By Levi Ellis

When looking at tight end rankings in fantasy football you will find it’s a dim look after the top three to four players.  Rankings are all over the place and you can just as easily make an argument that one guy’s fifteenth ranked tight end could be another guy’s fifth-ranked tight end. 

If you’re reading this article it’s likely that you don’t own one of the top three guys so the most important thing for me when deciding to trade for a player is to find value.  I rarely ever go after a player and give a team a king’s ransom.  I like to look for players that can be scooped up for a value.  Below you will find three players that I believe are currently a value at the tight end position.

The first player on this list is Dallas Goedert.  While Goedert certainly will come with a cost I think his current situation makes him a value.  Many people are worried about the long-term future of the Eagles quarterback situation and that they are likely to be a run first team this year.  The team also just drafted wide receivers in the first round of back to back drafts (Jalen Reagor and Devonta Smith) and Zach Ertz is still on the roster.  All of these things bring uncertainty however one thing is for certain and that is Goedert is a heck of a player.  I believe Ertz will be traded or cut soon and there are rumors that the Eagles are after Deshaun Watson.  Whether the Watson rumors are fact or fiction doesn’t change a lot for me.  I happen to be a firm believer in Jalen Hurts talent and while he is definitely not at Watson’s level I think Hurts can be a solid starting quarterback in the NFL.  The Eagles have also shown in the past that they will be aggressive in acquiring talent so if Hurts doesn’t work out I have no doubt they will find another quarterback.  Goedert will also be a free agent after this season so he could just as easily sign with another team this offseason.  Imagine if Goedert were to leave via free agency next season and sign with a team like Seattle, Buffalo or the LA Chargers.  Goedert may not be a top five tight end this season but if you’re playing in dynasty he has all the tools to be a consistent top ten player year in and year out and his value is likely to never be lower than it is right now.  

Another tight end that I believe is at a great value right now is Jonnu Smith.  Smith flashed quite a bit early last season before falling out of the game plan in Tennessee.  Smith has a ton of talent and is special with the ball in his hands.  I think a lot of people are concerned about Smith because he and Hunter Henry both signed with New England this offseason, however that is exactly why I like him even more.  New England has shown the dedication and willingness to involve the tight end in the offense and they have proven experience with running two tight end formations and were extremely successful in doing so.  I believe that Smith will play the Hernandez role while Henry will play the Gronk role.  I know that analogy doesn’t seem to make the case for Smith as much as it does for Henry but my point is both tight ends were special in that offense and I think Smith will be the big play vertical guy while Henry will be the more inline blocker and middle of the field guy.  Also, take into consideration that New England does not have a bonafide top wide receiver on the roster that will demand ten plus targets a game.  Smith and Henry can also both be special regardless of which quarterback plays.  Cam likes to throw to the big-bodied players which is great for both Smith and Henry and if Cam’s accuracy really is as bad as what we saw last season he isn’t likely to sling it to the outside as much which means he will be looking for the dump-offs which just happens to be what Smith excels at.  If Mac Jones comes in at some point this also should work out well for Smith.  Rookie quarterbacks tend to lean on the tight end position to serve as a security blanket and Jones would have two of them. I think New England would then build the offense to get the ball out of Jones’s hands quickly, something that he’s great at, and again that works out well for Smith with screens, dump-offs, and slants.  Regardless of Henry or which quarterback plays, Smith is destined to be involved in the offense and he has the talent to succeed and you may not get a better time to buy than now.

I have been pounding the table all offseason to buy this next guy because his value has taken such a hit that he is an incredible value and that guy is Zach Ertz.  Look I don’t expect Ertz to be a top-three tight end this season but I do expect him to be a top ten guy and likely more in the five to seven range.  Although Ertz hasn’t yet been traded or released I think the time is coming and will happen before the season starts.  Philadelphia needs to move on both for cap space as well as to let Goedert out of his cage.  I expect Ertz to land with a team like Buffalo or Indianapolis and I believe he would be a focal point of either offense.  If he did join Indianapolis he would also be reunited with his old quarterback, Carson Wentz and we know that they already have a connection.  By all accounts, Ertz is now healthy and you better believe he will be ready to prove that he still has it.  It feels like the consensus in the fantasy community is that Ertz is washed up but the guy is just thirty years old and only one year removed from an 88 catch season.  The talent is still there and if a zip code change is in store you better believe there will be a chip on his shoulder this season.

If you’re shopping for a tight end this offseason these are three great players to buy if you can get good value from their current owner and while there are other tight ends out there that I like, I believe these three may be at the best bargains.  Good luck on your search and remember to always buy at a value!

