This position may have been the most frustrating at the beginning of the season. Now with seven weeks in the books, we have more clarity at this position. We’ve relied on the name brands at tight end like Rob Gronkowski, Travis Kelce and Zach Ertz. However, some new names have emerged to bring more consistency to the tight end position. So, which players are prime to disappoint? Let’s find out in the tight end edition of week 8 DFS don’ts.
Austin Sefereian-Jenkins has been a wonderful surprise. Football aside, it’s great to see a guy prioritize his life and become a productive player. Unfortunately, I think the production will slip this week as ASJ faces off against the Atlanta Falcons.
What? The Falcons have been terrible defensively. How could ASJ not have a favorable matchup? Well, he is going to line up across from Keanu Neal, one of the league’s best cover safeties. According to Pro Football Focus, Neal’s grade is 81.1, which is 24th among all safeties. However, his size and speed make him a great weapon to deploy against opposing tight ends. This season the Falcons have surrendered zero touchdowns to tight ends.
Much of that has to do with Neal. But, they did allow Charles Clay to accumulate over 100 yards receiving. That was an outlier, since Clay was the Bills’ best receiver and was the focal point of their passing game. What makes ASJ so hard to defend is his unusual athleticism for his size. I don’t see him having a big day. Sure, he could score if given a few end zone targets, but he won’t produce much outside of scoring.
OJ Howard’ inconsistent workload and touchdown dependent production places him on the week 8 DFS don’ts list (Courtesy of; AL.com).
I’ve banged the don’t play O.J. Howard drum since week one. Rookie tight ends don’t produce outside of Rob Gronkowski, and now, Evan Engram.
Howard’s talent is undeniable, but he plays in an offense with plenty of mouths to feed. Right now, Howard is behind Mike Evans, DeSean Jackson and Cameron Brate in targets.
When you add in Adam Humphries and the running game, there simply aren’t enough opportunities for Howard to produce consistently. I know I know, he had a great game against the Bills. Well, if you actually watched that game you’d know that his two touchdowns were a fluke. There was no one within 10 yards of him on both of those plays.
This is a case where looking at the box score is not sufficient. The tape of the game tells a completely different story. Yes, Howard’s role in this offense is increasing. However, we cannot count on him scoring twice on six targets. Play him if you’d like, just don’t blame me when his final stat line is three catches for 44 yards and no touchdowns.
Featured Image Courtesy of MassLive.com
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