X
Lost password?

Don't have an account?
Gain Access Now

X

Receive free daily analysis

NFL
NBA
NHL
NASCAR
CFB
MLB
MMA
PGA
ESPORTS
BETTING

Already have an account? Log In

X

Forgot Password


POPULAR FANTASY TOOLS

Expert Advice
Articles & Tools
Import Your Leagues
Draft Rankings
Draft Simulator
Enter League Settings
Value Picks
Compare Any Players
News and Alerts

Undervalued Tight Ends - PPR Draft Targets

Welcome back RotoBallers! In case you haven't been following this series, I've covered some of my favorite undervalued PPR wide receivers and PPR running backs so far.

This time we are going to look at tight ends. Below are a few undervalued tight ends that I believe will perform better than their draft day cost, and would target in PPR fantasy drafts. There's plenty of value at the position if you know where to look.

Note: All ADP data is taken from Fantasy Calculator PPR drafts for 12 team leagues.

Be sure to check all of our fantasy football rankings for 2025:

 

PPR Draft Values - Tight Ends

Kyle Rudolph (TE, MIN), ADP: 7.11

Entering the 2016 season Rudolph was barely on the fantasy radar at the tight end position. Then he got Sam Bradford as his quarterback and exploded for a 83 catch, 840 yard season. He added seven touchdowns and finished as the number two scoring tight end. If you're worried that last year was a fluke don't be. Since entering the league 30% of Bradford's touchdowns have gone to tight ends. As long as Bradford is under center Rudolph will have big time upside.

Zach Ertz (TE, PHI), ADP: 8.08

Ertz has now posted back to back seasons with at least 75 catches and 816 yards. From week 8 on last year Ertz saw 86 targets. With the departure of slot receiver Jordan Matthews, Ertz should be just as involved if not more in 2017. In the Eagles third preseason game, Wentz targeted Ertz three times on just 10 attempts. He should easily eclipse 100 targets and could be headed for a breakout year in an offense that had the sixth most passing attempts in 2016.

Eric Ebron (TE, DET), ADP: 11.04

Since entering the league in 2014, Ebron has improved in every statistical category. His targets (47-70-85), catches (25-47-61), yards (248-537-711), yards per reception (9.9-11.4-11.7) and catch rate (53.2-67.1-71.8) have all steadily improved. The only statistic that hasn't improved is touchdowns. After scoring five in 2015 he only found the end zone once in 2016. Considering he saw more red zone targets in 2016 than 2015, I'm willing to chalk this up to bad luck. When you factor in the departure of Anquan Boldin, who led the Lions in red zone targets with 24, it's not hard to envision Ebron posting another five touchdown season. If his other numbers improve as well Ebron could easily push into the top 10 tight ends.

Jason Witten (TE, DAL), ADP: 13.10

Witten has finished as a top 12 PPR tight end every year since before I was born. Not really, but it has been 14 years since he finished outside the top 12. That is just amazing. While he doesn't bring huge upside to your roster, he gives you weekly consistency that not many tight ends can. When you can grab a low end TE1 in the 13th round you are getting amazing value.

Cameron Brate (TE, TB), ADP: 14.02

Did drafting O.J. Howard make people forget that Brate was TE7 last year. Or that he had as many red zone targets as Mike Evans? Don't get me wrong, Howard is a fine player and has a bright future, but Brate is still going to be the leading tight end for Tampa Bay in 2017 and could have another year were he finishes top 12. Going as a low end TE2 makes him an absolute steal for players who like to wait on tight ends.

 

Deeper Dives

Unfortunately Fantasy Calculator doesn't show ADP past round 14. There are still tight ends I like beyond that range, especially for those of you who play in two tight end leagues. So, here they are:

Antonio Gates (TE, LAC)

With the exception of 2012, Gates has finished as a top 12 PPR tight end every year over the last 13 years. In that 2012 season he finished 13th. Gates needs just one more touchdown to pass Tony Gonzalez for the all time lead for tight ends and I doubt he will want to stop there. While he may slip out of the top 12 this year, he is a safe TE2 who should score his share of touchdowns.

Austin Seferian-Jenkins (TE, NYJ)

I never thought I would be calling Seferian-Jenkins a value.  An extremely talented player who has disappointed and battled alcohol abuse, Seferian-Jenkins appears to be clean and refocused. With the Jets having moved on from Eric Decker and Brandon Marshall, and with the loss of Quincy Enunwa for the season, Seferian-Jenkins could see a lot of targets coming his way. His upside is likely limited by playing on an offense that will be hard pressed to find the end zone, but he makes a great TE2 target.

