As training camp begins for most teams this week, there will be plenty of fantasy football news spilling out as managers prepare for the best time of the year: the draft.
As with all positions, there are some players to target during your draft in addition to some players to avoid. Here, we are talking tight ends. The landscape at the position is rough and volatile, but there are still some value picks to be had.
All ADP data is courtesy of Fantasy Football Calculator in a 12-team, half-PPR format.
Here are three tight ends to target in fantasy football:
Evan Engram — New York Giants — ADP: 6.01 (TE5)
There have been two dominating storylines this offseason in East Rutherford: the blockbuster deal that sent Odell Beckham Jr. to Cleveland and the No. 6 overall pick in the form of quarterback Daniel Jones. Both will have an impact on Engram.
Though he battled injuries in 2018 limiting him to just 11 games, Engram showed down the stretch he can be an extremely viable option in fantasy football—even in an offense that struggles like the Giants did.
In the final four weeks of the season, Engram was the TE2. His 53.6 fantasy points were second only to George Kittle. In that span, he averaged nearly eight targets per game and 80 receiving yards. Who was absent for those four games because of injury? The aforementioned Beckham Jr.
There is a monster void in targets that must be shared now with Beckham Jr. out of the picture. Engram is going to be one of the top targets in the passing game and should be well worth his sixth-round price.
Jared Cook — New Orleans Saints — ADP: 7.06 (TE8)
The veteran Cook may have been somewhat of a boom/bust guy in Oakland, but he wound up having a very strong season. Finishing as the TE5 in 2018, Cook found a new home that makes his outlook very intriguing.
Joining the Saints this offseason, there has been nothing but praise for Drew Brees’ tight end. There are talks of “expanding the playbook” for the veteran as he steps into a role that could be extremely fantasy relevant. Though the Saints like to feature the run, Cook should see plenty of targets in the passing game.
The Saints’ leaders in targets in 2018 were wide receiver Michael Thomas (147) and running back Alvin Kamara (105). That’s not going to change. But the next closest player in targets was tight end Ben Watson—now a Patriot— with a whopping 46 targets. That might not sound great for Cook, but Watson is nowhere near the pass-catcher Cook is.
Cook is a matchup nightmare with the ability to line up all over the formation and produce in the passing game. With Brees still able to sling the rock, Cook has a chance to reprise his top-five finish.
Vance McDonald — Pittsburgh Steelers — ADP: 7.11 (TE9)
Like Engram’s situation in New York, McDonald faces a similar outlook with the Steelers now that Antonio Brown has been traded to Oakland. With a massive void in targets up for grabs and the fact that the Steelers didn’t invest in the receiving corps, McDonald is currently a strong value.
We know Juju Smith-Schuster will be the top option in the passing game. But with Brown vacating 168 targets to the rest of the offense, McDonald should see a massive bump—especially since he was already third on the team in targets for 2018 behind Brown and Juju.
Being drafted as the TE9, McDonald has an easy chance to finish in the top five at the position. Big Ben isn’t afraid to target the tight ends, and McDonald is coming off of a 50-reception season. You can spend an early pick on George Kittle or Travis Kelce, or you can wait and grab McDonald.
The Steelers offense will still be one built off the passing game. With a massive target share vacated this offseason, McDonald has a prime chance to be an elite tight end in fantasy football.