The post 3 TEs To Trade For In Dynasty appeared first on Pro Football Mania.

By Levi Ellis

Much like the real NFL draft your dynasty rookie drafts are not won or lost in the first and second rounds  You win your rookie drafts with the mid to late round picks.  Over the years players like Allen Robinson, Chris Godwin, James Robinson, George Kittle, Dak Prescott and many, many more were drafted in rounds three or later.  I view the rookie draft like playing the lottery.  The more lottery tickets you have the higher the odds of hitting the jackpot.  My strategy has always been to acquire as many draft picks as possible (considering roster size limitations) and draft as many players as I can.  If you draft ten players for example you are a lot more likely to find a few superstars than if you just draft three or four players.  If your league allows, take advantage of expanded roster sizes during the offseason to draft and hold as many rookies as you can and as the offseason progresses you will have a better idea of which players to hold and which players to drop or trade.  Let’s take a look at a few guys that I have been targeting in my rookie drafts this year in rounds three or later.

Quarterbacks

One of my favorite players in this year’s draft is Kellen Mond.  Mond is way down the quarterback list in this year’s draft and often goes overlooked however I love his long term potential.  He landed with the Vikings and they are absolutely loaded with offensive firepower, they are well coached and their current quarterback Kirk Cousins only has two years left on his deal.  Mond reminds me a lot of Dak Prescott.  He’s an ascending player who has progressed each and every season and his best football is still ahead of him.  

Another quarterback I like in this tier is Kyle Trask.  Much like Mond Trask was drafted by a team that has a lot of offensive weapons, a great coaching staff and an aging quarterback.  Typically when a team drafts a quarterback for the future to succeed an aging veteran it rarely works out however I believe this could be one of the exceptions.  Trask is a smart and solid football player who will be learning from the best.  He is worth a mid round pick if you have the roster space to hold him for 2-3 years.

Running Backs

A running back that had an up and down college career that I really like this year is Chuba Hubbard.  Hubbard lands in a situation viewed by most as undesirable however I feel completely differently.  We saw last year what an average talent running back can do in this system when given the opportunity, Mike Davis.  I believe Hubbard’s talent is superior to that of Davis and I also believe that the coaching staff may manage Christian McCaffrey’s workload moving forward to prevent the wear and tear that likely led to last season’s injuries.  I also have concerns if McCaffrey will continue to be as durable as he has in the past or if the workload from college and his early NFL career may have caught up with him.  

With this guy I could just say where he landed and it would make my point.  The guy I’m talking about is Elijah Mitchell and he was drafted in the sixth round by the San Francisco 49ers.  The depth chart may look congested right now but a couple of these guys could easily be gone by next season (Raheem Mostert and Jeff Wilson).  A few also have significant injury risk (Mostert, Sermon and Wilson who’s hurt right now).  Kyle Shanahan has proven throughout his career that he doesn’t care when or if a player is drafted in order to win the starting running back job and Mitchell appears to be a great fit for this offense.

Wide Receivers

A wide receiver that is flying way under the radar is Tylan Wallace.  Wallace is under the radar primarily because of where he was drafted, Baltimore Ravens.  Unfortunately, Wallace has a lot of competition in Baltimore with holdovers like Hollywood Brown and Devin Duvernay and the newcomers Sammy Watkins and first round draft pick Rashod Bateman.  On top of that Baltimore is a run first team but I think they are a team that intends to aggressively grow their passing next season.  I am a believer that Lamar Jackson will improve as a passer and now has the weapons to do so.  Wallace likely won’t make an impact as a rookie but by year two or three I think he will be a consistent producer.  Watkins isn’t a long-term solution for Baltimore and I don’t believe Hollywood is a number one wide receiver.  One scout compared Wallace to Steve Smith with high praise on his aggressiveness when the ball is in the air.  I’m willing to roll the dice with a third or fourth round pick to potentially draft a player with Steve Smith type of talent.

Another wide receiver who is flying under the radar due to circumstances is Amari Rodgers.  There is no doubt in my mind if Aaron Rodgers was a sure bet to remain in Green Bay this season Amari Rodgers would be a second round pick.  This player is full of talent and could easily be the number two wide receiver this year.  If Aaron Rodgers returns, big IF, then Amari Rodgers is a tremendous value this year and could push to receive the second most targets on the team trailing only Davante Adams.

