Take note, fantasy football owners.
Three years ago, the Giants selected Ole Miss tight end Evan Engram (6-3, 240 pounds) with the 23rd overall pick in the 2017 NFL draft. As a rookie, Engram caught 64 passes for 722 yards and six touchdowns.
Last season, Engram was limited by injuries and dressed for just half the season. In eight games, he caught 44 passes for 467 yards and three touchdowns. Had he kept up that pace for a full 16-game season, Engram would have totaled 88 catches for 934 yards and six touchdowns.
Only three tight ends topped 934 receiving yards last year.
Engram received 6.9 targets per game last season while Pat Shurmur was serving as New York’s head coach. Shurmur now serves as the Broncos’ offensive coordinator and he believes tight end Noah Fant (6-4, 249 pounds) can handle a workload similar to what Engram received with the Giants.
“[They are] very similar type of players,” Shurmur said on Feb. 6. “Yes, he’s primarily a pass receiver with what you’re looking for as a tight end, but quite frankly he was a pretty gritty blocker when he was asked to do so last year. I haven’t seen him in person [yet].
“I remember him from the draft process. He was another player that we had a really, really high opinion of. I’m looking forward to working with him.”
As a rookie last season, Fant caught 40 passes for 562 yards and three touchdowns. Fans in Denver (and fantasy football owners) can probably expect a big jump in production from Fant in 2020.
