Fantasy Football 2018 - Early TE Rankings

who was drafted in the fifth round has an opportunity and Philip Rivers goes to him. No, Hunter Henry was a super highly touted, highly drafted player. Second round draft pick. Yeah, I mean, he was talked about as a first round draft pick, fell to the second. He wasn't happy with you saying second, which sounds like they weren't very pleased with the first round chatter then. If he dropped all the way to the second, like a bum. Oh, the second round is pathetic. Look, it's one of the hardest things in fantasy football is to imbue another player with.

the responsibility of replacing a Hall of Famer. We tried to do this with various tight ends in New England to replace Aaron Hernandez. That didn't come to fruition. But they weren't high pedigree guys. Exactly. To Jason's point, that does not mean, look, year one, 34 receptions, last year 45, do we think he's going to be in the 60 reception range? And you're hoping for double-digit touchdowns, eight touchdowns? You'll be really happy if that happened. Yes, I will. He's just 23.

So I like him. I do like him because I like the offense. It takes tight ends a couple of years. You're disappointed in Hunter Henry, but you shouldn't be because he's only played two years at tight end. Usually you don't break out within those first two years. The fact that he has. Evan Andrew disagrees, Jason. I said usually. The fact that he has disappointed owners should show how good he was because his expectation was probably too high.

Give him that opportunity. And look, every single year, you look at the fantasy finish of people and the ranks change. I'm calling for a change for Hunter Henry. He's going to be great. And if he is dropping to the seventh or eighth round, this is the first tight end. Is there any chance? I want to take a swing at a guy who could finish top five and be consistent. That's Hunter Henry. Is there any chance they do, Antonio is solid? Because he says he still wants to play and he's a free agent.

They could bring them back into one-year deal and make you just cry. Weep. Oh, yeah. I think it could still happen. I hate to say it. Yeah. No, I did sign Virgil Green. So if you want to be comforted by the fact that they're at least making plans without him. But I don't know. That's, to me, that's actually, that's a big checkmark for Hunter Henry. Yeah. Because Virgil Green is a block. He's a blocking tight end. Enough of Jason is blocking. Yeah. I got a show.

I got to show you look like your white dad trying to raise the roof. I'm raising the walls. See? Hey. Push it out, fellas. From the 20s, apparently. The roaring 20s. Last year, when Hunter Henry was the goose, it's because he had to stay in and block. He couldn't get out and run these routes. So that's a check mark. All right. Tighten number three next year. All right. Number six on our list. Mike's number five, Jason, six, my seven.

is a player that, look, here's a little behind the scenes. He, his picture may not be on the bathroom door of one of our two restrooms here at the studio. You want to talk about. And it's Jason's fault. Fantasy burns. Where when a player just absolutely destroys you.

and tanks your season and you feel that sting and we talk about on this show you need sometimes you buy a canvas next time that player you got to be forgiving well jason took out his vengeance i was forgiving with him as far as fantasy goes but not as far as commemoration you know i i needed that bathroom with a large gregg olson poster

How are you going to do Olson so dirty? I know. Well, what's crazy is the year? We have Jeff Fisher on one bathroom. We have Greg Olson on the other. And it's not fair. And when somebody needs to do their business, it's like, I'm heading to Olson or I'm heading to Fisher. The year prior in the League of Record, I won a championship with Greg Olson. And then the following year, Greg Olson, if you don't remember, this was two years ago, was, I mean, he was unfathomably great the first half of that season. He was Gronkian. And I traded for him to get back-to-back titles.

And he was the tight end 18 for the second half of the year. He was so good that he still finished the year, the third best tight end. That's how exactly. That's how good he was the first half that I didn't have him for. All right. So last year, injury marred season, Olson getting older, changes to that offense. He has, he had finished in the top seven for five straight years. Three straight years of a thousand yards, an incredible feat for a tight end. And I have Greg Olson. Speaking of feet.

I love it. Yeah, he did have the broken foot. I'm giving Greg Olson a pass, and I'm choosing to believe that he can still put up the thousand yard type of a season. From 2012 through 2016, his catch rate was 65%. Even with Cam Newton throwing the ball, great catch rate. Last year, it dropped all the way to 44.7. On 38 targets, only 17 receptions. I'm...

wiping the slate clean for Greg Olson and choosing to believe that he will still be one of the premier fantasy tight ends. Once again, I don't know what his cost will be because he burned so many people. The foot is still a situation where frequently with the injury guys have to go in for a second surgery. They're saying he doesn't need it as of now, but in the season that...

could suck and could change. Yeah, I mean, that second surgery is usually something that happens in season. In game, oh, crap. Yep. I'm going to need that second surgery. That surgery requires a redo about 20% of the time, which is a really large number. One in five require that second surgery. He has not had it yet. But if he is on the field and playing, if he doesn't need that surgery.

He is going to be more consistent than most of these guys we've talked about already. I would bank on him. If every single one of these tight ends is playing 16 games and they're healthy, I'd take him over Evan Ingram. Really? Yeah, over the upside of... Because I believe the consistency is important at the tight end position. Yeah, they didn't add anything in the past catcher's department to make me think Olson's not going to be heavily involved. Right. And so the reality is when I'm outside of the top three tight ends,

I expect, I'm hoping that I nailed it. I'm hoping that I got Hunter Henry in the 8th and he's great and consistent, but I am always expecting to drop this guy at some point. So if he gets hurt and re-injured, then so what? I drop him my stream. But until that point, he will be a quality tight end. So I don't mind Greg Olson. I hope he continues to slide. Speaking of health.

The celery at the tight-in position has to be number seven on our list. Delaney Walker. Yeah. I think that's a little too low brow for Delaney Walker. But I mean, he's like not. He's not flashy. He's bland. He's not. Is celery not the most bland? You're describing celery. Oh, celery's bad. But it's got a bland as can be. Brooks is celery bland. Brooks is celery bland.