Charles Clay (TE, BUF)

Similar to Sefarian-Jenkins, Clay is in a situation that could see him inherit a larger target share. The Bills traded number one receiver Sammy Watkins, signed Anquan Boldin as a free agent only to see him retire, and traded for Jordan Matthews who is battling a chest injury. Even if Matthews is healthy the Bills pass catchers are Matthews, rookie Zay Jones, Walter Powell and Rod Streater. Tyord Taylor will likely be leaning on Clay often as a safety valve which should give him value in PPR and deeper leagues.

Vernon Davis (TE, WAS)

While Davis is little more than a bench stash to start the season, he is a good guy to stash in two tight end leagues. For as good as Jordan Reed is the guy just can't stay on the field. Reed has never played all 16 games and has played 14 just once. When Reed is out, Davis becomes a top 12 TE option. In the four games Reed missed in 2016, Davis had three top 15 finishes and two top 10 finishes. Reed owners in deep leagues should definitely own Davis as well.

 

That concludes the undervalued series for 2017. Good luck in your drafts this year!

 

More Tight Ends Draft Analysis

 


Check out RotoBaller's famous fantasy football draft sleepers and waiver wire pickups list, updated regularly!




POPULAR FANTASY TOOLS

Expert Advice
Articles & Tools
Import Your Leagues
Draft Rankings
Draft Simulator
Enter League Settings
Value Picks
Compare Any Players
News and Alerts

REAL-TIME FANTASY NEWS

Gleyber Torres18 mins ago

Homers, Departs Early With Side Injury
Josh Jung24 mins ago

Pulled Early On Friday With Neck Stiffness
Orlando Arcia4 hours ago

Resting On Friday
Jake Rogers4 hours ago

Heading To The Bench
Miguel Amaya4 hours ago

Taking A Seat On Friday
Kyle Freeland4 hours ago

Tosses Six Scoreless Innings
Detroit Lions4 hours ago

Lions Re-Sign Kayode Awosika
Kameron Misner4 hours ago

Smacks Walk-Off Homer
Irvin Charles4 hours ago

Jets Re-Sign Irvin Charles
Green Bay Packers4 hours ago

Kristian Welch Signs With Green Bay
Pittsburgh Steelers5 hours ago

Jeremiah Moon Heading To Pittsburgh
Teagan Quitoriano5 hours ago

Falcons Sign Teagan Quitoriano
5 hours ago

Tetairoa McMillan Scheduled To Visit With Panthers
Baltimore Ravens5 hours ago

Ravens Reach Three-Year Contract Extension With John Harbaugh
Duncan Robinson5 hours ago

To Miss Third Straight Game Due To Back Issue
Andrew Wiggins5 hours ago

Will Not Play On Saturday
Cole Anthony5 hours ago

Doubtful To Play On Saturday
Walker Kessler6 hours ago

Misses Friday's Game
Payton Pritchard6 hours ago

Iffy For Saturday's Action
Alexander Canario6 hours ago

Mets Designate Alexander Canario For Assignment
Jayson Tatum6 hours ago

Ready To Return To Action Saturday
Tyrese Maxey6 hours ago

To Miss At Least Two More Games
Giannis Antetokounmpo6 hours ago

Available Against Knicks
Matt Moore6 hours ago

Opening Season On Seven-Day Injured List
Stephen Curry6 hours ago

Expected To Play Friday
Tyler Wade6 hours ago

San Diego Designates Tyler Wade For Assignment
Pavel Buchnevich6 hours ago

Expected To Return On Saturday
Austin Reaves6 hours ago

Listed As Questionable For Saturday
Michael Fulmer6 hours ago

Starting Season In Triple-A Rotation
Kaiden Guhle6 hours ago

Back In Action Friday
Oscar Colás7 hours ago

Oscar Colas Clears Waivers, Opening Campaign At Triple-A
Cole Sillinger7 hours ago

