Tyler Eifert (TE, CIN) - 2015 Fantasy Football Sleeper

BALLER MOVE: Target in Late Rounds

Current ADP: 132 STD, 116 PPR

ANALYSIS: Tyler Eifert is another player whose value has suffered as a result of injuries. Eifert played just eight snaps before suffering a dislocated elbow, ending his season. It’s a shame because Eifert was set to play an increased role in the Bengals offense and had an impressive three receptions for 37 yards in those 8 snaps alone. We’ll never know what he might have done last year but I remain hopeful for 2015.

The Bengals did not resign Jermaine Gresham which is a big plus for Eifert and the number of targets he may see. They did draft Tyler Kroft in the 3rd round this year but he wasn’t much of a receiver in college and shouldn’t be much of a threat in his rookie season anyway. That makes Eifert the uncontested starting tight end for the Bengals. Last year Jermaine Gresham saw 78 targets and in 2013 Eifert and Gresham combined for 119 targets in a more pass-heavy offense.

In my piece about Marvin Jones, I made a case for the Bengals moving to a more pass heavy offense once again with the improved health of their receivers. Eifert is a major part of that and I think he should see at least 90 targets this year, possibly more. 90 alone would put him in the top ten targeted TEs last year and would be enough volume to make him fantasy relevant. All of the 15 tight ends with at least 80 targets finished inside the top 20 fantasy TEs last year. With Eifert’s athleticism and mismatch potential he could be a lot better. His dislocated elbow isn’t likely to be a recurring problem like a concussion so I find it really hard to justify why Eifert is going so low. Definitely take advantage of that one.