Fantasy Football Preview: Tight Ends to Avoid

Jan 25, 2015; Phoenix, AZ, USA; Team Carter tight end Greg Olsen of the Carolina Panthers (88) catches a touchdown against Team Irvin cornerback Joe Haden of the Cleveland Browns (23) in the 2015 Pro Bowl at University of Phoenix Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

In part three of my “Players to Avoid” series, I will discuss which tight ends to avoid drafting this season. Tight end is the scarcest position in football. Unless you are planning on drafting Rob Gronkowski or Jimmy Graham in the first couple of rounds, you are unlikely to get consistent superstar production out of that slot.

That being said, there is no reason to believe you can’t find value at tight end. Many productive tight ends can be found in the later rounds of the draft. Last season, Coby Fleener, Antonio Gates, Travis Kelce and Delanie Walker finished as top ten tight ends, despite being drafted at about pick 120 or later.

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Although there is value towards the end of the draft, be careful about drafting too many sleepers. My rule with tight ends is to grab one solid, consistent performer like Martellus Bennett and Greg Olsen and then swoop in and grab one of my top sleepers. If you draft two sleepers as your tight ends, there is a good chance you will be looking at the waiver wire for week-to-week replacements at that position.

Similarly to wide receivers, tight ends rely on their quarterback and offensive scheme to get them enough targets to produce. A few seasons ago, Dustin Keller had a very promising NFL future with the Jets. However, under Rex Ryan’s Ground-and-Pound regime, Keller’s development slowed down. Since Ryan’s offense emphasized the running game, Keller decided that Miami was a better offensive fit for him. Unfortunately, Keller’s tore his ACL in a preseason game against Houston and hasn’t been the same since. All in all, it is imperative that you draft a tight end in a tight end friendly scheme with a decent quarterback. That being said, here are three tight ends to avoid drafting this season.

Next: Don't Be Too Witty

Jul 30, 2015; Oxnard, CA, USA; Dallas Cowboys tight end Jason Witten (82) looks on during the first day of training camp at River Ridge Fields. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports

Jason Witten

Jason Witten has been a mainstay among the top 10 ranked fantasy tight ends for each of the past 8 seasons. Over those 8 seasons, he has averaged over 85 receptions and 950 receiving yards. It seems as if Witten has always been a consistent stud in fantasy with those numbers. However, this is not totally true.

Last season, Witten only caught 64 balls for 703 yards. Although Witten finished as the tenth best fantasy tight last season, he would not have won many games for you. He only had 6 games over 50 yards and 3 games over 5 catches. Witten scored 5 touchdowns last season, down 4 from the season before that. All signs point to Witten continuing his decline in his age 33 season.

Over the past few seasons, Witten has been used more as a safety valve than a vertical threat. This is thanks to the additions of Terrance Williams and Cole Beasley to the Cowboys passing attack along with superstar Dez Bryant. Witten has fallen behind a number of targets and will likely be used as Romo’s fallback guy in the short passing game. His per game yardage numbers slipped to 43.9 yards per game last season, and with those numbers, he is unlikely to hit his value as the number 5th ranked tight end, according to ESPN.

Next: Don't Do Donnell

Dec 28, 2014; East Rutherford, NJ, USA; Philadelphia Eagles cornerback Nolan Carroll (23) breaks up a pass intended for New York Giants tight end Larry Donnell (84) in the end zone in the first half during the game at MetLife Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Robert Deutsch-USA TODAY Sports

Larry Donnell

Larry Donnell shocked the world last year, making 25 catches and scoring four touchdowns in the first four games. Although the Giants weren’t winning games, they were throwing the ball a ton.

When Victor Cruz went down with a torn patellar tendon, many expected Donnell to dominate in PPR and standard leagues. Unfortunately for Donnell, rookie sensation Odell Beckham Jr. took off and had one of the best rookie seasons in history with a 91-1,305-12 slash line in only 12 games. Manning became enamored with Beckham Jr. and stopped looking towards Donnell as much. Not to be overlooked is the success of number three wide receiver Reuben Randle, who stepped up with 938 receiving yards in his new role without Cruz From week 5 on, Donnell only scored two touchdowns and had only 1 game of over 60 yards.

This season, Cruz comes back to health and Odell Beckham Jr. looks to build on last year’s dominance. Donnell becomes the fourth target for the worse Manning brother and it doesn’t seem like he will put up any more three touchdown games. I think that all three Giants wide receivers will continue their developments, leaving Donnell in the dust.

Next: REED this

Jul 30, 2015; Richmond, VA, USA; Washington Redskins tight end Jordan Reed (86) walks onto the field prior to the morning walkthrough on day one of training camp at the Washington Redskins Bon Secours Training Center. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports

Jordan Reed

Oh, Jordan Reed, what a world of potential you have. Reed could easily be the third best tight end in the league. Drafted in 2013, Reed has had glimpses of greatness in each of his two seasons as a pro, but is yet to put it all together in one full season.

On October 20th, 2013, Reed made nine catches for 134 yards and a touchdown, setting a new Redskins franchise record for receiving yards by a rookie tight end, as well as recording his first 100-plus yard game. This was the first contributor to Reed’s hype train. However, a few weeks later, Reed suffered his first concussion, one that would forced him to miss the rest of the season.

Last season, Reed opened up the season with a hamstring injury that helped him out until week 6. Unsurprisingly, Reed’s 2014 debut was very successful with 8 catches and 92 yards in only about 54% of the team’s snaps. Shortly after, in week 11, Reed went down again with another hamstring issue. This kept Reed out of another game. Later in the season, after a few underwhelming games, Reed caught 9 of 11 targets for 123 yards. Reed’s outbursts have kept the hype train chugging; however, I would avoid him .

In addition to Reed’s injury woes, he is also playing football for the worst franchise in the league. Not only is the team dysfunctional and without a quarterback, their ownership does nothing but cause problems within the organization. Nobody agrees with each other, which leads to a mess on the field. None of this helps for Redskins in fantasy this season. I wouldn’t be shocked if the Redskins started four different quarterbacks this season. The lack of camaraderie in the organization will hurt Reed’s numbers on a week to week basis.

Next: Fantasy Football Preview: Wide Receivers to Avoid

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