire 2017 season was a major letdown for the Cleveland Browns, as Hue Jackson's team failed to win even one game throughout the year. While Njoku did not produce as much as he (or the Browns) would have hoped, it was the poor quarterback play that led to Cleveland finishing the season with the lowest points per game in the NFL at 14.6.
The Browns offense should see an extreme improvement this season with the additions of Tyrod Taylor, Jarvis Landry, Carlos Hyde, Nick Chubb and the return of Josh Gordon (not to mention first overall pick Baker Mayfield). Even with the numerous mouths to feed in the offense, Njoku should not have trouble finding the end zone this season. In Cleveland's first preseason game against the Giants, the talented, young tight end finished with two touchdown receptions, one from Taylor and the other from Mayfield. No matter who's under center for the Browns, Njoku should garner a ton of red zone targets.
Njoku's upside is unmatched by anyone on this list considering his average draft position. Currently ranked as the preseason TE12, the 22-year-old breakout potential is off the charts.
Other late-round tight ends to target
George Kittle, San Francisco 49ers- Kittle is yet another promising, young tight end that has a ton of sleeper potential this season. Totaling 43 receptions for 515 yards and two touchdowns in his rookie season last year, Kittle now has the privilege of being Jimmy Garoppolo's primary pass-catching tight end for a full season. There are still some question marks surrounding San Francisco's offense, but Kittle's performance will play a large role in the unit's success. If him and Garoppolo can establish a good rapport early in the season, Kittle should be able to play his way into a top 10 finish and provide great value for his preseason TE13 ranking.
Tyler Eifert, Cincinnati Bengals- Oh how the mighty have fallen. It was only three seasons ago that Eifert looked like he was emerging as one of the league's top tight ends after catching 13 touchdown passes. But since the end of the 2015 season, the 6-foot-6 tight end has only been able to suit up for 10 contests. 2017 was a low point for Eifert, as he appeared in just two games, totaling four receptions for 46 yards. The talent is certainly still there for the 27-year-old, but the issue continues to be staying on the field. If he can find a way to somehow move past the injuries, Eifert offers good value at the end of your draft as the preseason TE14.
Matt Citak is a Web Producer for WFAN Sports Radio. Follow him on Twitter at @MatthewCitak.
