Tue Jun 11 11:11am ET
By JEFF PAUR
Sr Fantasy Writer
Bowers could have big year one
Using our rules for our money leagues, we came up with a schedule strength ranking for the tight end position. We are using our fantasy defenses report to calculate the rankings. This report can be found in all of our leagues under the "reports" heading. We took the schedule of each team and entered the average number of fantasy points allowed to tight ends last season from all of their opponents to get our fantasy points allowed number. This is a good indication of the tight ends with the most favorable schedules for fantasy scoring for the coming season. Defenses obviously change from year to year, but knowing the tight ends that might have the easiest schedule for fantasy is always a good idea when formulating your rankings and draft strategy.
TE SOS | ||
1. | Cincinnati Bengals | 186.39 |
2. | Miami Dolphins | 193.98 |
3. | Philadelphia Eagles | 196.38 |
4. | Washington Commanders | 197.75 |
5. | Houston Texans | 198.15 |
6. | Pittsburgh Steelers | 199.18 |
7. | Tampa Bay Buccaneers | 199.68 |
8. | New York Giants | 201 |
9. | Dallas Cowboys | 201.18 |
10. | Los Angeles Rams | 201.38 |
11. | Buffalo Bills | 201.39 |
12. | Chicago Bears | 201.66 |
13. | Arizona Cardinals | 201.76 |
14. | New York Jets | 202.56 |
15. | Jacksonville Jaguars | 202.86 |
16. | Baltimore Ravens | 203.04 |
17. | Denver Broncos | 203.95 |
18. | Los Angeles Chargers | 204.02 |
19. | Atlanta Falcons | 204.25 |
20. | Cleveland Browns | 204.59 |
21. | New Orleans Saints | 205.62 |
22. | Seattle Seahawks | 205.73 |
23. | San Francisco 49ers | 206.80 |
24. | Indianapolis Colts | 206.89 |
25. | Detroit Lions | 207.92 |
26. | New England Patriots | 208.23 |
27. | Kansas City Chiefs | 210.92 |
28. | Tennessee Titans | 211.44 |
29. | Green Bay Packers | 212.07 |
30. | Minnesota Vikings | 212.23 |
31. | Carolina Panthers | 213.66 |
32. | Las Vegas Raiders | 213.81 |
A rookie led fantasy tight ends in scoring last year and the top rated rookie tight end this year gets the easiest fantasy schedule for tight end. Brock Browers and the Raiders have the most favorable schedule for tight ends. Sam LaPorta showed last year that a rookie can make an immediate fantasy impact, so don’t discount Browers to have big-time success in year one. He certainly looks the part of an elite tight end.
Another rookie with a good chance to start has the second easiest schedule for tight ends. Panthers tight end Ja’Tavion Sanders will compete with Tommy Tremble to start, but should emerge and be the top pass-catching tight end. He is looking like a good late-round gamble for fantasy teams.
The Vikings, Packers and Titans round out the top-five most favorable schedules for tight ends. T.J. Hockenson would be looking like a great pick if he wasn’t returning from a major injury. He is no sure thing to play early in the year. But once he is healthy, he could help fantasy teams in a big way once again.
Green Bay is likely to have Luke Musgrave and Tucker Kraft split a lot of the work at tight end, hurting both their value. They could produce some big games along the way, though, making them decent No. 2 fantasy tight ends this season. Both produced well in an expanded role last year.
Lastly, Chin Okonkwo didn’t quite have the breakout season many hoped last year, but he wasn’t bad by any means. Maybe he gets a few more chances this year and has some bigger games along the way with this favorable schedule. He is another decent tight end to grab as your backup.
The teams that top the list for toughest fantasy tight end schedules are teams that haven’t really utilized the tight end much in recent seasons. The Bengals have the toughest schedule followed bye the Dolphins. Mike Gesicki is the starter for the Bengals, but probably isn’t worth the risk with this schedule and the Bengals recent track record with tight ends.
Miami uses their tight ends to block more than anything in their offense. They have the occasional big game, but Jonnu Smith is going to be a risky weekly fantasy play. He would have looked much better landing with a different team.
There are a couple big-time fantasy tight ends that have unfavorable schedules. Dallas Goedert has the third toughest schedule. Goedert can be a little hit or miss to begin with in this offense, so this schedule gives him a little more concern. You might want to pass on him come draft day and go with another elite tight end with a better schedule and more consistency.
