Fantasy football: Should you draft a TE early, middle, or late?

The Middle Round Tight End

Much like the middle round QB, the mid-round TE has had some rough recent years. Whether it’s a colossal bust like O.J. Howard or an over-hyped disappointment like Trey Burton, we’ve all drafted an under performing tight end in these rounds and had to play the waiver wire for most of the season looking for a half-decent replacement.

Despite trends over the past four years, there is some good news. The TE10 last year, Jared Cook, scored 12 PPG, much more than the next highest year in the sample, 2016, when the TE10 scored 10.6. In 2017 and 2018, the tight end position had a large drop-off in production after the top few guys. The tight end pool widened last year, completely changing the nature of draft strategy at the position.

This year’s mid-round tight ends should outperform their past counterparts because the position is deeper than ever before. Players like Hunter Henry, Tyler Higbee, and Evan Engram come with the same risks of busting as others drafted in their range in the past, but their upside is much greater. If players ignore the position for too long because they assume that the top guys are the only useful players at the position, I don’t see an issue with taking two of these guys to mitigate risk. If they both pan out, you have a great trade asset for someone without a quality tight end. Otherwise, you missed out on an RB or WR who has a lower chance of returning value.