Returns To Blue Jackets Lineup
Clayton Kershaw7 hours ago

To Face Hitters On Saturday
Patrick Corbin7 hours ago

Rangers Option Patrick Corbin To Triple-A
Alex Pietrangelo7 hours ago

To Miss At Least Two More Games
Rui Hachimura7 hours ago

Not Listed On Injury Report For Saturday
Brewer Hicklen7 hours ago

Tigers Acquire Brewer Hicklen From Brewers
Andrei Svechnikov7 hours ago

Returns To Action Against Canadiens
Will Smith7 hours ago

Taking A Seat On Friday
Brad Marchand7 hours ago

Ready For Panthers Debut On Friday
Josh Lowe7 hours ago

Departs Early On Friday With Oblique Discomfort
Ja Morant7 hours ago

Questionable For Saturday Night
Brandon Pfaadt7 hours ago

Diamondbacks Sign Brandon Pfaadt To Five-Year Extension
Noah Clowney7 hours ago

Won't Play On Friday Night
Ziaire Williams7 hours ago

Available On Friday
Jake LaRavia7 hours ago

Will Be Re-Evaluated In 7-10 Days After Injuring Left Thumb
Trendon Watford7 hours ago

Will Play Against The Clippers
Dylan Moore7 hours ago

Back From Illness
LaMelo Ball8 hours ago

To Undergo Surgery
Seth Brown8 hours ago

Starting In Left Field Against Mariners
Jake McCarthy8 hours ago

Alek Thomas Making The Start Over Jake McCarthy On Friday
Max Strus8 hours ago

Out Versus Pistons On Friday
Ty Jerome8 hours ago

Unavailable For Friday's Matchup With Detroit
Las Vegas Raiders8 hours ago

Devin White Signs With Las Vegas
Lauri Markkanen8 hours ago

Sidelined Again On Friday
Daniel Jones8 hours ago

Gets Vote Of Confidence From Chris Ballard
Stefon Diggs9 hours ago

Looking Forward To Playing With Drake Maye
Steve Erceg12 hours ago

Looks To Get Back In The Win Column
Brandon Moreno12 hours ago

A Favorite At UFC Mexico City
Jacksonville Jaguars12 hours ago

Jaguars Cut Dieter Eiselen
Hunter Renfrow12 hours ago

Visits Panthers
Manuel Torres13 hours ago

Set For Co-Main Event
Drew Dober13 hours ago

An Underdog At UFC Mexico City
New England Patriots13 hours ago

Patriots Expected To Release Ja'Whaun Bentley
Joe Pyfer13 hours ago

Looks To Win Back-To-Back Fights
Kelvin Gastelum13 hours ago

Set For Middleweight Matchup
Vince Morales13 hours ago

In Dire Need Of Victory
Raul Rosas Jr.13 hours ago

Looks To Extend His Win Streak
Kansas City Chiefs13 hours ago

Chiefs Re-Sign Nazeeh Johnson
Saimon Oliveira13 hours ago

Looks For His First UFC Win
David Martinez13 hours ago

Set To Make His UFC Debut
Kevin Borjas14 hours ago

Set To Open Up UFC Mexico City Main Card
Ronaldo Rodríguez14 hours ago

Ronaldo Rodriguez Looks To Remain Undefeated In The UFC
Hunter Renfrow15 hours ago

Meeting With Raiders
15 hours ago

Kyle Williams Visiting With Handful Of Teams
NFL16 hours ago

Tush-Push Ban Is Gaining Momentum
Jaden Schwartz18 hours ago

Scores Twice On Thursday
Casey DeSmith18 hours ago

Stops 46 Shots Against Calgary
Matvei Michkov18 hours ago

Scores Twice, Adds Assist On Thursday
Nikita Kucherov18 hours ago

Tallies Four Points In Victory
Connor Zary19 hours ago

Departs Thursday's Game Early
Stephen Curry1 day ago

Questionable Against The Pels
Atlanta Falcons1 day ago

Falcons Agree With Kicker Lenny Krieg
1 day ago

Saints To Check Out Jaxson Dart's Pro Day
Matt Rempe1 day ago

Out Week-To-Week Due To Upper-Body Injury
Kyle Connor1 day ago

Expected To Be Available Friday
Mikael Backlund1 day ago

Ready To Return Thursday
Rasmus Andersson1 day ago

Good To Go Against Stars
Joel Kiviranta1 day ago

Misses Thursday's Game
Jason Zucker1 day ago

Unavailable Against Penguins
Evgeni Malkin1 day ago

Out On Thursday
Carolina Panthers1 day ago

Cade Mays Back With Panthers On One-Year Contract
Philadelphia Eagles1 day ago

Matt Pryor Agrees To One-Year Deal With Eagles
Leo Carlsson2 days ago

Scores Twice On Wednesday
Jake Oettinger2 days ago

Stops 41 Shots On Wednesday
Jason Robertson2 days ago

Scores Natural Hat Trick In Victory
Jhonattan Vegas2 days ago

Not A Good Play At Houston Open
Gary Woodland2 days ago

A Dark-Horse Candidate At Houston Open
Nick Taylor2 days ago

Keep An Eye On Nick Taylor At Houston Open
Mackenzie Hughes2 days ago

Avoid Mackenzie Hughes At Houston Open
Nicolai Hojgaard2 days ago

Looking To Rebound At Houston Open
Scottie Scheffler3 days ago

Returns To Houston Looking For Year's First Victory
Rory McIlroy3 days ago

Making Additional Start At Houston Open To Prepare For Augusta
Doug Ghim3 days ago