One of the easiest ways to find value in the draft is to draft players that are widely overlooked due to their landing spot.  This next guy fits that category just as much as my previous two if not more.  That player is D’Wayne Eskridge.  Eskridge was a second round pick this year for the Seattle Seahawks.  The reason he continues to be overlooked is because Seattle already boasts one of the top wide receiver duos in the league with DK Metcalf and Tyler Lockett.  I want you to think back a few years when the New Orleans Saints drafted Alvin Kamara while already having Mark Ingram and Adrian Peterson.  We all know how that worked out so do not let the situation prevent you from drafting great players.  Also keep in mind that in college Metcalf struggled with injuries so if that were to happen again Eskridge would likely receive additional targets.

Tight Ends

A guy that was flying under the radar until a few days ago is Noah Gray.  Gray was drafted in the fifth round and is the best pure backup tight end on the roster.  He’s a player I’ve been scooping up in most of my leagues in the later rounds.  I don’t anticipate a large role for him this season but Kelce is 31 and can’t play forever.  The Chiefs also have the best quarterback on the planet and one of the brightest offensive minds in the game in coach Andy Reid.  It typically takes a few years before tight ends produce but he’s worthy of a later round pick.

The last player on my list is tight end Tre McKitty.  McKitty was drafted in the third round to the LA Chargers.  Throughout college McKitty was primarily used to be a blocking tight end and while that isn’t exactly what we want to hear in fantasy, he is very athletic and Justin Herbert is one of the most exciting young quarterbacks in the league and this roster does not currently have a long term answer at tight end.  If McKitty can develop he could be the starting tight end on a high powered offense.

Remember the key to winning your rookie draft is to treat it like the lottery and grab as many lottery tickets as you can.  Good luck!

The post How to win your dynasty rookie draft appeared first on Pro Football Mania.

One of the most difficult positions to fill in fantasy football is tight end. There are just not enough starter-worthy tight ends in the league that consistently produce week in and week out. This means three to four teams will have quality starters each week while everyone else has to take the good with the bad and there is always a lot of the bad.  What makes it even more difficult to fill the position is that rookie tight ends rarely produce and often take about three years before they are ready to maintain a consistent role in the offense. Because the tight end is such a difficult position to fill I recommend having a handful of guys every year with starter upside.  In order to do this, you have to find guys at bargains and then hold them to see if they ever reach their potential. This article is all about finding young guys who have upside but come at a cheaper cost.  Let’s take a look at three guys who have starter upside this year but you may be able to find at an incredible value.

The first player I want to talk about is Adam Trautman.  Trautman is entering his second NFL season and was a third round pick last year by the Saints. Trautman is a former high school quarterback and is a skilled pass catcher who needs to work on his blocking.  Fortunately for fantasy the pass catching is what we are looking for. With that being said he has elite upside and the Saints are likely to need him involved in the passing game because after Michael Thomas and Alvin Kamara the cupboard is quite thin.  The Saints have some exciting young players but most are unproven just like Trautman.  I also love that he is paired with an offensive minded head coach and if Winston is the starter they are likely to throw the ball early and often.  Fantasy football is sometimes a game of patience.  In many leagues there are owners who drafted Trautman last year and are ready to move on after just one season.  We live in a society that expects instant gratification and since Trautman was not much involved last season there will be owners that are willing to flip him.  Take advantage of these situations and add Trautman to your buy now list and hold for the breakout.  The cost to acquire him should be low and the upside is tremendous.  

The next player on my list is Will Dissly.  Dissly is a huge winner this offseason as the Seahawks only added Gerald Everett as competition for the starting position.  In his first two seasons Dissly flashed big time potential until injuries derailed those seasons.  Last year he was healthy for all sixteen games for the first time in his career but he was still recovering from a serious injury from 2019 and had added competition.  Now Dissly is fully healthy and entering a contract season.  Russell Wilson has proved that he will throw to Dissly in the past and I expect more of the same this year.  Wilson has praised Dissly numerous times over the years and one time was even quoted saying “He’s going to be a star tight end for a long time in this league”.  That’s high praise from one of the best quarterbacks in the league and not something that Wilson just throws around lightly.  Many people have given up on Dissly at this point which means he is low risk with a high upside.

The last player on this list is Donald Parham Jr, the former XFL standout.  Let me be clear, Parham is a deep sleeper and certainly comes with risk so this one is all about the price to acquire him.  If you can get him for a late round rookie pick, faab or a throw away player then it’s worth it but don’t go out and give up something too valuable for him just yet.  I like Parham for a few reasons.  First he’s a mountain of a man at 6’8” 256lbs, he’s shown that he can catch the ball, he’s young at just 23 years old and he showed chemistry last year with Herbert.  I also like his opportunity because the other tight ends on the roster are nothing to be scared of.  Jared Cook was signed in free agency and he’s a decent player but at his age (34) it’s fair to wonder how much he has left in the tank.  The Chargers did draft a tight end in the third round, Tre McKitty, but he’s primarily a blocking tight end and as I mentioned previously rookie tight ends rarely produce from a fantasy perspective.  Parham is a player to keep on your radar and it’s quite possible that he’s unowned in a lot of leagues.