Dalton Schultz is the other elite tight end with a top-five unfavorable schedule. Schultz had a big first season with the Texans, becoming a favorite target of C.J. Stroud. He should get the targets this year. But he has a challenging schedule and more to compete with for targets, so his consistency might be a little off this year compared to last.
We also wanted to look at playoff schedules for fantasy tight ends. So we crunched the numbers of all the schedules from Week 14-17, which is the fantasy playoffs for most leagues. We know you have to get to the playoffs first, but knowing the tight ends with the easiest playoff schedules doesn’t hurt by any means, especially in the big-money contests.
TE PLAYOFF SOS | ||
1. | Atlanta Falcons | 175 |
2. | Tampa Bay Buccaneers | 182.37 |
3. | Philadelphia Eagles | 184.73 |
4. | Arizona Cardinals | 187.67 |
5. | Jacksonville Jaguars | 187.77 |
6. | New England Patriots | 189.83 |
7. | Miami Dolphins | 190.37 |
8. | New Orleans Saints | 191.3 |
9. | Los Angeles Rams | 192.17 |
10. | Pittsburgh Steelers | 192.43 |
11. | Cincinnati Bengals | 196.1 |
12. | Detroit Lions | 196.12 |
13. | Houston Texans | 196.2 |
14. | Indianapolis Colts | 198.97 |
15. | Buffalo Bills | 199.63 |
16. | Kansas City Chiefs | 203.03 |
17. | New York Jets | 204.13 |
18. | Carolina Panthers | 205.7 |
19. | Baltimore Ravens | 205.9 |
20. | Green Bay Packers | 207.7 |
21. | Chicago Bears | 213.73 |
22. | New York Giants | 214.27 |
23. | Seattle Seahawks | 214.72 |
24. | Cleveland Browns | 214.97 |
25. | Dallas Cowboys | 215.8 |
26. | Las Vegas Raiders | 219.4 |
27. | Washington Commanders | 220.13 |
28. | Denver Broncos | 220.8 |
29. | Minnesota Vikings | 221.72 |
30. | Tennessee Titans | 223.73 |
31. | San Francisco 49ers | 225.53 |
32. | Los Angeles Chargers | 228.53 |
The Titans and Vikings are the only two teams with the most favorable fantasy schedule for tight ends during the regular season and playoffs. Hockenson is the intriguing one because he might not be fully healthy until late in the season. So while he might not be a huge fantasy factor for the regular season, Hockenson might be a difference maker in the playoffs.
Okonkwo is looking like a player worth grabbing as a No. 2 fantasy tight end, especially if you have an established starter ahead of him. Okonkwo has a high fantasy ceiling for the coming year because of a schedule that could facilitate a breakout season for him.
The Chargers actually have the best fantasy playoff schedule for tight ends. Donald Parham is the likely starter and has some potential in an offense looking for playmakers in the passing game. This could be his best season to date, making him an intriguing late-round gamble.
George Kittle is the biggest name on the list for top-five favorable fantasy tight end playoff schedules. He is going to produce big and could be even better down the stretch with a schedule setup for success.
The Falcons have the most challenging playoff schedule for fantasy tight ends. This is not good news for Kyle Pitts. He is already a polarizing fantasy player, so this schedule won’t do him any favors to get in good graces with more fantasy owners. Many think he could finally turn things around this year with a new coaching staff in place, but nothing is certain with this situation. Pitts could be a boom or bust pick once again.
The Eagles are the only team on both the top five most difficult fantasy schedules for tight ends for the regular season and playoffs. Goedert is looking like a player you might want to let someone else grab come draft day. There are a lot of good, young options at tight end this year. Going with one of those guys over Goedert might be the play on draft day.
Trey McBride is a favorite for many fantasy owners this year for a breakout season. He had a huge finish to last year and is shooting up draft boards. We wouldn’t avoid him come draft day because he has the fourth toughest fantasy playoff schedule. It is a little bit of a concern, but not a huge red flag for the talented tight end. Maybe just prepare for his numbers to dip a tad during the playoffs.
