Early Top 10 TE Rankings + Rookie Steals

The hope that he's healthy because he's... I don't know. It seems risky. He has great upside, but there are tight ends I'd probably prefer later on. If you don't get one of the early tight ends, then you take, you know, usually the strategy is you wait until the double digits. You take someone around that nine or ten range who has the opportunity or the talent to kind of take a huge step forward and maybe become that guy.

I'm certainly not going to be taking him in the sixth round. If that guy you wait on. Oh, if he dominates? If he dominates, he will be drafted. If he dominates and plays this year, he'll dominate next year. Next year, he'll be a top three pick. You heard of here first. All right. Hey, we've got our first great controversy. Number seven on the list. Jason, you are the measured man here, though, because you have him at eight. Where he belongs. Mike has him at 11. I have him at 4.

Eric Ebron last year finished his tight-in four. Consistency rank of five. He's 26 years old. 66 receptions, 750 yards and 13 touchdowns on 110 targets. New best friend for Andrew Luck. The Red Zone prowess, you know, finally Eric Ebron paid dividends for fantasy owners. And we didn't believe it. And then once we did believe it, he had a couple random goosers. Right.

But then he came back. And I mean, that's a ton of touchdowns last season. 110 targets. I don't think this season is going to be all that different for Eric Ebrun. That's why I'm at number four. So do I think he'll score 13 times? No. I'm at 10. I think he'll get in the end zone 10 times for Andrew Lut. I do. I think it was a friendship of opportunity. They have absolutely reloaded bringing in Devin Funches.

bringing a high capital pick on Paris Campbell. And we get into it all the time about Jack Doyle. But Ebron's operative, Ebron really surged. He was still catching touchdowns when Jack Doyle was on the field. But when Jack Doyle went out with his season-ending injury, that's when Eric Ebron really started to shine. And Doyle is going to be back. And Doyle is going to be on the field as the primary pass catching tight end, in my opinion.

So with all of those things, I just, I don't have Ebron coming close to the 10 touchdown area. What's it going to take for you to move? No, I don't even care if he believes in Ebron. I want to know what it's going to take from a history standpoint. Even right now, Jack Doyle is dealing with recovery from injury. 12 games in 2017, four games in 2018.

Why the confidence that Doyle is going to be the premier guy? Isn't there a world where a 26-year-old Eric Ebron 13 touchdowns, their head coach says to themselves, wow, that really worked. He's pretty good. That worked out. Why give it back to Doyle? Because Doyle is a complete tight end. Eric Ebron is just a... With those baby hands? Yeah.

Fair enough. It's missing something. And here's the last report from the Indianapolis star in March 29 that Doyle is on track for training camp. So always good. Just saying that a report in March that you're going to be at training camp, I would anticipate him being there for beginning of the season. So I've got him at eight, top ten tight end, not quite as high as you, Andy. But the argument for Ebron is simply this. Where he found his hay here.

in Indianapolis was touchdowns, right? They're able to scheme. The absolute most consistent statistic in fantasy football. No, I get that. There's huge regression there. But it's not a coincidence that Frank Reich comes to the Colts and is scheming the tight end zone very similar to the systems that he's used in the past. That was why we liked Doyle and Ebron going into last season. Those were the arguments. If you look at the games where he played with Doyle versus without Doyle,

He was actually far more valuable in the games with those five games where Doyle was registered as, you know, playing. He had big games with Doyle on the field. And why? Because the offense is not target defendant. The offense is moving. He's not a target. He's a touchdown defendant. This guy's not going to be leading this team as the number one target. So there is risk there. You're, you know, on a lot of those touchdown are bust weeks. But I think if the offense is moving with Paris Campbell, who's not an over-the-top take it to the house type, well, he could take it to the house. But he's.