There are a lot of young tight ends that I like as buy low candidates but these three top my list as players that could contribute as early as this year.

The post Three dynasty buy low TEs appeared first on Pro Football Mania.

One of the most undervalued aspects of playing dynasty fantasy football is knowing when to sell a player.  There are many reasons why to consider selling a player and those range from capitalizing on their peak value, the anticipated performance drop off, reduced opportunity, situation change, etc.  It’s easy to come up with a list of guys to sell each season, in fact, we all have players each year that we believe it’s time to move on from but today we are going to drill down to just wide receivers below the age of 25.  Here are three wide receivers and the reason why you should be selling these guys right now.

The first player we are going to talk about is Curtis Samuel. Fresh off of a breakout season Samuel, just 24 years old, makes this list primarily because of his free agent landing spot. Samuel signed with the Washington Football team reuniting with his former coaching staff from Carolina. This is where the concerns begin for me. Samuel never eclipsed more than 54 catches with this coaching staff and quite frankly the offense lacks imagination. You need to also consider the quarterback situation and while I am a believer that Ryan Fitzpatrick is an underappreciated player, he is 37 years old and Washington didn’t do anything to address the future of this position in what was considered by many as a deep quarterback draft class. This is also the optimal time to trade Samuel since he is just 24 years old and coming off of a breakout season with 77 catches, 851 yards, 3 touchdowns, 41 carries, 200 rushing yards and another 2 rushing touchdowns. Understand that Samuel is a fantastic talent and the only reason he makes this list is for the reasons above. If Washington makes a move for a player like Aaron Rodgers, Samuel would immediately become a buy but for now he is a player that you can and should sell high.

The next player on my list is Juju Smith-Schuster.  Although Juju is a great player and just 24 years old he is destined to be nothing more than a number two wide receiver and likely to not ever be the focal point of an offense. He recently resigned in Pittsburgh on a one year deal and even though his situation remained the same this is one of the things that concerns me the most. Juju appears to be committed to Pittsburgh and while loyalty is a great quality this isn’t exactly the best situation for him long term if he was to sign an extension. First Big Ben isn’t a spring chicken and the future of the quarterback position is a big concern. Secondly, Pittsburgh has a plethora of other options in the passing game. Diontae Johnson is destined for stardom and Chase Claypool is as exciting as they come when you think of young wide receivers. While I think Juju is still a very good player and he quite possibly could sign into a better situation next year, many people in the fantasy community tend to over value him based on his larger than life personality. This is ultimately the deciding factor for me as you are likely able to move Juju for a large package of picks/players which is the ideal sell high scenario I look for.

The third and final player on my list is Marquise “Hollywood” Brown. Brown, just 23 years old, is another player who is young and exciting but he makes this list for multiple reasons. First his situation is less than ideal. Baltimore is a run first team that is attempting to make commitments to the passing game, however those commitments are exactly why I have concerns about Brown long term in this offense. Baltimore signed Sammy Watkins in free agency and while that doesn’t mean much at this state of Watkins career they also drafted Rashod Bateman in the first round and Tylan Wallce in the fourth. Both guys are uber talented in my opinion and will have every opportunity to command targets as early as this season. There are also still rumors they are trying to trade for Julio Jones and I tend to believe those rumors based on how aggressive Baltimore has been this offseason at acquiring wide receiver talent. Considering these additions and my belief that Devin Duvernay, last years third round pick and also a very talented player, it leads me to believe that Brown will receive even less targets than he has in the past when he operated as the number one wide receiver. I mentioned all of these wide receivers and still haven’t even mentioned the best pass catcher on the team in tight end Mark Andrews. We also need to factor in Brown’s size at just 5’9” 170 lbs. There is no doubt that Brown is a fantastic talent but there are many questions regarding his situation, role in the offense and size. For all of these reasons I urge you to sell Brown while he still has some value left.

All three of the above players are young, talented and tend to be highly desirable players in fantasy football circles but all three also come with extreme risk. Sell high on these guys now to capitalize on their value before it’s too late.

The post SELL HIGH ON THESE “UNDER 25 YEAR OLD” WIDE RECEIVERS appeared first on Pro Football Mania.

Now that the NFL draft is over, redraft leagues are a full go. Today we’re discussing three second year players that you should be fading in redraft leagues.

