Fantasy Football- A Breakdown on why O.J. Howard Will Breakout This Season

By Dylan Tice | Jul 9, 2019

TAMPA, FL - SEPTEMBER 24: Tampa Bay Buccaneers tight end O.J. Howard (80) runs after a reception during the first half of an NFL game between the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on September 24, 2018, at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, FL. (Photo by Roy K. Miller/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) /

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EAST RUTHERFORD, NJ – NOVEMBER 18: (NEW YORK DAILIES OUT) O.J. Howard #80 of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in action against the New York Giants on November 18, 2018 at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey. The Giants defeated the Buccaneers 38-35. (Photo by Jim McIsaac/Getty Images) /

Fantasy Football – O.J. Howard Breakout Year?

So now that we saw what we can expect in 2019, let’s take a look of what was in store in 2018 if Howard didn’t suffer an ankle sprain injury. In 2018 he finished as the TE13 overall while only playing 10 games and his 16.6 yards per catch actually led all starting TE’s last season.

By looking at his per game numbers in 2018, if Howard didn’t get hurt and played all 16 games, he would have finished as the TE5 overall behind the big 3 and Eric Ebron. Let’s think about that for a second – Howard would have finished as the TE5 last season even with 224 targets going to Adam Humphries and Desean Jackson. So with both of those WR’s now gone, it stands to reason that there is clear top 5 TE upside for the Bucs Tight End.

My favorite thing about Howard is his consistency. In the 10 games Howard played in 2018, he finished as a top-12 fantasy TE in 8 of those weeks. Not the biggest sample size I know, but an 80% chance rate as finishing as a TE1 – that’s phenomenal.

Putting that into perspective, Kelce finished last season with an 81% rate of TE1 numbers, while Ertz/Kittle finished with a 75% rate of finishing as a TE1. So when you compare his week to week consistency to the Big Three that are going in premium draft spots, you can start to see the potential value that staring us in the face multiple rounds later with Howard.

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