The Tight End Issue

Some Tight End Sleepers, the 1990s Cowboys are Getting a Docuseries, and all Hail Tim Patrick.

Author

Jennifer Eakins
July 06, 2023

Welcome to the Deep Dive Fantasy Newsletter, a once-weekly fantasy football publication coming to your inbox all summer long (weekly volume will increase throughout the summer and into the NFL season).

The lack of depth at the tight end position for fantasy football purposes has been a very popular topic in recent years, so it got me thinking about whether or not it’s been that way for a while or if it really has gotten much worse. I looked back at the number of double-digit scoring tight ends in half-PPR points per game since 2013 and this is what I found.

The average number of tight ends who produced double-digit half-PPR numbers on a weekly basis was 7.4 from 2013-2017 and dropped down to 6.0 from 2018-2022. While 2019 appeared to be an outlier thanks to boom seasons from Jared Cook, Austin Hooper, and Will Dissly, the output from the position has declined over the last handful of years.

On to this season and who we should be targeting after the elite tier of Travis Kelce, Mark Andrews, T.J. Hockenson, and George Kittle are gone. I’m a late-round TE gal so the focus will be on the potential steals in 2023, not the middle-of-the-road guys.

Chigoziem Okonkwo (Titans) - Yahoo ADP: 13.11, Underdog ADP: 11.10. Rank: TE11

Okonkwo caught fire in the second half of 2022 as the TE16 in half-PPR points per game from Weeks 9-18. While the QB situation in Tennesee is less than ideal, the pass-catching depth chart for the Titans after Treylon Burks is underwhelming.

Greg Dulcich (Broncos) - Yahoo ADP: 14.05, Underdog ADP: 12.02, Rank: TE14

Recency bias for the Denver offense is real, and drafters are nervous to invest heavily in the Broncos’ offensive pieces. Dulcich was a bright spot, however, as he posted TE15 numbers in half-PPR points from Week 6 on after returning to the field due to a hamstring injury. New HC Sean Payton plans to use the sophomore all over the field, stating “I think his menu (of routes and formation spots) is going to be lengthy in the passing game and there’s enough stuff we can do in the run game.” Dulcich could easily sneak into fantasy TE1 territory for the price of a TE2.

Sam LaPorta (Lions) - Yahoo ADP: 15.10, Underdog ADP: 14.08, Rank: TE21

We’re looking at a Day 1 starter on a team with a lack of weaponry to begin the 2023 season. While rookie TEs are historically tough to count on for fantasy production, LaPorta is in a great spot to contribute right away and won’t cost much in the draft capital department.

  • It’s not a done deal yet, but according to Matthew Belloni of Puck.news, Netflix has won the bidding war for a docuseries a la The Last Dance about Jerry Jones and the ‘90s-era Dallas Cowboys. Bring on the ‘90s nostalgia and hopefully, we get a glimpse into the infamous White House, and not the one in Washington D.C. For those unfamiliar, certain players purchased a house in close proximity to the Cowboys facilities explicitly for partying and everything that comes along with it. This series should be a fun one.

  • Since this is the tight end issue of the Deep Dive Fantasy Newsletter, I had to include the amazing news that former Raider turned Saint Foster Moreau is in full remission from Hodgkin’s Lymphoma. He will have to compete with Juwan Johnson for starting TE duties, but we can’t forget he does have a history with New Orleans QB Derek Carr.

  • The NFL and MLB intersected in a wonderful way on Monday as the Yankees kicked off their 14th annual Hope Week by having Bills safety Damar Hamlin throw out the first pitch against the Orioles. Hamlin was there prior to the game with CPR instructors to educate Yankees players and New York City Public School Athletics League personnel.

There weren’t many huge moves this week on Underdog but here’s a look at the biggest risers and fallers in ADP from 6/29 - 7/6.

🚀 Tim Patrick (Broncos) - Was: 200.9, Now: 183, Jump: 17.9

NFL Network’s James Palmer recently stated multiple people believe Tim Patrick is the “best football player” in the Broncos locker room and also noted that his return from a torn ACL could be a huge boost for Russell Wilson and the Denver offense. For now, Patrick will compete with rookie Marvin Mims for the WR3 spot but if he continues to turn heads in camp, he could solidify a larger role before the season begins.

🚀 DeVante Parker (Patriots) - Was: 214.9, Now: 200.3, Jump: 14.6

The 30-year-old inked a three-year extension worth up to $33 million on June 28th, with $14 million of it guaranteed. That's a pretty penny for a WR who has only eclipsed 1,000 yards once in eight seasons in the NFL. Parker’s extension likely caused a spike in ADP but let’s remember the former Dolphin struggled with injury and ineffectiveness in his first year in New England and has Mac Jones at the helm along with crowded WR and TE rooms.

🚀 Brock Purdy (49ers) - Was: 178.6, Now: 172.7, Jump: 5.9

The 49ers signal-caller has climbed 26.3 draft spots from a mid-17th-round selection to his current 15th-round spot since May 22nd.

On June 21st, Adam Schefter told the Pat McAfee Show the starting job was Purdy’s with Sam Darnold likely in the QB2 slot which may have added to his continual ADP elevation. There was also the news via Tom Pelissero that the sophomore QB headed to Jacksonville on June 26th to throw with QB coach Will Hewlett and ortho specialist Tom Gormely, likely instilling even more confidence for fantasy players to grab Purdy as a QB2 or even QB3 for the 2023 season.

🪂 Jalin Hyatt (Giants) - Was: 182.6, Now: 192, Slide: 9.4

We’re continuing to see an ADP freefall for rookie Jalin Hyatt, as he’s slid down 50.9 draft spots over the last six weeks. He was working with the third team in the Giants' last minicamp and it’s looking like a big uphill climb for volume for Hyatt in the crowded New York pass-catching corps.

🪂 Chase Claypool (Bears) - Was: 202, Now: 208.6, Slide: 6.6

Reports surfaced that Chase Claypool was “dealing with a few things”, causing the WR to miss a few weeks during Chicago’s minicamp. It’s not ideal that the former Steeler missed reps with QB Justin Fields, but once healthy he is still presumably the WR3 along with D.J. Moore and Darnell Mooney in a Bears offense that threw the ball just 377 times in 2022 which was dead last.

🪂 Wan’Dale Robinson (Giants) - Was: 190.7, Now: 197.3, Slide: 6.6

Robinson is recovering from a torn ACL and it’s still unclear if the 22-year-old will be ready by Week 1. The WR competition will be stiff in New York, as right now there are too many bodies with no alpha WR in sight. Robinson doesn’t have too much farther to fall as he is now a 17th-round selection on Underdog, so sprinkling him in amongst many best ball leagues isn’t the worst idea, but I would stay away in redraft formats.

Many folks out in the fake football world have their pitchforks out, targeting the tight end position in fantasy football. We had Andy Behrens from Yahoo on 4for4’s TMAP podcast a few weeks ago and he pounded the table to have the TE completely removed with claims that it’s a “fake position”.

While the lines between TE and WR are becoming more blurred in NFL schemes, if we get rid of the position for fantasy purposes it gives us all less to complain about. As you can likely tell from the fact that I dedicated an entire section of this newsletter to it, I enjoy a good vent.

In fact, I feel like lamenting over the total wasteland that is TE in fantasy football brings the community together in a wonderful way like we’re all in it together. If we abolish the position and just add another boring old flex spot, it eliminates a camaraderie that we don’t even realize has been there tying us together for what feels like decades.

So, long live the tight end and the perennial dart-throwing that comes along with it!

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