The player at the top of my list is Henry Ruggs.  Ruggs in my opinion was over-drafted last year by the Las Vegas Raiders and in turn was over drafted in the fantasy community.  Everyone hoped he would be the next Tyreek Hill and instead they got the next John Ross.  To be fair, I think Ruggs will be much better than Ross but I do not believe he is going to ever live up to his draft capital.  First and foremost Ruggs is not in the proper offense to take advantage of his skill set.  Carr is not a deep ball thrower and to this point, John Gruden has not proven he can or will take advantage of his offensive weapons outside of Darren Waller.  Ruggs is a threat any time the ball is in his hands because of his speed but Gruden has to find ways to get him the ball and at this point, I’m not confident that will happen.  In order for Ruggs to ever repay his draft status capital, Gruden is going to have to make some offensive changes.  There’s no doubt in my mind that Ruggs has an effect on a real-life NFL offense as defenses have to plan for his speed, however, we have yet to see that and may never see that in fantasy leagues.  For these reasons I’m fading Ruggs in redraft leagues and he is nothing more than a buy-low candidate for me in dynasty. If by some miracle Aaron Rodgers gets traded to the Raiders then Ruggs would be an immediate buy, in my opinion, however, I think this is very unlikely.

The second player on my list is Jalen Reagor.  Reagor is on my list for many of the same reasons as Ruggs.  I believe he was over drafted and the early results prove that point with guys like Justin Jefferson, Tee Higgins and Chase Claypool being selected after him.  Reagor has suspect hands and is playing in an offense that is likely to rely heavily on the run.  Furthermore he is no better than the second option behind the recently selected Devonta Smith and I would argue that both Miles Sanders and Dallas Goedert will be in line ahead of him in the passing game.  Reagor is a very talented player but one that hasn’t yet put it all together and quite frankly I’m not sure he ever will.  Like Ruggs, Reagor is a buy low dynasty player for me but a guy that I am completely fading in redraft leagues.  I recently traded Zach Ertz in a dynasty league for Reagor because the value was too good to pass up, however I just as quickly flipped Reagor and rookie pick 2.9 to move up to 1.10 in our rookie draft.  

The third and final player on my list of second year guys to fade in redraft leagues this year is KJ Hamler.  Hamler is primarily a deep ball guy and I personally don’t see Desean Jackson when I look at Hamler.  I think he is another guy that was over drafted with teams so obsessed with speed and the need to match the Kansas City Chiefs model.  Denver has so many weapons and Hamler just isn’t that exciting when compared to the other options.  Think about it like this for a moment, if you’re the coach, offensive coordinator or quarterback for the Denver Broncos and you have Courtland Sutton, Jerry Jeudy, Noah Fant, Melvin Gordon, Javonte Williams, Tim Patrick all on the roster how much emphasis are you really going to be placing on getting the ball in Hamler’s hands.  The answer is easy, not much! I would want the ball in every single one of those guys hands over Hamler and I know the argument can be made for Hamler over Patrick but it’s not even close with the rest of that list.  Sure I expect Hamler to have a few long touchdowns this year and maybe in a best ball format Hamler could be a decent player to roster but in redraft he is just too risky to be in the starting lineup when you factor in all the weapons the Broncos have and the lack of quarterback consistency on the roster.

Fantasy football is a game of risk and chance but you can also minimize your risk when drafting and not just select talented players but select players where their teams have a specific plan and role for them.  Unfortunately all three of the above guys are in offenses that do not have significant enough roles to make them fantasy relevant and all three have sub-par quarterback play. Don’t do what the Raiders, Eagles and Broncos did and overdraft these guys.  There are too many other great options to take this kind of risk!

The post Fade These Second Year Players in Redraft appeared first on Pro Football Mania.

One of the most effective ways to be successful in fantasy football is to find players at incredible bargains whether those bargains come in the draft or by trade it does not matter which means these bargains translate to both redraft leagues and dynasty leagues.  Essentially value is everything in terms of team building.  When you find values you can maximize the strengths of your roster.  

This article will outline three sleeper wide receivers that are not as widely talked about in the industry for this upcoming season.  A couple of these wide receivers have serious dynasty league appeal and value but their value is still being misrepresented for the upcoming season which means whether you play in a redraft league or a dynasty league there is value to be had right now.

The first player I want to talk about is also the most prominent player on this list and that player is Michael Pittman Jr. of the Indianapolis Colts.  You may be thinking to yourself how does Pittman qualify as a sleeper when he is a popular second year player.  Well the answer is most people like Pittman long term and greatly value him in dynasty leagues but most people also do not understand or realize that the future is now for this talented wide receiver.  Pittman is one of the biggest winners this offseason in all of fantasy.  First the Colts go out and get a franchise quarterback in Carson Wentz.  If you overlook last season, Wentz has been a dominate quarterback at times and he has a lot more arm strength than Phillip Rivers displayed last season.