Yes. Yeah. Thank you. And it serves a purpose. I mean, you're eating those hot wings. It carries raisins and peanut butter. Ants on a log bun man. That's right. Yeah. Fine. We'll put some peanut butter on the celery and then we'll call it Delaney Walker. The celery is really diverse as well. I mean, you can put that in adult beverages. You see it in children's snacks. You see it for hot wings. Like.

Here's the problem. I don't know how you did it. Overachiever, for sure. You talked about how many elite tight-in games that Grancet. You don't get that with Delaney Walker. Well, you didn't. You got zero. You didn't and you won't. And you likely don't. Look, three touchdowns. 111 targets is what you love. 74 receptions. He was reliable. He was a checkdown. He's been great. I mean, I'm sure people will take that as great disrespect to call him celery. All I'm saying is that.

You kind of give what you get. You want to get somebody that is consistent if he falls down the draft boards and not think about your position. It's kind of like Witten a couple years ago. Yeah. He's like Witten before he got even older. The only problem is that Witten is a giant beast of a man who I think that helps him play into later age. Whereas Delaney Walker's, you know, is. Delaney's a big boy. Delaney's six foot, which is very small for a type. He's a big boy. He is. He's 248.

So he's, Delaney Walker is only six feet tall? You need to verify your source. All right. A tight end that is six feet tall. Okay. I've got a different one that's what I got. But this also shorts him seven. Six two on NFL.com. We're moving up. Uh-oh. Who was the player? He's always been a shorter. We got a camera on his pain situation. Yeah. Delaney Walker's always been. Well, he was wearing his lifts for these.

No lifts. You know, he's never been the prototypical 6-4-250 guy. No. And my point is, he is getting up there in age. It's going to be 34. 34 to play this season. I mean, people that are 34 are pathetic. And I just turned 34. Yes, you did. Here's the thing with Delaney Walker. The stats were practically identical, similar to Kelsey and Ertz. He had 807 yards last year the year before 800.

But he dropped from seven to three touchdowns. But you have to look at his quarterback. Marcus Mariotta, 26 touchdowns down to 13. A 5.8 touchdown percentage down to 2.9. So do you like Delaney or do you not like Delaney? I like him. Because they have Joni Smith. Yes. Yes. Delaney Walker is the first official member of my will not draft list. You want to know why?

Because he's a fifth round pick. Oh, oh, no. I can draft Hunter Henry, Jordan Reed, Jimmy Graham, Kyle Rudolph, Tyler, Ivert. Fine. Any of those guys way behind him. And let me just say this, because this is like a do-it-for-me, Foot Clan moment. Foot Clan, if you're in a dynasty league and you have, you know, you're up there in age at the tight-in position, you're like, man, who could I target? Go trade for Jono Smith.

Because I've really wanted to. I believe that Jono Smith is going to take over the Delaney Walker role and excel at it with Marioada. But the guy in our league loves him. And so I can't get him. So do it for me. You go trade for him and you say, I got him, Jay. And I'll say congratulations. I think we got one more year. Yeah, no, I agree. I don't necessarily think this is the year. That's why I'm saying Dynasty. Delaney Walker has generally been on my do not draft list because he's.

usually costs too much, and I don't see that top three finish. Basically what Jason was talking about, swinging for the fences. But if Walker, I thought this would be the year that Walker would drop in ADP. So we'll see if he's actually going, people are still buying in at last year's price, then no way. All right, we've got to move on to number eight, the slightly less handsome Jimmy G. Jimmy Graham himself coming in.

As my number six, Jason's eight, Mike's 11. I know we've been down some dangerous roads with Green Bay Packer tied ends. But Jimmy Graham on a limited year with Seattle in terms of lining up for offensive snaps, which was only 68% of the time. Which was 0% of the time. Yeah, look, he had 10 touchdowns. He is great around the goal line. Mike, we just talked about Devante Adams.

The big sell. Every time I want to doubt Devante Adams, you go, Aaron Rogers is going to 35 touchdowns. Where do they go? Well, I don't think 30 of them are going to Devante Adams. I don't think 20 are. I think Jimmy Graham is going to have a big red zone role. He's going to be somebody that you can count on to score more often than not in each and every game. The problem with a tight end like that, though. I agree. At the end of the year, Jimmy Graham will be a top 7, 8 tight in for sure because of touchdowns. The problem is,

Will you want him on your team when he is the type of guy where you're going to start him every week? And if he doesn't get a touchdown, he'll probably end up with worthless stats. I don't know if that's true. You think that's going to be the case for Jim Graham? I 100% think that Jimmy Graham is. You don't think another year of getting into better shape? No, I think it's another year of his body breaking down. He went from. It's crazy, though, because he's the fourth best tied in two years ago. Fourth best last year.

Yeah, but now he gets Aaron Rogers. He dropped from 14.2 yards per reception down to 9.1, the lowest of his career. He went from 57 yards a game down to 32 and a half. Lowest since his rookie season. His catch percentage went way down and Russell Wilson's a fine quarterback. It was the red zone touchdowns that saved him. But will that be enough for him in Green Bay? I know people like Richard Rogers.

Yeah, Richard Rogers had eight touchdowns. He finished the tight-in 10 that year. He was not a top-five guy with eight touchdowns. Richard Rogers is still finishing out one of his routes from two years ago. He is not what Jimmy Graham is athletically. I think what the best value in the draft might be Jimmy, because you can spend a seventh rounder, guarantee yourself some week-to-week consistency Delaney Walker level play with actual upside of Aaron Rogers and Jimmy Graham's athleticism. I think Jimmy Graham. I like him.