You know, he's going to be taking more of the screen games. Well, you know, Hilton doesn't score more than six touchdowns a year. That's his entire MO for his entire contract. It's required. No, I mean, look, if this entire narrative had a different quarterback on the other end of it, we wouldn't be having this conversation. And again, in a PPR league, 60 catches is not going to get you what Ertz and those other guys get you. Doyle could catch more passes than Ebron does. I still think Ebron ends up ahead him in fantasy.

due to the red zone prowess. Yeah, it would be touchdowns because I agree. Doyle will catch more passes than him. I do, Ebron will likely outscoring by touchdowns, but will the gap be three touchdowns or will it be five? Sure. All right, David and Joku. He's our next big differentiator. Mike has him at eight. He's eight on our list and then Jason has him at five. Yeah, I get to be measured this time. I'm at 11.

Why do you hate David and Joku? I don't blame Andy's rank of 11 at all. I don't think your rank of five stinks. Well, here's the thing. The burden of proof, I believe, on those that like David and Joku should be on the one having him at five because last year he finishes the number nine tight end. He was the 17th most consistent. He's never had a real dominant game in the NFL at all, ever.

Even last season, that's the thing that bothered me the most about believing in David and Joku, the athletic freak, incredible touchdown celebrations, great quarterback. Baker really should throw all touchdowns to David and Joker. Oh, for entertainment purposes, I love it. Yes, pretty sure O'Dell is going to have some good celebration. Last season, a season in which the Cleveland Browns did not have O'Dell Beckham Jr. That's correct. There were four double-digit games out of 16 that David and Joku put out.

It's not enough for me. I agree that it is not enough for anyone. Last year, when you had that, you were not happy. But again, we're projecting this next year. We're projecting the year three for David and Joker. I would like to project last year's stats. I'm going to go with 56 for 639 and 4. That is a really solid projection for last year's stats. 88 targets. Did you project his targets to increase this season? Barely.

I projected him up to 90 targets. So only two more targets is not like a huge, I think he's going to take over, obviously with O'Dell coming in. But if you look at even just his catch percentage, right, comes into the league. He's catching 53% of his balls last year, 63%. Usually a tight end that's used the way that Injoku is used with, you know, a really hyper-accurate quarterback like Baker Mayfield. He should be catching 68, 69% of those targets. Where do you have Baker?

I have Baker surprisingly high. I have not. Not surprisingly. I'm asking the question, accordingly high, because I'm asking the question, because if you have, you know, targets, Beckham, Jarvis, they'll receive more targets than Djoku, correct? 100%. I've got them both significantly more, 151 and 115 targets. You're laughing.

I'm laughing because when I look at my ranking of Baker, it doesn't stand yet. I have only finished statting. I've only finished statting about a quarter of the league. So, you know, where is he right now in my rankings? He's number two. Oh. That's really high, but I have not ranked. He's ranked a third of the league. Right. But I do have him ahead of James Winston, Kyler Murray, Matt Ryan. I have him more. I think he's going to end up in my rankings between 10 and 12.

I know, Mike, when you finished yours, you were surprised how low he was. Yeah, I'm not done either, but he's trending more to that 9 to 12 range, which I was ready. I was ready to unleash Baker Mayfield as a top five quarterback, but it's just not working out that way. If you're wrong, why are you wrong? If I'm wrong, the reason I'm wrong is because he does not touch, he does not catch enough touchdowns because he's not a volume receiver. Here's the thing. He had four last year. I've got him at five, right?

and you guys have them at 11. The difference between the number 5 tight-in and the number 11 tight-in going in as far as projections go is irrelevant. I mean, it's a handful of points. It's so close together this grouping of tight-ins where it's like if one guy gets one more touchdown, he's going to go from the back of this list to the front of this list. When you get to the bottom of the tight-ins a lot of times you are talking about that. I do have this next player ahead of him. Jared Cook.