Secondly the Colts did not add any other big time passing game weapons this off season.  They retained TY Hilton but did not add any other significant players from free agency.  Then in the draft they did not select a wide receiver until the seventh round, Mike Strachan.  This means not only do the Colts believe in Pittman but also they won’t have a choice but to utilize him as one of the top options in the passing game.  Pittman missed a total of 8 games to start the season but once he came back from injury he proved he could play by catching 40 passes for 503 yards and 1 touchdown.  He followed that up by catching 5 passes for 90 yards in the teams only playoff game.  Pittman is an extremely hard worker and talented player.  He also has opportunity and sometimes that’s all a guy needs.

The second guy I want to talk about is more of a deep sleeper.  Tre’Quan Smith of the New Orleans Saints is a player that came into the league in the 2018 draft as a very talented but very raw wide receiver.  Smith has shown a lot of promise over the last three seasons but has still lacked consistency.  Last season was his best statistical season of his short NFL career with 34 catches for 448 yards and 4 touchdowns.  I believe Smith has progressively gotten better at his craft each season and I think his opportunity has finally arrived.  Drew Brees was the type of quarterback that would spread the ball around to numerous players each and every game.  If Jameis Winston is the starting quarterback this season (still an unknown at this time) he has proven in the past that he favors his top two targets and will overwhelm them with targets.  Winston’s last season as a starting quarterback in 2019 he threw for over 5,000 yards with 626 pass attempts.  That season Chris Godwin had 121 targets and Mike Evans had 118.  The next closest player in terms of targets was Breshad Perriman with just 69.  While I don’t anticipate Winston to throw the ball over 600 times this season I do anticipate Smith to be the number 2 wide receiver in New Orleans and if Winston is the starter then Smith will most likely receive over 100 targets on the season.  Smith has also scored at least four touchdowns in each season and has done so with limited opportunities.  One thing we know about fantasy football is a player needs an opportunity to be fantasy relevant and it appears that is just what Smith will get this season.  This is a calculated risk in my opinion as Smith is a player that can be acquired at a reduced cost and his upside is tremendous, again IF Winston is the starting quarterback.

The third and final player I want to talk about is another player that has massive dynasty league appeal but he’s also a player that I think the general public is sleeping on his potential for this season.  The player that I’m talking about is none other than Bryan Edwards of the Las Vegas Raiders.  Edwards was a third round pick last year and is now entering his second season in the league.  Edwards was widely considered a first round talent but he was still recovering from a collegiate injury when he was drafted which caused him to slide to the third round.  Edwards then suffered another injury early in his NFL career which derailed most of his rookie season.  Edwards is now healthy and likely to be one of the starting wide receivers in Las Vegas.  The Raiders also only notably added John Brown and Willie Snead in free agency and did not draft a wide receiver.  Combine all of this (talent, health and opportunity) with the possibility that Aaron Rodgers could potentially be playing in the silver and black this season and that’s all I need to know to make this a low risk, high reward gamble for this season.  Even with the Rodgers pipe dream being very unlikely I believe Edwards has tremendous talent and upside which makes him worth the risk.  End

The post Don’t sleep on these wide receivers for fantasy appeared first on Pro Football Mania.

One of my favorite things about day two and day three of the NFL draft is to see which vetrean players get traded. Well that time of year is now upon us so let’s take a look at some of the players that could potentially be on the move this weekend as well as their potential landing spots.

Gardner Minshew – As soon as the Jaguars were awarded the #1 overall pick Minshew was no longer in the long-term plans for Jacksonville. That became even more evident once the Jaguars singed Nick Mullens to be the backup QB. Projected landing spot: Washington Football Team – Washington was the team that fell short of acquiring a quarterback in the first round last night and Minshew would be a perfect matchup for their offense with Ryan Fitzpatrick and he’s on a cheap rookie deal and has long term starter potential.

Ronald Jones – The runningback room in Tampa is getting very crowded. They resigned Leonard Fournette and added Giovani Bernard this offseason to go with roster holdover Keshawn Vaughn. Fournette will be the first and second down guy while Gio handles the passing game work which leaves Jones without a role.  Project landing spot:  Los Angeles Chargers – Jones could be the thunder to Ekeler’s lightning. The two would serve as a great one two punch.

