Top Five Fantasy Football Tight Ends - Week Four
Some physical freaks stand out in this week’s top five fantasy football tight ends.
5- Ladarius Green (SD), $8,100 vs (JAX)
This is a big dice roll, as he might not even be the highest scoring tight end on his team. However, it’s not a lack of talent that has people fading him, and his measurables are drool inducing as was well covered by Davis Mattek at RotoViz back in August. He’s a height, weight, speed marvel that is a matchup nightmare, but the Chargers haven’t used him a great deal in the passing game. According to Pro Football Focus, he ran seven passing routes in week one, 11 in week two, and eight in week three. That said, his targets spiked against the Bills and he was thrown to six times. He reeled in four receptions for 64 yards in that contest, all season highs. If this is a shift in philosophy and Green’s usage, it would be a good week to grab him since the Chargers are 13.5 point favorites in a game with a 44.5 total as of writing according to Vegas Insider.
4- Travis Kelce (KC), $7,200 vs (NE)
Kelce is another RotoViz favorite that has dreamy measurables, but isn’t being utilized heavily enough by his team. That said, Kelce’s usage has exceeded Green by a wide margin, and he’s seen his snap counts increase every week. The athletic tight end leads the Chiefs in receiving yards, and he’s second on the club in receptions and targets. He has a pair of drops, which isn’t ideal, but it does indicate his numbers could be even more tantalizing. The former Cinci Bearcat doesn’t need his quarterback to do all of the work for him either, Pro Football Focus credits him with the sixth most receiving yards after the catch at the tight end position. The Chiefs are four point home dogs against the Patriots in a game with a total of 45, so the total isn’t discouraging and the projection of the Chiefs losing means they could be playing catch up.
3- Delanie Walker (TEN), $8,950 @ (IND)
Walker’s usage has been eye catching this season. Last week he was only targeted four times, but he made the most of them pulling in a touchdown. In week two he was targeted a staggering 14 times, and on the year he’s leading the Titans in targets (25), receptions (17), receiving yards (233), and receiving touchdowns (2). He’s been the apple of Jake Locker’s eye, and the Colts look like a soft matchup. Pro Football Focus ranks the Colts 20th in pass coverage, and they’ve been burned by tight ends in two of three games, with their one good showing coming against the Jaguars. Julius Thomas stomped the Colts secondary on Sunday Night Football in the opening week, and Zach Ertz torched them as well. There’s a lot to like here, and that’s before getting to his completely reasonable price tag.
2-Â Greg Olsen (CAR), $10,300 @ (BAL)
Olsen is another usage beast at the tight end position, and unlike Walker, he has a good quarterback airing the ball out to him. Olsen leads the Panthers in receptions with 19, is tied for the team lead in touchdown receptions with two, and is second to rookie Kelvin Benjamin in targets with 26, and receiving yards with 224. His 26 targets are the second highest total at tight end according to Pro Football Focus, as are his 19 receptions. This isn’t an emergence out of nowhere either, Olsen was Cam Newton’s favorite target last year as well. Against a Ravens defense that Pro Football Focus ranks 26th in pass coverage, Olsen should be in store for a good game. Also, injuries to the Panthers backfield and the Ravens strength in defending the run make it sensible that that Panthers air it out more often. The total is low at 40.5 points, but that’s not enough to deter me from using Olsen on my DFS rosters.
1-Â Jimmy Graham (NO), $14,750 @ (DAL)
Graham is extremely expensive, and he’s worth every damn penny this week. The Cowboys rank 27th in pass coverage by Pro Football Focus, and tight ends have owned them this year. Vernon Davis lead off embarrassing the Cowboys with four catches for 44 yards and two touchdowns in the opener, followed up by Walker’s 10 catch for 142 yards and one touchdown in the second week. Jared Cook caught seven passes for 79 yards receiving last weekend. None of those three tight ends, as athletic and talented as they are, are Graham. Graham is a one of a kind monster that continues to lead his peers in targets and receptions by a wide margin, and he’s catching passes from an elite quarterback in Drew Brees. Graham is on the short list of players who can contend for being the highest scoring player in week four, regardless of position.