Looking For Iron Form In Houston
Aaron Rai3 days ago

Keep An Eye On Aaron Rai At Houston Open
Si Woo Kim3 days ago

Looks To Build On Recent History At Memorial Park
Harry Hall3 days ago

Looking For Consistency At Texas Children’s Houston Open
Harris English3 days ago

Looking To Build Off Solid Finish At The PLAYERS
Sahith Theegala3 days ago

A Risky Option At Texas Children’s Houston Open
Alex Smalley3 days ago

A Strong Play At Texas Children’s Houston Open
Michael Kim3 days ago

Bounces Back At Valspar Championship
PGA3 days ago

Sungjae Im Looking For Bounce-Back Performance At Texas Children’s Houston Open
Austin Eckroat3 days ago

A Player To Avoid At Texas Children's Houston Open
PGA3 days ago

Nico Echavarria A Volatile Option At Texas Children's Houston Open
Joe Highsmith3 days ago

Continues Post-Win Success And Is Looking For More In Houston
Adam Hadwin3 days ago

Far From Good Form As He Heads To Texas
Ben Griffin4 days ago

Looking For Consistency At Houston Open
Sean Brady4 days ago

Dominates At UFC London
MMA4 days ago

Leon Edward Dominated At UFC London
Carlos Ulberg4 days ago

Extends His Win Streak
Jan Blachowicz4 days ago

Outpointed At UFC London
Gunnar Nelson4 days ago

Drops Decision At UFC London
Kevin Holland4 days ago

Gets Back In The Win Column
Molly McCann4 days ago

Retires After UFC London Submission Loss
Alexia Thainara4 days ago

Wins Her UFC Debut
Chris Duncan5 days ago

Gets Submission Win At UFC London
NASCAR5 days ago

Bubba Wallace Earns New Career-Best Finish At Homestead
Alex Bowman5 days ago

Falls Short Of Winning At Homestead
William Byron5 days ago

Has An Underwhelming Day At Homestead
Chris Buescher5 days ago

Earns A New Career-Best Finish At Homestead
Ryan Preece5 days ago

Scores His Second Consecutive Top-10 Finish Of 2025 At Homestead
Denny Hamlin5 days ago

Savvy Pit Strategy Helps Denny Hamlin Win Stage 2 At Homestead
Chase Briscoe5 days ago

Moves Above Playoff Cut Line With Fourth-Place Finish
Joey Logano5 days ago

Misses Top 10 Again After Pit-Road Spin
Tyler Reddick5 days ago

Underachieves But Still Finishes Eighth
Justin Haley5 days ago

Earns First Non-Drafting Oval Top-10 Finish For Spire Motorsports
Alex Bowman6 days ago

Earns First Non-Drafting Superspeedway Pole Since 2016
Denny Hamlin6 days ago

Poor Las Vegas Run Suggests He Might Be Overvalued For Homestead
Joey Logano6 days ago

Recent Homestead Record Misleading Due To Past Playoff Situations
Josh Berry6 days ago

Probably Needs To Lead To Have DFS Value
Daniel Suarez6 days ago

Poor Qualifying Makes Him A Strong DFS Option
Shane Van Gisbergen6 days ago

Likely Too Inexperienced To Gain Many Positions At Homestead
Austin Cindric6 days ago

Increased Staying Power In Races May Make Him More Valuable
Ricky Stenhouse Jr6 days ago

. Unlikely To Gain Enough Positions For DFS Value
NASCAR6 days ago

John Hunter Nemechek Delivers His Second-Best Qualifying Run At Homestead
Cole Custer6 days ago

Has Been Hapless At Homestead In Cup Series
JJ Yeley6 days ago

J.J. Yeley Needs Attrition To Gain Positions At Homestead
RANKINGS
C
1B
2B
3B
SS
OF
SP
RP

RANKINGS

QB
RB
WR
TE
K
DEF