While he wasn’t drafted as one of the top options at the position in 2018, Indianapolis Colts tight end Eric Ebron graced fantasy football managers with an excellent season likely helping them reach the playoffs.
Either drafted in the late rounds or picked up off the waiver wire, Ebron wound up finishing as the TE4 in non-PPR formats. Even though some regression is expected, Ebron is still being viewed as one of top options at the position for 2019.
The Fantasy Footballers ranked him as the seventh-best tight end in their early offseason rankings.
Speaking of guys who played in 2018 and dominated, Ebron was the TE4 last year, scoring 13 TDs on 110 targets. It was a long time coming for fantasy owners. With the additions of Devin Funchess and Parris Campbell, plus the return of Jack Doyle, Ebron could see his targets largely cut. It is really a question of how many TDs do you think he can score? Andy and Jason concede regression from his 13 TDs but feel that he could still hit double digits. Mike thinks that last season was “a friendship of opportunity” and that the new guys will limit his value greatly.
For those wanting to pick up Ebron again in 2019, there are some concerns about regression in terms of fantasy points. Even with the tight end landscape being an extremely thin position, there is a high chance the 26-year-old doesn’t repeat the same numbers.
Ebron found himself in a perfect situation to produce. In an offense that heavily utilizes the tight end position, the former first-round pick stepped into a large role due to the injury of Jack Doyle and the fact that no receiver outside of T.Y. Hilton was producing much.
What keeps Ebron relevant is his red-zone work. Of his 13 receiving touchdowns during his first season with the Colts, 11 of them came within the opponents 20-yard-line. That ranked as the most among tight ends and second-most among all pass catchers (Devante Adams, 12).
The return of Doyle coupled with the new additions of Funchess and second-round pick Parris Campbell are likely to eat into Ebron’s share, which means the value of drafting him relatively early will go to waste.
Still, Ebron should be viewed as one of the top tight ends at the position given that he’s a huge red-zone target in a high-volume offense.
