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.
Hot Plays, Fades and Sleepers: Week 11
Baltimore Ravens wide receiver Diontae Johnson has yet to find the amount of success he enjoyed when catching passes from Andy Dalton earlier this season. Head coach John Harbaugh did say that Johnson's involvement would be ramped up, but the Ravens have a tougher matchup in Week 11. They take on the Pittsburgh Steelers, Johnson's former team, who are one of the tougher defenses against opposing passing games. Zay Flowers, Mark Andrews, and Rashod Bateman have all been big pieces to this offense, so it's still unknown how Johnson fits into the mix. He could be a flex play in very deep leagues, but he's not much of a trustworthy option.
From RotoBaller
Baltimore Ravens tight end Mark Andrews delivered a vintage performance in Week 10 while Isaiah Likely was sidelined. He finished as the TE1 on the week and had an 87% snap share. In Week 11, Likely has been cleared to return and the Ravens take on their long-time rival the Pittsburgh Steelers. Andrews has gone up against the Steelers nine times in his career and has yet to find the end zone. He averages 50.7 yards and just shy of five receptions per game. The Steelers are currently around the middle of the pack against tight ends and allow 8.5 fantasy points per contest. Andrews' biggest question mark will be his snap share with Likely back which is why he hovers around the lower part of TE1 territory.
From RotoBaller
San Francisco 49ers running back Jordan Mason will back up All-Pro Christian McCaffrey in a Week 11 home date with the Seattle Seahawks. Mason was found money in fantasy in the early part of the year, performing like an RB1 with McCaffrey (Achilles) sidelined. That was until Mason struggled with a shoulder injury of his own and ceded snaps to rookie Isaac Guerendo. Last week as predicted, the return of McCaffrey was near-absolute, even in his first game back. Mason and Guerendo each received one carry and no targets. It was proof that head coach Kyle Shanahan's idea of easing his starter back from a lengthy absence doesn't include significant involvement from his other running backs. CMC is the bell cow, making Mason no more than a bench stash in Week 11.
From RotoBaller
Baltimore Ravens wide receiver Zay Flowers is looking to bounce back after a disappointing outing but will have a tough matchup to do so. The Pittsburgh Steelers are one of the tougher defenses against opposing quarterbacks and passing offenses. They're 23rd in fantasy points allowed to opposing receivers in half-PPR formats. Flowers will likely matchup with Beanie Bishop Jr. who has allowed the most receiving touchdowns out of the Steelers' corners, but only allows an average depth of target of 6.8 yards. The speedy wideout carries WR2 value going into this matchup.
From RotoBaller
The San Francisco 49ers D/ST unit will look to give the division-rival Seattle Seahawks a rude welcome to Santa Clara on Sunday. The 49ers are the sixth-most productive unit among fantasy D/STs. Seattle's offense shouldn't pose too much of a challenge, ranking as the ninth-best team in the NFL by yardage and 15th-best by points scored. The Seahawks have struggled taking care of the ball, tied for seventh in giveaways. They are also allowing 3.1 sacks per game, which is also tied for seventh-worst. San Francisco's best defensive weapon Nick Bosa (hip) is truly questionable though, telling the San Francisco Chronicle mid-week that "it's going to be close". Cornerback Charvarius Ward (personal) will miss his second consecutive game. Seattle's offense will be missing tight end Noah Fant (groin), but wideout DK Metcalf (knee) is set to return. The Niners' D holds the No. 5 spot in RotoBaller's Week 11 rankings.
From RotoBaller
Baltimore Ravens running back Derrick Henry has been nothing short of amazing this season and has propelled the offense to new heights. Even though Saquon Barkley is the current rushing leader after Thursday night, Henry has two more touchdowns, a higher yards per attempt average, and sits at RB1 on the season. In Week 11, he'll go up against the Pittsburgh Steelers who give up an average of 19.0 fantasy points per game to opposing backfields in half-PPR formats. They've allowed the fourth-fewest rushing yards in the league and only seven rushing touchdowns all season. Henry still boasts RB1 potential, however, because the Steelers are more stout against the passing game, so the game plan will likely go through the backfield.
From RotoBaller
San Francisco 49ers kicker Jake Moody will kickoff to the Seattle Seahawks in a Week 11 home matchup on Sunday. Last week, Moody had fantasy managers pulling their hair out, as they watched the second-year pro miss three consecutive field goals (49, 50, 44) before hitting the game-winner from 44. In 2023, Moody went through a stretch where he missed three of five attempts, including a potential game-winner in Cleveland, which had some in the media speculating about his job security. He would recover though, only missing two the rest of the way. San Francisco is sticking with the 2023 third-rounder once again. Hopefully, Moody can right the ship and demonstrate that last week's misses were a product of rust in his first game back from an ankle injury that took a month to heal. Seattle's defense is in the bottom third of the league, so Moody should get opportunities to put up points. He's a top-5 option in Week 11.