Mike, you got him at six. I got him at seven. Jason at 11 last year. He was the only show in town in Oakland, the tight end five. He's now on the New Orleans Saints. Drew Brees gets to throw him the football. The Saints, since Jimmy Graham left, have been the inverse of the whole Bruce Arneumns doesn't throw to the tight end argument that we're trying to say doesn't really exist. Once Jimmy Graham left, the target share to the tight end because you didn't have the most athletic freak in the league. It has declined. Now, last year...

17.4% to the tight-in position. Jared Cook comes in after a 68 for 896 and 6th season. I like them a lot, and I like them a lot because the Saints didn't do anything again in the draft. They have Treyquan Smith and Ted Ginn. Both guys I don't consider high-volume receivers. They have Michael Thomas who soaks up targets all over the field. Jared Cook, if you told me right now, let me ask you it.

You this question, Mike. What are the odds that Jared Cook has the second most? Okay, I'm not counting Alvin Camara. Alvin Camara is the second most. Sure. But out, you know, of the past catchers running routes, is Cook who you have projected at number three behind Camara and Michael Thomas? It's not outside of the realm of possibility. The point I was going to hit on was people are talking about the Saints didn't add anybody. They added Jared Cook. And I don't love Jared Cook.

But I really like his situation. He's on one of the best offenses in football now. And he at least has some juice, I mean, coming off almost 900 yards. Brooks, can you give me an age check on Jared Cook? 52. 32. I'm guessing, but I'm right. You're guessing, but you're correct? That is correct. What's his age, Brooks? Yeah, it's 32. Boom. It wouldn't.

It would not be shocking to see a near identical stat line at the end of the season of nearly 70 receptions, 900 yards, and six touchdowns. That would not surprise me at all. Yeah, I would still be surprised if he gets up near 900 yards. But it's not outside the realm of possibility. I think we've been really excited in the past Benjamin Watson. And, you know, whoever comes in in the tight end is like, oh, this, he's going to take that Jimmy Graham spot. And it hasn't really been there. We did not make that argument, by the way.

Neither of us. Please don't bring that into the fold. I do not want to say he's the next Jimmy Graham. Not any stretch of the imagination. Well, he's the next Jimmy Graham if like you're talking about Jimmy Graham right now. I haven't at 55 receptions. How many? 700 yards, six touchdowns. That's all it takes to be number nine. And I don't think it's fair to say they didn't bring anybody in this offseason outside of Jared Cook because Adam Humphreys, who used to be pronounced with an umphreys,

He moved on to Tennessee. I think that kind of took the umph out. It did. It's a met. But Lil Jordan. Humphreys. Oh, good. For the saints. Oh, look. That's pronounced with an Humphreys. It's pronounced with an undrafted. Oh. That's true. All right. Vance dance time. Number 10. Yes. Vance McDonald. I love that Mike's so excited. We all have a nine. He ends up 10 on our consensus making. Look, I am just very excited that as I.

I've been on the dance floor. I have been shirtless on this dance floor for quite some time doing my best moves. And I've been alone. I've been alone on this show. You've been alone for a good reason, Mike. You've been alone because now it's time to care. Before it wasn't time to care. That's fine. While you guys come out there, you're probably going to like pull a hamstring or something because you're not warmed up. I've got a nice flop sweat going on from all the Vance dancing I've been doing.

Vance McDonald is your number nine tight in. Do you have them projected for this season? Not yet. I do. At number nine. I do. You don't know how many receptions he has? He's actually very close to Coach's projection. 55-75-705. Last year, 50 catches, 610 yards, 4 touchdown. You know, you look at the departure. Left Bell, gone. Antonio Brown, gone. Jesse James is gone. Jesse James, gone.

Vance is the guy. So do they run the offense? Do they increase his target volume? Or do you look for guys like James Washington and DeAndre Johnson? I think Vance just naturally increases. Ryan Switzer, who wasn't there at the beginning of last year, but it was at the end. Does he have top five upsets? Yes. Oh, wow. I was going to say no. No, so here's, yeah. Which is the opposite.