Josh Livi | May 7th, 2020
Fantasy Football is right around the corner for those of you do redraft leagues. If you do dynasty leagues, you have no offseason! Today I’m going to be diving into the tight end position and tell you guys my five favorite buy low tight ends for dynasty owners. Either it’s because they are on a new team, forgotten about, or about to go off! Sort of like stocks! So let’s get to it and give you those buy lows!
Eric Ebron – Pittsburgh Steelers
Ebron had his season cut short last year with the Indianapolis Colts due to a severe ankle injury. He played only 11 games but put up very modest numbers. He finished the premature year, with 52 targets, 32 catches 375 yards, and three touchdowns. Mind you, he did all that with the dreadful play of Jacoby Brissett. Now, Ebron gets a pass happy quarterback in Ben Roethlisberger. However, he is also coming off a pretty bad elbow/arm injury. Big Ben is the type of quarterback that you know will air it out 35 plus times a game. He loves his tight ends and he will make sure they get the ball.
Ebron is a prime candidate to bounce back and finish as a top-five tight end. A new team with a new quarterback, and hopefully both Ebron and Big Ben are fully healthy and recovered. I am expecting Ebron to surprise many people this year and he is the perfect example of a “buy low”.
Jack Doyle – Indianapolis Colts
As mentioned above, similar to Ebron, Doyle was impacted by Brissett’s lackluster play. However, Doyle was the preferred pass catcher when both Ebron and T.Y. Hilton went down with injuries. Again, similar to Ebron, Doyle’s value should bounce back this season as he gets a brand new pass happy quarterback in Philip Rivers.
Last year with Brissett, Doyle finished the year with 72 targets, 43 catches, 448 yards, and four touchdowns. With no Ebron insight and Rivers taking over, Doyle is going to be fed the ball plenty. I am expecting a massive year from Doyle and believe he could finish close to Ebron in the tight end ranks this year. Definitely keep Doyle’s name on your radar as he will make a lot of fantasy owners happy this year!
Chris Herndon – New York Jets
As a Jets fan, Herndon killed me last year on so many occasions. He had so much potential going into the 2019 year, building rapport with Sam Darnold as a rookie, and showing plenty of flashes in the 2018 season. However, the injury bug came to play also as Herndon played a total of one game in 2019. Largely due to his early four-game suspension, and the endless injuries that haunted him all season long.
In his absence, Ryan Griffin stepped into the starting tight end role and performed admirably. The Jets brought back both players in the offseason, so I am excited to see them both lineup and be reliable targets for Darnold. I truly believe If Herndon can stay healthy, BIG IF, he can overtake the starting job from Griffin and show us his true potential. There is no denying Herndon’s potential is through the roof and a full season under a revamped offensive line, a smarter Darnold, and he is going to put on some eye popping numbers! He’s one of my favorite 2020 bounce back players!
Tyler Higbee – Los Angeles Rams
Let’s fast forward to week 13 of the 2019 football season. Higbee goes off! That’s the week he decided he is going to start balling and boy did he show off! He averaged 10 targets a game, six receptions, and over 18 fantasy points in each of the last five games of the season! He finished the season with 89 targets, 69 catches, 734 yards, and three touchdowns. Most of them coming in the last few weeks of the season.
It’s no surprise that Jared Goff found a new favorite weapon in Higbee and locked in on him all year. With Todd Gurley gone, the Rams are going to have to rely heavily on the arm of Goff. Yes, the Rams have many other pass catchers, but given how the season ended, Higbee is going to be a TE1 this year. He was nearly matchup proof the last few weeks of the season, and you can bet that’s going to carry over into this season. His buy low window is closing, so get him while you can!
Rob Gronkowski – Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Gronk is back! We all are well aware that Gronk “retired” for the 2019 season, but he always left the door open for a return. During his “retirement”, Gronk stayed in arguably the greatest shape of his life. Now, reunited with his best friend, Tom Brady, it’s time to rock in Tampa Bay!
We all know the insanely talented human specimen Gronk is. Now, he gets to tear apart the NFC South. I am telling you all, Gronk is going to have a career year with Brady and in Tampa. He will finish as one of the top-ranked tight ends this season and he’s going to put on a show. He’s back, better than ever, and this is the best his body has felt in many years. Get him quick, and plug him into your lineup and forget about it!
That does it for this edition of Livi’s Fave Five! I hope you guys enjoyed it! Stay tuned for more fantasy football articles coming up soon! Stay healthy and safe.
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