Trade away these dynasty TEs now!

The Synopsis:

The 2020 regular season saw a dry spell on the tight end position in terms of receiving yards, but there was a higher count of touchdowns compared to the past two seasons. Travis Kelce was the clear reign of the throne amongst all tight ends this season, logging over 1400 receiving yards and 11 touchdowns while Darren Waller was the only other tight end to reach the 1000 receiving mark, with 1196. TJ Hockenson came in third with 723 receiving yards, a promising outlook for the youthful tight end. 

Although this NFL season was way different than any other, next season is a new season, and it is important to load up on promising young talent for the dynasty league you are in”¦ or perhaps let go of the talent that failed to show up when it mattered the most. 

Kyle Rudolph (MIN):

Rudolph used to be dubbed as ol’ reliable for the Vikings until this disappointment of a season. With the stellar season performance of WR teammate Justin Jefferson and the emergence of young, fellow TE Irv Smith Jr., it is no surprise why Rudolph’s performance greatly declined this year.

Rudolph, unfortunately, could not finish the last four regular-season games due to a foot injury landing him into the injured reserve, but that still does not account for the inadequate performance and involvement he had on the Minnesota offense he had before his injury, posting up a 28-334-1 season line while Smith Jr. posted up a 30-365-5 line, indicating that Smith Jr. is the preferred red zone threat over Rudolph. 

Entering the 2021 season at age 31, it is safe to trade him away given the other explosive options on offense Kirk Cousins has in his arsenal, with the likes of Dalvin Cook, Adam Thielen, Justin Jefferson, and Irv Smith Jr. It is best to include him in a package deal for a better TE option 

Greg Olsen (SEA):

Another dinosaur tight end that will be an easy drop going forward is Greg Olsen. Going into next season at 36 years of age, he is very prone to sustaining any sort of injury that will leave him on the sidelines. If the Seahawks choose to continue keeping him on the roster, he might see a reduced role given his season line of 24-239-1. 

Fellow tight ends Jacob Hollister and Will Dissly produced similar lines of 25-209-3 and 24-251-2, respectively. With the incline of DK Metcalf’s performance and Tyler Lockett’s skillset at Russell Wilson’s disposal, the tight end corps are not considered the main threats in the Seattle offense. As both Hollister and Dissly are under 28 years of age and are capable of posting up the same results and more, Olsen most likely will ride the backseat behind the two. 

It is important to note Dissly’s success last year before he suffered a serious Achilles injury during October 2019. Dissly has shown his talent beforehand and given that he is only 24 years old, his boom potential is bound to happen anytime soon. 

Tyler Higbee (LAR):

Tyler Higbee had that memorable stretch of incredible football during the final regular season games in the 2019 season. Unfortunately, the same type of performance was not replicated anywhere in the 2020 campaign, except that week 2 hat trick TD performance. Higbee hit a dry spell from weeks 3 to 12, scoring under 10 points in PPR formats in that stretch. Although there was a little improvement after week 12, it was not enough to solidify a TE1 spot during the fantasy regular season.

Higbee capped the season with a respectable 44-521-5 line but it should be considered how three of those touchdowns came from the week 2 performances. Two additional factors to take into account of Higbee’s declining performance is Jared Goff’s passing inconsistencies and the shared involvement of tight end Gerald Everett. Everett concluded the regular season with a respective line of his own, demonstrating a 41-417-1 line. Everett did not have that one blockbuster game like Higbee did, but he did manage a couple games over 10 points (PPR). 

Regardless, with Goff’s passing inconsistencies, the undeniable WR talent with Cooper Kupp and Robert Woods, the growing potential of RB Cam Akers, and sharing snaps with fellow tight end Everett, Higbee is not bound to find success as he once did during last year’s phenomenal stretch. Some owners still believe highly of him because of what he was able to produce, but with many offensive choices to go with in LA, Higbee’s ceiling is very limited and it is best to use him as leverage to trade him for a better dynasty tight end.