N’Keal Harry – Harry is a player that has unbelievable talent however things just haven’t aligned for him in his first two seasons. His rookie year was plagued by injury and last year the passing game was reminiscent of a pee-wee football game.  It may be best to see Harry move on to a new situation and there have been rumors this offseason that is exactly what could happen.  Projected landing spot:  Kansas City Chiefs – The Chiefs need to replace Sammy Watkins and could use the size in their WR room and the RedZone. Andy Reid also knows how to use his weapons and Harry could serve a specific role for Kansas City.

Anthony Miller – Miller is a player that has shown flashes at times but has never consistently put things together. Chicago appears to be tired of waiting and Darnell Mooney was a fantastic late round find last year making Anthony Miller expendable.  Projected landing spot: Tennessee Titans – The Titans could use all the wide receiver help they could get and Miller should be a very cheap option to acquire and would immediately step into the slot role in Tennessee.

Auden Tate – Tate was rumored to have requested a trade last offseason and now he’s coming off an injury plagued campaign and the Jaguars just drafted Ja’Marr Chase.  Projected landing spot:  Philadelphia Eagles – The Eagles need a big bodied WR to help Jalen Hurts in the redzone and compliment DeVonta Smith and Jalen Reagor.

Brandin Cooks – It seems inevitable that this will be a wasted season for the Houston Texans with the Deshaun Watson distractions and the lack of draft picks to build the team. It makes sense to move on from Cooks with the team not in a realistic position to compete this year. They should trade Cooks and acquire a draft pick to help replenish their stock.  Projected landing spot:  Detroit Lions – The Lions have a major need at wide receiver and they appear to be committed to Jared Goff as their quarterback since they passed on both Fields and Jones in the draft. Cooks would immediately step in as wide receiver #1 and he would be reunited with Goff. Cooks is also just 27 making him a perfect fit for now and the future.

James Washington – Things have just not worked out in Pittsburgh for Washington. Pittsburgh is stacked with wide receiver weapons and both Washington and Pittsburgh are in need of a fresh start. Projected landing spot:  Arizona Cardinals – The Cardinals want and need a field stretching wide receiver and that is exactly what Washington does best. Washington could come in and fill a specific role for Arizona and his role would help open up the offense. 

Zach Ertz – The Eagles are in salary cap purgatory and Zach Ertz has to be moved. The question is not if, but when. It is entirely possible the trade does not take place until after June 1st to help minimize the dead cap money from moving on from Ertz but if Philadelphia wants to acquire an additional draft pick in this years draft then the time is now.  Projected landing spot:  Indianapolis Colts – This fit makes too much sense.  Indianapolis needs a tight end, they have the cap space and this move would reunite Ertz with both his former quarterback and coach. Indianapolis is also a win now team and this is a win now move.

Evan Engram – Engram has struggled with consistency since entering the league. We have seen flashes of greatness but far too often we see a player that just hasn’t put it all together yet. This offseason New York brought in Kyle Rudolph which makes Engram expendable. Projected landing spot:  Jacksonville Jaguars – New head coach Urban Meyer craves speed for his offense and that is one thing that Engram has. Jacksonville also has a glaring need at tight end and this draft is not the deepest at the tight end position. 

OJ Howard – Howard is coming off a major injury and has yet to live up to expectations. He’s also on the final year of his deal and Tampa may want to use that cap money in another area. Projected landing spot:  San Francisco 49ers – All we kept hearing last offseason was how the 49ers wanted another great tight end to pair with Kittle.  Although we have not heard those same rumors this offseason it makes more sense now than ever.  Kittle was injured most of last season and the 49ers just drafted Trey Lance and nothing would help him or the 49ers more than to continue and add to their weapons.

David Njoku – Njoku flashed early on in his career but the last two seasons he has been mostly non existent. Last off season Njoku demanded a trade and then retracted his trade request. I believe the trade happens this offseason. Projected landing spot:  Carolina Panthers – The Panthers need an athletic tight end and they need to give Sam Darnold more weapons. This move would accomplish both.

The post PLAYERS ON THE MOVE – DRAFT DAY TRADES appeared first on Pro Football Mania.

By: Levi Ellis

The question all offseason has been when, not if, Zach Ertz would be traded. It’s now late April and Zach Ertz is still a Philadelphia Eagle. Make no mistake it’s not a matter of if this trade will happen, it’s a matter of when this trade will happen.  Philly is in salary cap purgatory and they are rebuilding. A 30 year old tight end with recent health issues on a large contract and who still holds value has no future on a rebuilding Philly roster. Let’s break down the reasons why a trade involving Zach Ertz has not yet happened as well as some possible landing spots and finally my prediction of where he ends up. 