From RotoBaller
Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson has picked apart almost every team in the NFL throughout his career. One team, however, has been a constant thorn in his side and it happens to be their biggest rival the Pittsburgh Steelers. In six career games against them, he has a 2-4 record and has accumulated 870 yards, four touchdowns, and seven interceptions on 78-for-132 throwing with 262 yards on 53 carries. While he has struggled mightily against them, he remains a must-start fantasy asset because he's never faced them with as good of an offense as this one. His potential is always through the roof, but he could end up as a low-end QB1 since he has never scored more than 17 fantasy points against the Steelers.
From RotoBaller
San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Ricky Pearsall will line up against the Seattle Seahawks in Week 11 at home. The rookie out of Florida scored his first NFL touchdown last week in Tampa on a 46-yard catch-and-run to the pylon, part of a six-target, four-reception, 73-yard performance. The matchup for Pearsall is enticing, with Seattle allowing the 11th-most WR half-PPR points per game. The problem with Pearsall as a starting option, however, is that he's stuck in the 49ers' third-receiver role for now, which has been mostly fantasy-irrelevant in recent years. Teammate Jauan Jennings has grabbed hold of Brandon Aiyuk's outside receiver role, as evidenced by Jennings' 11 targets in Week 10. With Christian McCaffrey (Achilles) back in action, Pearsall is just the latest example of the too-many-mouths-to-feed problem in San Francisco during the Brock Purdy era. Pearsall looks like a quality NFL receiver with big-play potential, but target insecurity makes him a very risky WR4/FLEX play for now.
From RotoBaller
Buffalo Bills rookie running back Ray Davis has had his moments in his first year in the NFL, but he'll be a low-upside deep-league flex option for fantasy managers in a Week 11 showdown against the undefeated Kansas City Chiefs and their stingy defense. Not only will Davis continue to have limited volume behind lead back James Cook, but the Chiefs defense has allowed the fewest half-PPR fantasy points to RBs through 10 weeks in 2024. The 25-year-old played only 11 of the team's 74 offensive snaps in the Week 10 win over the Indianapolis Colts, finishing with three carries for six yards. Davis is an explosive back and is one of the better stashes at the position in fantasy, especially if you have Cook rostered, but in terms of weekly value, he leaves a lot to be desired with limited usage. He's averaging 4.2 yards per carry on 64 attempts for 268 yards and two TDs in his first 10 NFL games.
From RotoBaller
Seattle Seahawks running back Zach Charbonnet is coming off his bye week and will continue to serve as the backup to Kenneth Walker III for a big divisional game in Week 11 on Sunday against the San Francisco 49ers. In the Week 9 loss to the Los Angeles Rams, Charbonnet saw only two rushing attempts for eight yards and caught two of his three targets for 25 yards. The 49ers defense hasn't been as strong as recent seasons and they have allowed the 13th-most half-PPR points per game to RBs this year, but as long as Walker is healthy in Seattle's backfield, Charbonnet is only going to be provided with scraps. The 23-year-old is a great handcuff for those that have Walker rostered, but there's little standalone fantasy value to speak of. In the first meeting against San Fran on Oct. 10, Charbonnet had five carries for 20 yards and caught his only target for a 15-yard gain.
From RotoBaller
The Cleveland Browns elevated wide receiver Kadarius Toney from the practice squad to the active 53-man roster for Sunday's Week 11 contest versus the New Orleans Saints. Toney will be making his 2024 debut if he's active for Sunday's contest in the Big Easy. The 25-year-old former first-round pick by the New York Giants in 2021 hasn't lived up to his draft stock, mainly due to nagging lower-body injuries. If active for Week 11, Toney will provide the Browns with receiving depth behind Cedric Tillman, Jerry Jeudy and Elijah Moore while competing for playing time with Jaelon Darden and rookie Jamari Thrash. Toney missed over a month earlier this season due to an undisclosed injury but appears to be fully healthy for now. He's unlikely to be on the field for many snaps in his first game in 2024.
From RotoBaller
San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Deebo Samuel Sr. will face the Seattle Seahawks for the eighth career time in a Week 11 divisional matchup. Samuel Sr. has had more good games than bad against Seattle over the years, including Week 6 this season when he had 117 total yards and a touchdown. Less encouragingly, the game mentioned above was the last time Samuel Sr. exceeded half-PPR projections. Before that, you'd have to go back to Week 2, and he's averaged 5.2 targets and 2.7 carries per game since then. It's not like San Francisco hasn't been passing either, see Jauan Jennings' 11 targets last week. Samuel Sr. has been injured off-and-on this season, perhaps nagging injuries are playing a role. Still, the 28-year-old is just as likely as anyone to rip off a big play, and the 10 half-PPR points he's put up in each of the past two weeks aren't horrible. Seattle has allowed the 11th-most points per game to fantasy receivers. Samuel Sr. checks in on Sunday at the WR1/2 border.
