With just four days to go until kickoff, I’ll be discussing the top four under-the-radar tight end breakout candidates. This list is comprised of the tight ends who you can get almost for free in your draft who should exceed expectations. I’ve also included one additional name for the dynasty future!
O.J. Howard
O.J. Howard has been a man of mystery throughout his professional career. His skill set is unquestioned, and his speed is elite for his position. He has fallen victim to the injury bug, as well as poor performance, for the first three years of his NFL career. Howard has been mentioned as a breakout candidate through the first few years in the league but he has yet to see that label pay off. I believe that this is the year we see O.J. Howard blossom into a very usable fantasy asset.
Before his injury in 2020, Howard was on pace for the best statistical season of his career. Granted, his season was cut short after only 4 games. However, the chemistry with Tom Brady was real. He was on pace for 44 receptions and over 500 yards with 8 touchdowns if you extrapolated his stats for an entire season. His main competition is Rob Gronkowski, potentially the greatest tight end in NFL history. That said, Gronk is 32 years old and is coming off one of his worst statistical seasons, especially considering he suited up all 16 games.
If Howard is healthy coming off his 2020 week 4 Achilles tear, I think he is a tight end I’d want to roster in fantasy. He will be competing with a lot of big names in the Tampa Bay offense, but I believe the targets will be there. Howard was targeted about five times per game in his shortened season last year. He could see close to 100 targets this season if he remains on the field. He should be their mismatch weapon in this offense, and you can get him for pennies on the dollar. If you’re waiting on a tight end in your drafts, scoop up Howard late.
Adam Trautman
If Trautman was going late as a tight end before his injury, he is going even later now. Trautman is dealing with a foot injury that reportedly will take 1-3 weeks to recover from and is in jeopardy of missing the first week of the NFL season. That said, he should hopefully be back for the following 16 weeks and does not have anyone else on the roster that makes you worry that he’d get “Wally Pipp’ed.” Trautman was one of my favorite tight ends coming out of what was dubbed a ‘down tight end class.’ He has the prototypical size and impressed with his hands in college. With Michael Thomas out for at least 6 weeks after being placed on the PUP list, the Saints do not have a murderer’s row of pass-catching options.
Trautman should be in line for significant targets as I anticipate the Saints playing from behind more often than they’d like to think. You can get Adam Trautman later in the draft and know that once he is healthy, he is going to be on the field a ton with a quarterback who has a track record of putting up significant passing yards.
Jonnu Smith
Admittedly, I’m a little late to the Jonnu Smith hype train. He is a guy that I couldn’t quite get on board with after his mediocre season last year. He had flashes of brilliance and games where he simply disappeared. That said, looking a bit closer you can see that Jonnu shined when A.J. Brown was out of the lineup with injury last season. Fast forward to 2021 on a Patriots team whose pass-catchers include Nelson Agholor, Jakobi Meyers, Kendrick Bourne, and Hunter Henry. None of those names hold a candle to A.J. Brown. Jonnu may be the most dynamic pass-catcher on this team, and I expect him to be heavily involved in the Mac Jones quarterbacked offense. There may be some rookie quarterback struggles along the way, but that may help Jonnu become his safety net when feeling the heat of an NFL blitz.
Jonnu Smith had the same number of touchdowns in 2020 (8) as he did in his previous three seasons combined. He has officially broken out offensively and is moving away from the run-heavy offensive scheme in Tennessee to a more balanced attack which should play to his advantage. Jonnu is another tight end who is going late in drafts and maybe a great value if you wait.
Bonus Taxi Option
Harrison Bryant
If you follow me on Twitter, you know that Harrison Bryant has had my heart since I wrote up a piece on every tight end drafted in the 2020 NFL draft. He was my number one ranked tight end that year and fell into a crowded tight end room in Cleveland. Bryant is a guy who I feel has a ceiling of a top 12 tight end if he is ever allowed to start in Cleveland. He showed what he can do when Hooper was sidelined against the Bengals last season. Bryant finished as the TE 1 in fantasy that week. He has good hands and appears to be developing into a good blocker. He simply needs the tight end room to thin out. I believe he is a player who can be added at the end of your dynasty taxi squad as a stash for a potential 2023 breakout.
Thanks for reading everyone! Let me know the tight ends you’re targeting in your draft on Twitter @DFF_Ztrain.