I think we can speculate on the many reasons why Ertz has not yet been traded.  First and foremost Ertz has a cap hit of $12.72 million this year and if he is cut or traded prior to June 1st his dead cap hit ($7.7 million) would be more than twice the amount if he was cut or traded after June 1st ($3.5 million). At this time we can only speculate which option fits the Eagles long term plans better. If they cut or trade him prior to June 1st the dead cap is obviously more expensive and immediate but it takes effect this season. If the Eagles wait until after June 1st the dead cap will be significantly less but the dead money will affect next year’s salary cap. If I’m the Eagles I know my team isn’t ready to compete for a Super Bowl this season and I would jump start this rebuild and take the dead cap hit this year much like they did with Wentz and not push any dead money into the future.

Secondly, Ertz is coming off an injury derailed season and he will have to pass a physical for the team that trades for him. A little additional time to heal and recover will certainly help with this process.  

Thirdly and possibly most importantly, I’m sure the Eagles are working to find the best return for their former pro bowl tight end. Let’s take a look at the best possible landing spots for Ertz.

I think we can easily make an argument for over half the teams in the NFL on why Ertz would make an immediate impact for their team. Another reason for this is because tight end is not a deep position group in the NFL and only a handful of teams have a true defacto #1 starting TE. I have narrowed the list of teams that I believe could acquire Ertz to those listed below.

Indianapolis Colts – The Indianapolis Colts make a ton of sense. They are a team ready to win now, the coaching staff is intimately familiar with Ertz after coaching him for several seasons and we already know that the Carson Wentz to Ertz connection is as real as the similarities to their last names. Let’s get the no-brainer selection out the way.

San Francisco 49ers – Last offseason all we heard were rumors on how the 49ers wanted to pair another great tight end with George Kittle. Although the 49ers settled for Jordan Reed the last offseason there has been no talk of it this offseason which I find strange especially when Kittle was injured for much of last year. If anything you would think they would be even more focused on finding a second great tight end now. Factor in that they are also drafting a young QB at pick 1.3 and they are a Super Bowl contender who has had issues with their offensive weapons staying healthy and I would say the 49ers not only should want another weapon at tight end but they need another weapon at tight end. It is especially helpful to young quarterbacks to have that tight end safety valve and to put it into simplistic terms, two is better than one.

Carolina Panthers – The Panthers have been in need of a quality tight end since Greg Olsen’s early 30s. They also just traded for Sam Darnold and if they want to give the guy every chance to succeed then they need to surround him with weapons and an offensive line. I think they work on the offensive line in the draft so trading for Ertz makes a lot of sense. 

Seattle Seahawks – Seattle has wanted a great tight end for years and it has just never worked out. If they really want to make Russ happy and try to repair the relationship they once had they need to fix the offensive line and get him a new toy at tight end. Based on the lack of superior tight end options in the draft and their lack of draft capital Ertz should be a target.

Buffalo Bills – Buffalo is just a few pieces away from being a Super Bowl contender and tight end is one of those pieces. They have also shown the willingness to be aggressive to fill their needs after last season’s trade for Stefon Diggs. Now is the time Buffalo needs to make another big trade to solidify this passing game.

Baltimore Ravens – Baltimore is in win-now mode and they have been working hard all offseason to improve their wide receiver unit. Although they had to settle for Sammy Watkins up to this point, they should seriously consider running a two-tight-end offense and have Ertz join forces with Andrews. This would take a lot of pressure off of Lamar Jackson and allow him to continue to work the middle of the field in the passing lanes while Hollywood and Sammy stretch the field on the outside.

Tennessee Titans – Tennessee lost some big-time weapons this offseason in Jonnu Smith and Corey Davis. They are likely to make an attempt to replenish that depth in the draft but they are also a team on a short-term window to win now so acquiring a player like Ertz makes a lot of sense. He would immediately become the #2 option in the passing game trailing only the great AJ Brown.

Los Angeles Chargers – The Los Angeles Chargers are an ascending team with a young and intriguing quarterback and a new coaching staff. Yes, they did sign Jared Cook in free agency but Ertz would be a huge upgrade on the depth chart and have a significant impact in helping Justin Herbert’s ability to continue to grow and win some football games. They are also in many people’s eyes the #2 team in Los Angeles so not only would this move help win football games but it would help them take a little bit of the market back.

Finally my prediction: Zach Ertz will be traded to the Indianapolis Colts for a 4th rd pick.  There are too many connections here for this not to work out, the team need, coaching staff familiarity, quarterback connection, available salary cap, and most importantly a contending team that is ready to go get that ring!

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