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

Biggest Surprises of 2019: Tight End

The 2019 NFL season was anything but predictable. I mean, the Tennessee Titans made the AFC title game! Andrew Luck retired right before the season! [Insert one of many, many other things here, because all lists need three items but I couldn't decide between all the possible third options.]

One position where things at the very top weren't surprising was the tight end position. Through Week 16, three of the top four tight ends in scoring were exactly who you expected them to be: Travis Kelce, George Kittle, and Zach Ertz. Of course!

There were some surprises -- both good and bad -- in 2019, though. Below are the four tight ends whose final placement surprised me the most, with some analysis on why.

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

 

Mark Andrews, Baltimore Ravens - TE3

Andrews was a popular sleeper pick last year and someone I targeted in the mid-to-late rounds of a lot of my fantasy drafts, so I don't want to say I was shocked by his 2019 season. But I would have guessed he'd end up something like TE7 or TE8 if you'd asked me preseason to make a prediction.

Instead, the Ravens offense went wild, with Lamar Jackson -- whose 2019 breakout I wrote about earlier this month -- taking major steps forward.

Baltimore's offense was interesting because tight ends mattered so much to it. They don't really have a high-end wide receiver on this roster, though maybe Marquise Brown can become one, so they had to rely on their talented pair of second-year tight ends, Andrews and former first-round pick Hayden Hurst. Andrews was the biggest beneficiary of Baltimore's offensive scheme, catching 64 passes for 852 yards and 10 touchdowns.

Will he repeat this next season? Maybe, but Andrews could see his target share drop if the Ravens try to bring in a more reliable wide receiver to help spread the field out even more. The NFL Draft and free agency have a chance to hurt Andrews' stock more than the stocks of the other top tight ends, so keep an eye on that situation.

 

Tyler Higbee, Los Angeles Rams - TE8

The Rams underperformed expectations in a tough NFC West, and we saw their offense shift down the stretch. In 2018, the Rams relied heavily on their three receivers -- Brandin Cooks, Cooper Kupp, and Robert Woods -- but last year, concussion issues took Cooks out of things. The Rams started throwing more to their tight ends, but Gerald Everett dealt with wrist and knee issues, so if you had him pegged as your "Rams breakout tight end" candidate, you were wrong on that pick.

Instead, it was Tyler Higbee who emerged down the stretch. He had four straight 100-yard games, and over the final five games of the season, he grabbed 43 catches for 522 yards and two touchdowns. Higbee took firm control of the position, with Everett not able to carve out any role once he returned.

Next year, Higbee is probably going to wind up with an ADP somewhere around TE5 based on how he ended the year. Can he live up to that? It might depend on if/how Cooks returns, as there are a limited number of targets to go around in Los Angeles. But if Higbee's got the same role he had to end 2019 and is getting double-digit targets per game, he'll be putting up strong numbers again in 2020.

 

Darren Fells, Houston Texans - TE16

As a Houston Texans fan, I consistently expect nothing from the team's tight end position, but Darren Fells (TE11 in standard, by the way!) managed to do something that I'm not used to: He scored some fantasy points as a tight end in Bill O'Brien's offense.

Fells wasn't consistently good, but at a position where "IDK, just play a guy and hope he finds the end zone" isn't the worst fantasy plan you can have, Fells had value, which is more than you can usually say for this team's tight end.

In his sixth NFL season, Fells caught 34 passes for 341 yards and seven touchdowns. The receptions and yardage numbers aren't great, but Fells showed a good rapport down near the goal line with Deshaun Watson, which helped Houston win the AFC South.

2019 was probably Fells' ceiling, though, and I'd caution anyone against drafting him as their TE1 next season. But hey, he did some good stuff this year!

 

O.J. Howard, Tampa Bay Buccaneers - TE28

Oh boy.

I'm not even sure what to say about O.J. Howard's 2019 season.

The biggest surprise here is that we were surprised, as we thought Howard's talent would overcome the whole "Bruce Arians doesn't use his tight ends" thing. In retrospect, I think we should have assumed Howard would have a down year.

