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Fantasy football 2019: 5 bold predictions – tight end edition

By Jake VanZuiden

Fantasy: EAST RUTHERFORD, NJ - AUGUST 03: New York Giants tight end Evan Engram (88) during New York Giants Training Camp on August 3, 2019 at Quest Diagnostics Training Center in East Rutherford, NJ. (Photo by Rich Graessle/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
Fantasy: EAST RUTHERFORD, NJ - AUGUST 03: New York Giants tight end Evan Engram (88) during New York Giants Training Camp on August 3, 2019 at Quest Diagnostics Training Center in East Rutherford, NJ. (Photo by Rich Graessle/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) /
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Fantasy Football - Giants TE
Fantasy Football - Giants TE /

2. Evan Engram will have more receiving yards than Zach Ertz.

How This is Bold:

Over the past four seasons, Eagles’ TE Zach Ertz has been a top-tier fantasy tight end. In 2018, Ertz managed 1,163 receiving yards (3rd amongst TEs) on 116 receptions (1st). Giants’ TE Evan Engram, on the other hand, finished the season with just 577 yards in 11 games and has a career-high of 772 (2017).

Why This Will Come True:

As the Giants undergo the beginning stages of a rebuild after shipping away star WR Odell Beckham Jr. this spring, there is an obvious lack of pass-catching depth on their roster.

Engram, already a main staple in New York’s passing-game (averaged 80 receiving yards per game over the final four weeks), will only see his role continue to grow in 2019, making him an ideal breakout candidate.

Over the offseason, the G-Men brought in ex-Lions WR Golden Tate to help fill the void in their receiving corps, but he’ll be forced to start the year by serving a four-game suspension after testing positive for PEDs.

Fellow wideout Sterling Shepard was injured earlier in the preseason, and while he should be ready to play this week against the Cowboys, it’s unlikely that he’ll be 100 percent and will need a few games to get back in the swing of things.

With the next-highest pass-catchers on their depth chart (aside from Saquon Barkley) being Bennie Fowler and Russell Shepard, you can bet veteran signal-caller Eli Manning will be looking Engram’s way early and often.

Engram shined last season in OBJ’s absence down the stretch in 2018, averaging 13.3 fantasy points per game in Weeks 14-17 as compared to 8.9 fantasy points with Beckham on the field.

Last season, the Ole Miss alum finished the year with just 64 targets, posting a respectable 70.3 percent catch rate in eight starts. New York will have to replace 124 targets from last season following Beckham’s departure, meaning that Engram could very-possibly double his yardage from 2018.

This prediction is no knock on Ertz, who should once again being amongst the fantasy elite at the tight end position.

However, he’s got less of a clear path to targets this year in a loaded Philly arsenal now featuring a fully-healthy Alshon Jeffery, DeSean Jackson, Dallas Goedert, Nelson Agholor, and prominent rookie J.J. Arcega-Whiteside. Engram, on the other hand, should receive as much volume as he can handle.

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