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Fantasy Football Week 3 Sleepers: 5 Tight Ends Worth a Spot on Your Team
Fantasy Football Sleepers: 5 Tight Ends Worth Picking Up
It's been two full weeks in the football season and there have been some standout moments. Eddie Royal looks to be back to fantasy relevance. The new Eagles offense can create some big plays for DeSean Jackson and LeSean McCoy. The tight end position is not as deep as it once was which leaves many fantasy owners rushing to the waiver wire and picking up a second one.
Injuries to Rob Gronkowski and Dennis Pitta along with the absence of Aaron Hernandez has created a bit of a hole for the tight end position for fantasy owners. The top five tight ends drafted in standard were Graham, Gronk (despite the injury), Tony Gonzalez, Jason Witten and Vernon Davis. After that, there is a bit of a dropoff as Antonio Gates, Greg Olsen, Kyle Rudolph, Owen Daniels and Martellus Bennett were the next five drafted.
Some of these players haven't panned out so far in two weeks. Rudolph and Gonzalez are ranked 16th and Gates comes in at 14 in terms of fantasy points. On the other side, undrafted players like Julius Thomas and Jordan Cameron have had a great two weeks and have already been added to most rosters. However, there are still tight ends out there worth a spot on most rosters.
If you don't have Jimmy Graham on your team, then you could be in need for another tight end with promise. Here are five tight ends with good futures worth picking up while the iron is hot.
Bill Pivetz is a fantasy football writer for Rant Sports. You can follow him on Twitter @Mr_Piv1127.
Charles Clay
The Miami Dolphins thought they had their tight end in Dustin Keller. However, he suffered a right knee injury in August and will miss the entire season. The Dolphins have four other tight ends on their roster—Dion Sims, Michael Egnew, Charles Clay and Kyle Miller—that could replace Keller.
Clay seems to be the one getting the starting opportunity. He had five receptions for 54 yards in his first game. A week later he had five more receptions, and this time it was for 109 yards. He also lined up in the backfield and punched in a one-yard touchdown.
With the Dolphins taking on Atlanta this week, Clay is worth a start, even if it's for one week.
Coby Fleener
In the 2012 season, the Indianapolis Colts tight end picture featured Dwayne Allen and Coby Fleener. Allen had 45 receptions for 521 yards and three touchdowns while Fleener hauled in 26 passes for 281 yards and two touchdowns.
This year, Allen has been dealing with a hip injury, allowing Fleener to take the starting role. It was reported early Wednesday afternoon that Allen will now require season-ending surgery.
Colts TE Dwayne Allen will require season ending hip surgery - per head coach Chuck Pagano.
— Michelle Beisner (@MichelleBeisner) September 18, 2013
Fleener performed well in Week 2 and will continue to see targets in a pass-first Colts offense.
Tyler Eifert
Last year Cincinnati Bengals tight end Jermaine Gresham was their second receiver, catching 64 passes for 737 yards and five touchdowns. This year, rookie Tyler Eifert is doing his best to create competition at the position. In two weeks, Eifert is the No. 2 guy. He has eight receptions for 113 yards.
Despite not having a touchdown, Eifert looks good so far in his rookie year. The Bengals can use both Gresham and Eifert like the Patriots used Gronkowski and Hernandez and find value for both players. He isn't worth starting in most 10-team leagues, but he's definitely worth an add. If Gresham goes down with an injury, Eifert's value skyrockets.
Jordan Reed
On a struggling Washington Redskins team, tight end Jordan Reed is making the most of it. He's fourth among Redskins receivers with eight receptions, 56 yards and a touchdown. According to the Redskins depth chart, Reed is listed as the No. 4 tight end. However, the No. 1 guy, Fred Davis, is sixth among receivers with three receptions and 25 yards.
It's still early in the season, but it shouldn't be that long before Reed takes over Davis' spot. There are definitely better options at the tight end position, but in deeper leagues, Reed is worth a stash.
Garrett Graham
The Houston Texans offense has a lot of weapons right now. Andre Johnson is the man, rookie receiver DeAndre Hopkins will be a star, Arian Foster will power over defenders when fully recovered and Owen Daniels is a constant target for Matt Schaub. Now, backup tight end Garrett Graham is flourishing as a passing option.
Graham has been targeted 10 times in the first two games. He has seven catches for 57 yards and two touchdowns. Daniels is still the No. 1 guy, but Graham is becoming another threat to defenses. In standard 10-team leagues, Graham may not be a starter because of the other Texans weapons, but in 12 or 14 team leagues, he's worth a spot.