Jeff Paur is a two-time finalist for FSWA Fantasy Football Writer of the Year and won the FSWA award for Best Fantasy Football Article on the Web in 2011. He also was the most accurate expert in 2012, winning the FSTA Fantasy Football Accuracy Award. If you have any questions for Jeff, email him at jeff@rtsports.com. Follow Jeff on Twitter @jeffpaur.
Washington Commanders DE Jonathan Allen has been granted permission to seek a trade.
From TheHuddle
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From RotoBaller
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From RotoBaller
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From RotoBaller
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From RotoBaller
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From RotoBaller
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From RotoBaller
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From RotoBaller
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From RotoBaller
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From RotoBaller
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From TheHuddle
The Athletic's Mike DeFabo thinks the Pittsburgh Steelers might want to consider trading safety Minkah Fitzpatrick, who hasn't played at a Pro Bowl level in two years. Even if the Steelers were to trade the big-money star, they'd still have the NFL's most expensive defense. Pittsburgh is set to have the most expensive defense in the league in 2025 for the fourth straight season with $163.8 million in salary cap hits, according to Over The Cap. That number is $27 million more than the second-highest spender on defense, the Tennessee Titans. If Fitzpatrick were traded, the Steelers would save $15.5 million of his $24.4 million salary cap hit this year, which would help them address an undermanned offense. The former 11th overall pick bounced back in 2024 and made the Pro Bowl for the fifth time in his career by recording 96 tackles (62 solo), one interception and a forced fumble in 17 regular-season starts.
From RotoBaller
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From TheHuddle
The Athltic's Mike DeFabo writes that Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver George Pickens, who is heading into the final deal of his rookie contract in 2025, could "hold in" at training camp this summer to force the Steelers to either trade him or give him guaranteed money early. DeFabo thinks that it's unlikely the Steelers will give Pickens a contract extension this summer after head coach Mike Tomlin said the 23-year-old wideout needed to "grow up" after a win over the division-rival Cincinnati Bengals. Pickens showed up late on Christmas Day against the Kansas City Chiefs and got into a shouting match with a fan in the regular-season finale. Pickens has shown plenty of talent as a pass-catcher, but his immaturity could get him run out of town. His 2025 fantasy value will depend largely on who the Steelers choose to be their starting quarterback.
From RotoBaller
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From TheHuddle
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Fantasy Spin: Stafford and the Rams continue to talk about a possible contract, but he has several teams interested in him if he is placed on the trade block. He will be a starting quarterback for a team in 2025 but probably will be a high-end No. 2 quarterback in most leagues.
From TheHuddle
The Houston Chronicle's Jonathan M. Alexander doesn't think the Houston Texans will make a big push to try and re-sign impending free-agent wide receiver Stefon Diggs (knee) this offseason. General manager Nick Caserio has made it sound like the door is open for Diggs to return in 2025, but Alexander thinks Diggs would have to give the Texans a hometown discount for a reunion to happen, even with fellow wideout Tank Dell (knee) potentially missing all of the 2025 season. Diggs is now 31 years old and is rehabbing a torn ACL that he suffered in late October, so it will be interesting to see what his free-agent market will look like. Because he might not be ready for Week 1, it could drive his price down, potentially creating an opportunity for the Texans to land him on the cheap. If Diggs were to return, he'd be the clear No. 2 to Nico Collins.
From RotoBaller
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From RotoBaller
Dynasty | Wide receiver Stefon Diggs is not expected back with the Texans. Dynasty Analysis: Diggs was supposed to make a big impact with the Texans this season but tore his ACL instead, ending his season way too early. He ended the season with 47 catches for 496 yards and three touchdowns, putting his long and short-term future in doubt as a player in doubt as he's now 31 years old. It seems he'll be looking for a new team as a first-time free agent but the market for players of his age coming off ACL injuries is typically pretty tepid. Diggs' dynasty value is starting to fall pretty dramatically.
Dynasty | Colorado quarterback Shedeur Sanders is skipping the workout portion at the NFL Scouting Combine, Dynasty Analysis: No surprise here, really. Sanders is protecting his own interests and his Father is pulling some pretty tight strings as well. In some ways, Sanders controls his own destiny as he's one of very few players who doesn't necessarily need the NFL paycheck to lose leverage. In the end, he's likely going to be a top-five pick, but that team is also going to need some assurance that he's willing to play for them as well. Regardless, he looks like a solid first round rookie pick this Spring.