But, like...this much of a down year? In 14 games, Howard caught 34 passes for 459 yards and a touchdown. He was on the field a lot -- over 80 percent of the offensive snaps in nine of Tampa's games -- but was targeted four or fewer times eight times. He had two games where he played significant snaps but wasn't targeted a single time, including Week 17, when Howard played 39 snaps (a 75 percent snap rate) on a team that had no Mike Evans and no Chris Godwin and didn't get a single one of Jameis Winston's 24 pass attempts.

I really don't know what to think about Howard going forward. If he stays in Tampa, there's no way I touch him in fantasy next year, even with how much this team throws the ball. But if Howard is moved, I'm still a believer that he's got the talent to make it work in an offense that does want to use a dynamic tight end. Howard's not David Njoku (who I don't see ever breaking out at this point). He can be productive in the right offensive scheme, though it would need to be a scheme where he actually gets targeted. His offseason is one of the things that I'm most intrigued by right now.

More Fantasy Football Analysis




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

NFL22 mins ago

Tetairoa McMillan To Skip Combine Workouts
NFL32 mins ago

Cam Ward Won't Throw At NFL Combine
Jakob Marsee2 hours ago

Resumes Baseball Activities
Freddy Tarnok2 hours ago

Sidelined For Two Weeks
Oakland Athletics2 hours ago

Max Muncy Quiet In Return To Action
Nick Madrigal2 hours ago

To Undergo Shoulder Surgery, Likely Out For The Season
Bubba Chandler2 hours ago

Rebounds In Second Spring Outing
Sebastian Walcott2 hours ago

Goes Deep In Return
Félix Bautista3 hours ago

Felix Bautista Nearing Spring Debut
Joey Loperfido3 hours ago

Cleared To Return
Wenceel Pérez4 hours ago

Wenceel Perez To See Increased Time In The Outfield
Nolan Schanuel4 hours ago

Hopes To Improve Bat Speed
Bryan Hoeing4 hours ago

Plays Catch
Juan Nuñez4 hours ago

Juan Nunez Throws Bullpen Session
Ivan Barbashev4 hours ago

Busy On Thursday
Evgeni Malkin4 hours ago

Powers Pittsburgh To Victory
Philip Broberg5 hours ago

Strikes Twice On Thursday
Andrei Vasilevskiy5 hours ago

Blanks Calgary On Thursday
Nick Suzuki5 hours ago

Posts Second Straight Three-Point Game
Ilya Sorokin5 hours ago

Stands Tall Against Boston
NFL11 hours ago

NFL, NFLPA Agree To Salary Cap Of $279.2 Million In 2025
NFL11 hours ago

Will Johnson Won't Work Out At NFL Combine
NFL11 hours ago

Kenneth Grant Dealing With Hamstring Strain
NFL11 hours ago

Mason Graham Will Only Do Bench Press At NFL Combine
NFL11 hours ago

Abdul Carter Won't Need Surgery
Detroit Lions11 hours ago

Lions To Release Jalen Reeves-Maybin
Ryan Clifford11 hours ago

Belts Home Run For First Spring Hit
New Orleans Saints11 hours ago

Saints Meet With Cam Ward
Minnesota Vikings12 hours ago

Christian Darrisaw Doing Well In His Recovery
Seattle Seahawks12 hours ago

Seahawks Give Rayshawn Jenkins Permission To Seek A Trade
Dallas Cowboys12 hours ago

