As we approach midseason, it’s a good time to turn our attention to a pair of rookie tight ends who haven’t even played yet in a regular season game. NFL teams are constantly working on their rosters, and these guys possibly could develop into viable players.
I am interested in Jace Sternberger. The Packers intend to activate him off injured reserve in a few weeks, and I wonder how long it might be before he becomes their starting tight end. Jimmy Graham turns 33 next month, and he’s never going to return to being a relevant player. He’s just lost too much speed and athleticism. No way is he back in 2020, and I’m not sure that Graham will even be in the league. He’s just not a difference maker anymore.
Sternberger, of course, is little more than a shot in the dark. But the Packers wouldn’t have selected him in the third round unless they believed he would develop into their starting tight end. That’s been the plan all along. And he was very productive at Texas A&M last year, catching 48 passes for 932 yards and 10 TDs. He averaged 17.3 yards per catch last year, which is unusually high for a tight end.
If you’re in a 12-team dynasty league, I think it makes sense to carry Sternberger as a second tight end – a guy who might develop into something decent in 2020.
Jacksonville also selected a tight end in the third round – Josh Oliver (pictured)– and it might not be long before he becomes a starter. He’s been out all year with a hamstring injury, but he should make his debut on Sunday in Cincinnati. Oliver has been practicing fully, and the Jaguars are in need of help at the position. They recently placed James O’Shaughnessy on injured reserve, and Geoff Swaim won’t play this week. They’re down to just Oliver and journeyman veterans Seth DeValve and Ben Koyack.
Oliver caught 56 passes for 709 yards, with 4 TDs, at San Jose State last year. I don’t see him as appealing as Sternberger because I’m not confident in Jacksonville’s offense. Can they get their passing game going? And will they start using their tight ends more than they have in recent years?
If we’re in a 12-team dynasty league, Oliver to me looks more like a third tight end. That is, you’ve already got two tight ends, and you’re carrying a third, hoping he might beat the odds and become a decent player in future years.
There’s another third-round tight end who hasn’t played yet: Kahale Warring. He’s the former water polo player the Texans drafted out of San Diego State. But Houston has three other tight ends (Darren Fells and a pair they picked last year – Jordan Akins and Jordan Thomas) and I’m not sure how long it will be before Warring is even one of the top 2 tight ends on his own team.
The following rankings are for dynasty leagues, with fantasy teams holding the rights to players indefinitely. I’m using PPR scoring, and I’m thinking not only about 2019, but how productive players might be for the next few years. I have rookies tagged with black dots.
I hit one position each weekend, cycling from quarterbacks to wide receivers to tight ends to running backs. I hit the wide receivers last week. I’ll be back to running backs next week. To see past installments, see the “past issues” box at the upper right portion of the page.
| DYNASTY LEAGUE TIGHT ENDS | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Rk | Tm | Player | Age |
| 1. | KC | Travis Kelce | 30 |
| 2. | NYG | Evan Engram | 25 |
| 3. | SF | George Kittle | 26 |
| 4. | PHI | Zach Ertz | 28 |
| 5. | ATL | Austin Hooper | 24 |
| 6. | BAL | Mark Andrews | 23 |
| 7. | DET | • T.J. Hockenson | 22 |
| 8. | LAC | Hunter Henry | 24 |
| 9. | OAK | Darren Waller | 27 |
| 10. | NYJ | Chris Herndon | 23 |
| 11. | DEN | • Noah Fant | 21 |
| 12. | CLE | David Njoku | 23 |
| 13. | PHI | Dallas Goedert | 24 |
| 14. | MIN | • Irv Smith | 21 |
| 15. | IND | Eric Ebron | 26 |
| 16. | PIT | Vance McDonald | 29 |
| 17. | LAR | Gerald Everett | 25 |
| 18. | TB | O.J. Howard | 24 |
| 19. | BUF | • Dawson Knox | 22 |
| 20. | GB | • Jace Sternberger | 23 |
| 21. | TB | Cameron Brate | 28 |
| 22. | GB | Jimmy Graham | 32 |
| 23. | CAR | Greg Olsen | 34 |
| 24. | SEA | Will Dissly | 23 |
| 25. | CLE | Ricky Seals-Jones | 24 |
| 26. | TEN | Delanie Walker | 35 |
| 27. | IND | Jack Doyle | 29 |
| 28. | CIN | Tyler Eifert | 29 |
| 29. | MIN | Kyle Rudolph | 29 |
| 30. | MIA | Mike Gesicki | 24 |
| 31. | JAC | • Josh Oliver | 22 |
| 32. | CHI | Trey Burton | 27 |
| 33. | NO | Jared Cook | 32 |
| 34. | HOU | Jordan Akins | 27 |
| 35. | DAL | Jason Witten | 37 |
| 36. | LAR | Tyler Higbee | 26 |
| 37. | IND | Mo Alie-Cox | 26 |
| 38. | SEA | Ed Dickson | 32 |
| 39. | DAL | Blake Jarwin | 25 |
| 40. | HOU | Darren Fells | 33 |
| 41. | TB | • Tanner Hudson | 24 |
| 42. | SEA | Luke Willson | 29 |
| 43. | BUF | Tyler Kroft | 27 |
| 44. | BAL | Hayden Hurst | 26 |
| 45. | HOU | • Kahale Warring | 22 |
| 46. | NE | Benjamin Watson | 38 |
| 47. | KC | Blake Bell | 28 |
| 48. | CAR | Ian Thomas | 24 |
| 49. | OAK | • Foster Moreau | 22 |
| 50. | DET | Logan Thomas | 28 |
—Ian Allan