Drafting a tight end in fantasy football is one of the most challenging tasks. If you do not secure one of the three elite players in the earlier rounds, then it is anyone’s guess as to how the mid-to-lower tier guys will perform over the course of the season.
Here’s a look at some fantasy football tight ends from 2014 whose fantasy points, whether high or low, did not match up with their actual amount of targets.
1. Mychal Rivera, Oakland Raiders
In 2014, Rivera received the sixth-most targets of all tight ends last season. With 99 attempts from his rookie quarterback, Derek Carr, Rivera only hauled in 59 percent of his passes. Finishing up with only four touchdowns and 534 yards to show for his 58 receptions, Rivera ranked 19th overall in fantasy points. With stats like this, he was only worth starting as a backup, started only if your starter is injured or you need a bye-week tight end.
Perhaps Rivera will connect on more actual catches with Carr this season, as the two young players continue to develop their chemistry on the field.
2. Jared Cook, St. Louis Rams
Cook drew the eighth-highest amount of targets from his hodge-podge of quarterbacks in 2014. However, due to inconsistency, Cook ranked 15th in fantasy points catching only 52 of his 93 intended passes. This resulted in just three touchdowns and 634 yards. Unfortunately for those who gambled with Cook on a weekly basis, he attracted anywhere from 11 to zero targets in any given game.
A stable quarterback upgrade in that of Nick Foles, could have Cook improving his numbers in 2015.
3. Martellus Bennett, Chicago Bears
Bennett was the recipient of the most targets of all tight ends in 2014 with 128 total, averaging eight per game. However, Bennett ranked fifth overall in fantasy points due to lack of touchdowns with only six on the season. Nearly cracking the 1,000 yard mark, Bennett rewarded those who took him in the mid-rounds of their draft.
Will we see the heavy targets continue in 2015 with the Bears’ quarterback status under Jay Cutler in disarray? That remains to be seen. However, the absence of Brandon Marshall may keep Bennett floating within the top-five ranked fantasy tight ends this upcoming season.
4. Antonio Gates, San Diego Chargers
In Gates’ case, he received less targets than other tight ends with the seventh-most overall. However, he finished the 2014 fantasy season as the second-ranked tight end, just under Rob Gronkowski. Not many people saw that coming when they drafted Gates in mid-rounds last season.
Gates was targeted 98 times compared to Gronk’s 128 targets, however both caught 70 percent of their passes. Managing 821 yards and making the most of those by scoring 12 touchdowns, we should hope for the pattern to continue in 2015. This is all provided that the Chargers do not ship Gates’ longtime quarterback buddy Philip Rivers to the east coast to join the Tennessee Titans. If so, then you can put a fantasy sleeper alert out on Delanie Walker.
5. Julius Thomas, Jacksonville Jaguars (formerly Denver Broncos)
Thomas was a victim of lack of targets as he ranked 20th for the most in 2014. However, he was excellent in making the most of his 62 attempts by turning 43 of them into 12 touchdowns on a small amount of yardage. This resulted in Thomas ranking seventh overall in fantasy points for 2014. Had Thomas caught some longer passes, he would have undoubtedly ranked within the top three tight ends last season.
As for what 2015 holds for Thomas in fantasy value working under second-year quarterback, Blake Bortles versus the future Hall of Famer Peyton Manning, we can pretty much assess. Hopefully those who owned Thomas enjoyed the points he did generously reward when he was a member of the Broncos