DeMarcus Lawrence Is 100 Percent Healthy
Curtis Mead12 hours ago

Swinging A Hot Bat This Spring
Matthew Stafford12 hours ago

Resolution Should Come By End Of Combine
Franco Aleman12 hours ago

Undergoes Hernia Surgery
Marcelo Mayer13 hours ago

Homers, Collects Three RBI In Three-Hit Day
Samuel Basallo13 hours ago

Blasts His First Home Run Of The Spring
Brett de Geus13 hours ago

Marlins Claim Brett De Geus Off Waivers
Seth Martinez13 hours ago

Designated For Assignment
Tyler Soderstrom13 hours ago

Could See Opportunities Behind The Plate
José Caballero13 hours ago

X-Rays Come Back Negative On Jose Caballero
Norman Powell15 hours ago

Uncertain For Friday
Collin Sexton16 hours ago

Might Return On Friday
John Collins16 hours ago

Tagged As Questionable For Friday
Wendell Moore Jr.16 hours ago

Ruled Out On Thursday
Cleveland Browns16 hours ago

Myles Garrett "Not Open" To A Contract Extension
DaQuan Jeffries16 hours ago

Returning On Thursday
Deshaun Watson16 hours ago

Wasn't Doing "Anything Nefarious" During Achilles Re-Tear
Seth Curry16 hours ago

Upgraded To Available On Thursday
Lauri Markkanen16 hours ago

Tagged As Questionable For Friday
LaMelo Ball16 hours ago

Won't Play Versus Dallas
Bradley Beal16 hours ago

Downgraded To Out On Thursday
Jamal Murray16 hours ago

Cleared To Face Milwaukee
Aaron Gordon16 hours ago

Available On Thursday
Dwight Powell17 hours ago

Available On Thursday, Will Play 10-12 Minutes
P.J. Washington17 hours ago

Ruled Out On Thursday
Cole Anthony17 hours ago

Slated To Suit Up On Thursday
Christian McCaffrey17 hours ago

49ers Think Christian McCaffrey Will Participate In "Parts" Of Offseason Program
Bradley Beal17 hours ago

Downgraded To Questionable Versus Pelicans
Jusuf Nurkić18 hours ago

Jusuf Nurkic Questionable For Thursday Against Dallas
Max Pacioretty18 hours ago

Likely To Return On Friday
Noah Juulsen18 hours ago

Likely Out For The Rest Of The Season
Trent Frederic18 hours ago

Considered Week-To-Week
LaMelo Ball18 hours ago

Listed As Questionable For Thursday
Eetu Luostarinen18 hours ago

Returns For Stanley Cup Finals Rematch
Jason Zucker18 hours ago

A Game-Time Decision Thursday
Timothy Liljegren19 hours ago

Available Against Canadiens
Eric Gordon19 hours ago

Undergoes Successful Surgery On Right Wrist Wednesday
Robby Fabbri19 hours ago

Placed On Injured Reserve
Kansas City Chiefs21 hours ago

Chiefs Will Place Franchise Tag On Trey Smith
Travis Kelce21 hours ago

"Coming Back For Sure"
Darnell Nurse21 hours ago

Not Playing On Thursday
Roman Josi21 hours ago

Not Suiting Up On Thursday
Matthew Tkachuk22 hours ago

Not Playing On Thursday
Kirby Dach22 hours ago

Ruled Out For Thursday
Michael Bunting22 hours ago

To Be Sidelined Indefinitely
J.T. Miller22 hours ago

Not Practicing On Thursday
Buffalo Bills22 hours ago

Cole Bishop Could Be A Starter In 2025
Buffalo Bills22 hours ago

Bills Expect Matt Milano To Return In 2025
Tampa Bay Buccaneers23 hours ago

Buccaneers Giving Lavonte David More Time To Make A Decision
P.J. Washington1 day ago

Questionable Thursday
Jalen Suggs1 day ago

Remains Out On Thursday
Cole Anthony1 day ago

Listed As Questionable For Thursday
Quinn Hughes1 day ago

Tallies Game-Winning Helper In Return
Conor Garland1 day ago

Leads Vancouver To Victory
Emiliano Grillo2 days ago

Out Of Form Ahead Of Cognizant Classic
Sam Ryder2 days ago

A Course Horse For PGA National
Matt Kuchar2 days ago

An Intriguing Option At Cognizant Classic
Cameron Young2 days ago

A High-Risk, High-Reward Play At PGA National
Taylor Pendrith2 days ago

Is An Enticing Play At Cognizant Classic
Gary Woodland2 days ago

Aiming For Bounce-Back Performance At PGA National
PGA2 days ago

Kris Ventura A Value Pick At The Cognizant Classic
PGA2 days ago

Niklas Norgaard Making Third PGA Tour Start At Cognizant Classic
Erik Van Rooyen2 days ago

