Bold tight end predictions for the 2018 season

Prediction 1

Zach Ertz is going to be the top Fantasy TE this year.

Rational: First – Rob Gronkowski is injury prone, plus there is a valid reason for concern in New England with the behind the scenes rumors right now. Second – Travis Kelce now has Patrick Mahomes throwing to him, the same Patrick who is using every opportunity he can to throw the ball 40 yards down field, hardly helpful for a TE. Don’t get me wrong, there is still a good chance Rob and Travis are #1 and #2 BUT over the last three seasons Philadelphia’s Zach Ertz has gone from the 6^th most receptions among NFL TE’s, to 5^th in 2016 to 3^rd last year. He has also gone from the 23^rd most reception TDs (2015) among TE’s, to 11^th in 2014 to 2^nd last year. That is a strong trend in both areas to show continued utilization of their TE position.

Prediction 2

David Njoku is NOT a top 15 TE this year.

Rational: He was great last year but a lot of the TE success is dictated by the QB and looking at Tyrod Taylor’s numbers, he does not go TE heavy. Charles Clay has not landed inside the top 10 in touchdowns or receiving yards any of the last 3 years. Add to that Tyrod has Jarvis Landry, Antonio Callaway, Josh Gordon, Duke Johnson, Carlos Hyde and Nick Chubb to distribute to and I think Njoku might actually see fewer receptions vs. last season.

Prediction 3

Nick Boyle is a top 10 TE in receptions this year.

Rational: As of late, Joe Flacco likes his TE a lot, last year Benjamin Watson was 8^th in receptions and the previous year Dennis Pitta was 1^st in receptions. Nick joins the illustrious ranks and next up for this possibility. Keep in mind the other current options for Flacco are: Michael Crabtree, Josh Brown and Willie Sneed. I repeat, the other options for Flacco are Crabtree, Brown and Sneed.

Prediction 4

Jimmy Graham is not a top 15 TE this year.

Rational: I know this seems crazy but Rodgers has not had a top 10 TE in Receptions, Touchdowns or Yards any of the last 3 years. Jimmy Graham is 31 and spent most of his last years more blocking centric than receiving. I don’t think this is the slam dunk turnaround that people are expecting it to be.

Prediction 5

Austin Hooper is a top 10 TE this year. He is ranked outside the top 20 on most lists.

Rational: I’ll be honest, this one is about 80% gut feeling and 20% stats. I watched a few games last year and was impressed with how often Matt Ryan continued to utilize Austin. He was consistent through the season getting a about 4-5 targets each game (especially after the first 3 games) and bringing in 20-40 yards each game with a touchdown every 5 games. The season started with him getting 2 targets per game and worked its way up to 4-5 by the end of the season. Consider me the one man Hooper hype train.