PAST PRODUCTION
Golden Tate finished five straight seasons with over 100 targets prior to being traded to the Giants in 2019 and dealing with a fading Eli Manning and rookie quarterback Daniel Jones. From 2014-2017 Tate had four straight seasons of 90+ catches and was a top 25 receiver each year. He’s also one of five players since 2013 with over 20% target share ever year, below are the others.
He finished as WR45 in PPR formats but averaged 14 FPPG, good for 25th overall. Tate had a down year and isn’t getting any younger but it appears he’s still got it.
Tate exhibits elite route running and the ability to secure the pass with a defender draped all over him in this play against the Lions. You wouldn’t think it because of his size but he finished 24th in contested catch rate (37%) in 2019.
2020 OUTLOOK
Golden Tate may surprise the fantasy community this upcoming season. Tate spent the majority of his career in one offense but, not only did he make the transition to his second team in two years, he was suspended for violating the NFL substance-abuse policy. He was suspended for four games but also missed significant time in training camp, time normally utilized building chemistry with his new teammates.
There’s reason to believe Tate will the most valuable fantasy receiver on his team in 2020. He finished second in the NFL in catchable target rate (88.2%) compared to Slayton who finished 46th. Both finished with 20%+ target share but Tate received 18% red zone target share while Slayton finished with 10.8%. Tate finished third on the team in red zone target share. His high target share and red zone usage provide the security of a high fantasy floor. He’s also fantastic in the yards-after-catch department. He finished 25th in 2019, averaging 3.5 YAC. Keep in mind Tate did all this starting just 10 games last year.
DYNASTY ANALYSIS
Fantasy football calculator PPR ADP has Tate going in the 13th round and dynasty ADP in the 11th round. Both Darius Slayton and Sterling Shepard are going at least a round or two earlier. Almost every Giants receiver dealt with injuries and missed time, including Golden Tate. Each of these receivers finished as a WR3/WR4 but potentially have upside to be a WR2’s. Slayton was impressive as a rookie but Golden Tate may be the better value and a safer option over the next few years.
Yes, it’s true, Golden Tate is 31 years old and that’s generally right around the fated age cliff for wide receivers but the way he plays the position ages very well. Look at Julian Edelman, a very similar style receiver. He’s 34 years old and just finished as the WR7 in PPR leagues.
Not all owners appreciate a fantasy player with a high floor, a lot of owners seek out the high ceiling players instead to take advantage of those big games where they outperform the average. That said, there’s value in a bench player with a safe floor and opportunity for upside like Golden Tate, whose falling into the double-digit round of drafts.
Thank you for reading. If you have any thoughts or would like to discuss, you can find me on Twitter @WillieBeamanDFF.