Looking For Sustained Success At PGA National
Jordan Spieth2 days ago

Looking To Bounce Back In Cognizant Classic Debut
Seamus Power2 days ago

A Risky Play With Upside At PGA National
Andrew Novak2 days ago

Searching For Consistency At PGA National
Denny McCarthy2 days ago

Eyeing First Career Victory At PGA National
Min Woo Lee2 days ago

Aims To Keep The Momentum Going At PGA National
Chris Kirk2 days ago

A Wild Card At PGA National
Mark Hubbard3 days ago

Trending In The Wrong Direction Ahead Of Cognizant Classic
Alex Smalley3 days ago

Continues To Impress Ahead Of The Cognizant Classic
Taylor Moore3 days ago

Continues Playing Well Heading To Cognizant Classic
Justin Lower3 days ago

Misses Cut At Mexico Open
Max Greyserman3 days ago

Hitting Stride Heading To Cognizant Classic
Jake Knapp3 days ago

Posts Solid Finish At Mexico Open
Song Yadong4 days ago

Gets Back In The Win Column
Henry Cejudo4 days ago

Suffers Third Straight Loss
Brendan Allen4 days ago

Drops Decision At UFC Seattle
Anthony Hernandez4 days ago

Extends His Winning Streak
Jean Matsumoto4 days ago

Suffers First Career Loss
Rob Font4 days ago

Wins Back-To-Back Fights
Melsik Baghdasaryan4 days ago

Gets TKO'd At UFC Seattle
Jean Silva4 days ago

Gets First-Round Finish At UFC Seattle
Alonzo Menifield4 days ago

Edges Out Split Decision At UFC Seattle
Julius Walker4 days ago

Defeated In His UFC Debut
Kyle Busch4 days ago

Leaves Atlanta With His First Top-10 Finish Of 2025
Kyle Larson4 days ago

Scores The Best Drafting-Track Finish Of His Career At Atlanta
Ryan Blaney4 days ago

Rallies Back To Score A Finish Of Fourth At Atlanta
NASCAR4 days ago

Despite Rarely Factoring For The Lead, Bubba Wallace Has Great Points Day
Ross Chastain4 days ago

Chances For Victory End After A Bump From Carson Hocevar
Ricky Stenhouse Jr4 days ago

. Recovers From Causing Daytona Big One To Finish Fifth At Atlanta
Carson Hocevar4 days ago

Earns Best Career Finish
Ryan Blaney5 days ago

The Heavy Favorite To Win At Atlanta
Kyle Larson5 days ago

Can Kyle Larson Finally Get A Good Finish At The New Atlanta?
Chase Elliott5 days ago

Can Win This Weekend
William Byron5 days ago

Don’t Overlook William Byron At Atlanta This Weekend
Austin Cindric5 days ago

Looking To Contend Once Again At Atlanta
Ross Chastain5 days ago

Will Start Deep in the Field at Atlanta
Daniel Suarez5 days ago

Looking To Continue Magic At Atlanta
Christopher Bell5 days ago

An Obvious DFS Pick At Atlanta
Denny Hamlin5 days ago

Is One of the Top DFS Options Of The Week For Atlanta Lineups
Joey Logano5 days ago

Is One Of The Favorites To Win At Atlanta
Kyle Busch5 days ago

Expect Kyle Busch To Compete For The Win At Atlanta
Ty Gibbs5 days ago

Should Not Be Overlooked For Atlanta DFS Lineups
Tyler Reddick5 days ago

Should Fantasy Players Roster Tyler Reddick At Atlanta This Week?
Alex Bowman5 days ago

Is Alex Bowman Worth Rostering For DFS Lineups At Atlanta?
RANKINGS
C
1B
2B
3B
SS
OF
SP
RP

RANKINGS

QB
RB
WR
TE
K
DEF