The fantasy football season is almost upon us, and it’s time for leagues to commence their drafts. It’s unlikely that many noteworthy storylines will come out of the fourth week of preseason games. Few starters play, and unless you’re in a deep league, the players who stand out won’t be relevant to your fantasy team. They might be worth eying for the waiver wire as the season begins, but not on draft day.
With average draft position relatively set — and we’ll be using the aggregate ADP from Fantasy Pros — we’ve identified five tight ends who present excellent value for the 2019 fantasy football season. Make sure you eye these players in your draft.
Hunter Henry, Chargers
ADP: 67.8
He was one of the young and promising tight ends in the NFL before he suffered a season-ending ACL injury before the 2018 season. In 2017, when he was working in a tight end group that included Antonio Gates, Henry had 45 receptions for 579 yards and four touchdowns. It was easy to see his stats improving in 2018 when Gates retired — the same is true in 2019. He should be impressive, even in an offense which features receivers Keenan Allen and Mike Williams.
That said, he’s still going fairly high in drafts — even though he should justify his position. If you feel the risk is too high for Henry, then you might want to consider the players that follow…
Delanie Walker, Titans
ADP: 116.8
Walker, 35, played just one game during the 2018 season. Between his age and his injury recovery (a gruesome leg issue), he seems like a tough candidate to bet on. But he showed in the preseason that he still has a strong connection with Marcus Mariota. What’s more, Walker’s physical abilities don’t look tremendously diminished. It’s easy to imagine he finds his form from 2017 when he had 74 catches for 807 yards and three touchdowns.
But again, maybe you find Walker to be a bit too risky. You want to take a flier on a tight end even later. I’ve got a solution…
Greg Olsen, Panthers
ADP: 148
Olsen presents so many of the same risks and rewards as Walker. But Olsen has been better for longer and he’s in a better offense. Cam Newton, if healthy, is definitely going to have a better year than Mariota and/or Ryan Tannehill. But Newton and Olsen have to stay healthy — that’s far from a certainty. If you’re taking Olsen at this point in the draft, you probably won’t feel bad about carrying a backup at the position. For now, it looks like Newton and Olsen will be full-go when the season starts. Getting him this late in the draft is a steal.
Trey Burton, Bears
ADP: 148.5
He wasn’t that bad in 2018. He finished the year with 54 receptions for 569 yards and six touchdowns. His 147 points were better than David Njoku, who has a 102 ADP, and Vance McDonald, who has a 91.3 ADP. What’s not to like about Burton? The Bears offense may not explode in 2019. Mitchell Trubisky may not establish himself as an elite quarterback, but Burton is going 40-50 spots later than those two players after performing on par with them last season (and should do the same this year).
Jimmy Graham, Packers
ADP: 164.8
It’s wild to think how far Graham has fallen. I just completed a draft for a 14-team PPR league, and Graham went undrafted. The Green Bay offense isn’t favorable for a tight end. Graham is aging at 32 years old. Still, the Packers should be much better in 2019 with less dissent and drama. Aaron Rodgers is going to throw for more yards and more touchdowns. And Graham could benefit from that. If he does, he might be worth stashing as the final selection of your draft.