From RotoBaller
Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Andrei Iosivas was a more attractive deep-league flex option the last three weeks with Tee Higgins (quadriceps) sidelined, but with Higgins returning for the Sunday night game against the Los Angeles Chargers in Week 11, he'll lose most of his streaming appeal. It's not like Iosivas really made a ton of noise in the three games that Higgins missed anyway, as he combined for three receptions on 11 targets for 39 yards and one touchdown in Weeks 8-10. The 25-year-old was talked up in training camp this summer and already has matched a career-high with four touchdown grabs, but he's had a difficult time standing out otherwise as the No. 3 behind Higgins and Ja'Marr Chase. Iosivas is outside the top 50 at his position through 10 weeks and should be avoided on Sunday night with Higgins returning against a stout Chargers defense.
From RotoBaller
Green Bay Packers wide receiver Dontayvion Wicks comes off his bye week to face a tough Chicago Bears defense on the road on Sunday in Week 11. The Bears secondary has allowed the third-fewest half-PPR points to opposing receivers in 2024, so the Packers passing attack could struggle to move the ball consistently this weekend. Wicks, meanwhile, will hope to contribute something after going catchless on three targets in the Week 9 loss to the division-rival Detroit Lions. He does have four touchdowns on the season, but he has only eclipsed 50 receiving yards in a game once in nine games and not since Sept. 29 against the Minnesota Vikings. The 23-year-old has 16 receptions for 192 total yards and is outside the top-50 wideout in average fantasy points per game. Wicks profiles as a low-upside, touchdown-dependent flex option in deeper fantasy leagues against Chicago.
From RotoBaller
Green Bay Packers wide receiver Christian Watson comes off his bye week to face the division-rival Chicago Bears at Soldier Field on Sunday in Week 11. Before the bye, Watson led the team with seven targets and hauled in three of them for 37 yards in the Week 9 loss to the division-rival Detroit Lions. The 25-year-old saw 13 targets in the two games before the bye, which equaled the number of targets he saw in the first six games of the year. Jayden Reed is easily the most trustworthy fantasy wideout in a crowded Packers receiving corps because of his frequent involvement as a rusher as well. It was good to see Watson get more involved in the last two games, but he's likely to remain a volatile boom/bust, touchdown-dependent WR4/flex against a Bears defense that has allowed the third-fewest half-PPR points to receivers this year.
From RotoBaller
The Las Vegas Raiders activated tight end Michael Mayer (personal) from the Non-Football Illness list on Saturday before the Week 11 contest on Sunday on the road against the Miami Dolphins. It's a big lift for the Raiders offensively, but Mayer is a poor TE2 streamer given the team's offensive struggles this year under quarterback Gardner Minshew II. Mayer has also taken a clear back seat to impressive rookie tight end Brock Bowers in 2024. The 23-year-old was listed as questionable on Friday's final injury report, so he still isn't a lock to suit up on Sunday, although being activated from the NFI list is a good sign for his availability this weekend. Mayer hasn't played since the Week 3 loss to the Carolina Panthers and hasn't even reached 2.0 half-PPR points in his three games played in 2024. He only has four catches on seven targets for 21 yards this year.
From RotoBaller
Los Angeles Chargers running back Gus Edwards (ankle) returned to a full practice on Friday and was removed from the final Week 11 injury report, so he will be available this Sunday night to face the visiting Cincinnati Bengals. Edwards returned in the Week 10 win over the Tennessee Titans last Sunday after missing the previous four games with his ankle injury and played only 15 offensive snaps while carrying the ball 10 times for 55 yards. The 29-year-old should have a bigger role in his second game back, but he's not relied on in the passing game and will remain the clear backup to J.K. Dobbins, making him impossible to rely on as a starter in fantasy lineups. Unless Dobbins goes down with an injury, Edwards is mostly a deep-league handcuff. After scoring a career-high 13 TDs last year in Baltimore, Edwards has 48 carries for 168 yards and no scores in five games with the Bolts.
From RotoBaller
Jacksonville Jaguars kicker Cam Little is not a great fantasy kicking option this week against the Detroit Lions. After the Jaguars offense scored just seven points last week against the Minnesota Vikings and Little scored just one fantasy point, it is hard to imagine things will be much different this week with Mac Jones still starting at quarterback. The rookie kicker has also scored one fantasy point each of the last two weeks, so in general, expectations should be low. Unless the Jaguars can somehow move the ball enough to get field goal attempts against a good Lions defense, Little shouldn't be expected to produce much more than he has recently. It is best to bet against Little from a fantasy perspective in Week 11 against the Lions.
From RotoBaller
Jacksonville Jaguars running back D'Ernest Johnson could get some opportunities to produce this week against the Detroit Lions. With Tank Bigsby out with an ankle injury, Johnson should serve as the clear backup to Travis Etienne Jr. While the Jaguars have used multiple backs for most of the season, that is mostly due to Etienne Jr.'s previous season performances and Bigsby's emergence this season. In the weeks when Etienne Jr. missed due to injury, Johnson didn't produce much. He did do decent against the Patriots in Week 6, producing 70 total yards on 12 touches. However, the Patriots have been one of the worst run defenses this season, while the Lions have been one of the better run defenses this season. Unless Johnson gets involved in the passing game, he is nothing more than a desperate fantasy option in Week 11 against the Lions.
From RotoBaller