Finding a reliable tight end in fantasy football can be a difficult task. Outside of Gronk, Travis Kelce, and Zach Ertz, it’s pretty hard to get a consistent scoring option at the tight end position. Well, this year you should have your eyes set on Jimmy Graham but maybe you’re in a league with really smart people. If you get stuck without a solid tight end in fantasy football, what diamonds in the rough should you take a flier on in your fantasy football draft?
Trey Burton (Chicago Bears)
Trey Burton will be the last obvious name on the list here. The Trey Burton hype train is on a roll but I think the high praise is warranted. Burton isn’t buried on the Eagles depth chart anymore and is now the number one guy in Chicago. Burton has a lot of things going for him. Mitch Trubisky is a big check down quarterback. Good news for Burton. Adam Shaheen scored 3 of Trubisky’s 7 total touchdown passes in 2017. Let’s say Trubisky throws 15. Does Burton take 8 of them? It looks pretty possible.
Ricky Seals-Jones (Arizona Cardinals)
Ricky Seals-Jones has no idea what he’s doing but he’s fireworks anytime he’s on the field. Seals-Jones didn’t have a high snap count last year but he was a big play tight end. 12 catches were the sum of his totals in 2017 but he recorded 201 receiving yards (16.8 yards per catch). He also caught 3 touchdowns as well. If Seals-Jones earns a bigger role on the team, watch out. Well, maybe it’s better to wait until Sam Bradford gets benched.
Austin Hooper (Atlanta Falcons)
Austin Hooper might be the most underrated tight end in the league. From year one to year two, Hooper went from 271 yards to 526 yards. Now that we’re heading into year three, why can’t Hooper reel in 800 yards? That’s a solid year for a tight end. Plus, Atlanta hasn’t figured out a way to get Julio Jones the ball in the end zone. Why can’t Hooper steal some touchdowns?
Mike Gesicki (Miami Dolphins)
Red Zone. That’s all you need to know with Gesicki. The 6-foot-6 tight end is a huge target when the field gets tight. Durham Smythe, Gavin Escobar, and A.J. Derby don’t scare you either from stealing his playing time, especially late in the season. The only problem is his quarterback is Ryan Tannehill so that limits his ceiling.
Jake Butt (Denver Broncos)
Jake Butt would have been a first-round pick if he never tore his ACL in college. That dropped Butt to the 4th round where he is coming off a redshirt year as a rookie. Denver doesn’t have a reliable tight end and Butt is slated to start. I don’t love Case Keenum or Denver’s coaching staff but Kyle Rudolph was damn good with Keenum a year ago. Why can’t Butt be productive? Maybe he’s the next Julius Thomas waiting to happen.
