There's not a lot to love about the tight end position so far. Unless you own Travis Kelce or Zach Ertz, you're probably not thrilled with the points you've been getting in that slot. Gronk's disappointed thus far, Trey Burton's underwhelmed, the Jimmy Graham-Aaron Rodgers connection hasn't thrived like many suspected, Will Dissly was a mirage, and Evan Engram is sidelined for at least a few weeks. Ugly stuff. Like, Clint Howard-level ugly. (Google it.) With that said, there are a few gems you can unearth from this week's tight end rankings. Scoop them up if you can.
Target Monsters
I talked about him last week, but I have to mention him again. Zach Ertz has averaged 11 targets through three games, which is 2+ more than the next in line (Travis Kelce).
Eric Ebron was given the reigns with Jack Doyle out, amassing a team-high 11 targets. We've been waiting to see if the Colts would live up the preseason statements they made about Ebron being used like a wide receiver, and it's starting to happen. If Doyle misses more time, Ebron becomes a must-start against Houston.
We have a few sudden risers in the target market this week, including O.J. Howard and Tyler Eifert -- who doubled their target count -- as well as Dallas Goedert and Geoff Swaim, who both jumped from 0 to 7 targets this week. If I had to choose one to stash on my bench, it would be Howard, at least for as long as Ryan Fitzpatrick is under center.
Snap Count Studs
The Cowboys obviously miss Jason Witten, but Geoff Swaim is starting to get a decent rapport going with Dak Prescott. Swaim has been on the field for 93% of the team's offensive snaps this year, and has quietly become the biggest presence on the offense not named Zeke Elliott.
Those hoping Jonnu Smith would inherit Delanie Walker's pass-catching role now that the elder tight end is out for the season will have to wait a little while longer. Smith hasn't seen much of the sideline -- he's averaged a 96% snap share the last two weeks -- but he also hasn't been fantasy relevant. Look for that to change once Marcus Mariota returns.
Vernon Davis saw the field a season-high 61% of the time, just a few ticks below teammate Jordan Reed. It's no coincidence he also enjoyed his best fantasy output of the year. Davis has always been a sneaky stash if/when Reed gets injured, but he may have standalone value if this keeps up.
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| Rank | Player | Team | Opponent |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Travis Kelce | KC | @DEN |
| 2 | Rob Gronkowski | NE | MIA |
| 3 | Zach Ertz | PHI | @TEN |
| 4 | Jimmy Graham | GB | BUF |
| 5 | Eric Ebron | IND | HOU |
| 6 | Kyle Rudolph | MIN | @LAR |
| 7 | Jared Cook | OAK | CLE |
| 8 | O.J. Howard | TB | @CHI |
| 9 | David Njoku | CLE | @OAK |
| 10 | Benjamin Watson | NO | @NYG |
| 11 | Trey Burton | CHI | TB |
| 12 | George Kittle | SF | @LAC |
| 13 | Tyler Eifert | CIN | @ATL |
| 14 | Austin Hooper | ATL | CIN |
| 15 | Vance McDonald | PIT | BAL |
| 16 | Jake Butt | DEN | KC |
| 17 | Ricky Seals-Jones | ARI | SEA |
| 18 | Jesse James | PIT | BAL |
| 19 | Austin Sefarian-Jenkins | JAC | NYJ |
| 20 | Will Dissly | SEA | @AR |
| 21 | Charles Clay | BUF | @GB |
| 22 | Geoff Swaim | DAL | DET |
| 23 | Antonio Gates | LAC | SF |
| 24 | Nick Vannett | SEA | @ARI |
| 25 | Mark Andrews | BAL | @PIT |
| 26 | Mike Gesicki | MIA | @NE |
| 27 | Jonnu Smith | TEN | PHI |
| 28 | Ryan Griffin | HOU | @IND |
| 29 | Cameron Brate | TB | @CHI |
| 30 | Nick Boyle | BAL | @PIT |
