A change of scenery usually does a football player’s fantasy value good.
Both C.J. Uzomah and Tyler Conklin were given multimillion-dollar deals during the offseason as the Jets addressed a need by beefing up their tight end position. This made fantasy football managers as nervous as they get when they are forced to use Baker Mayfield in their lineup. But instead of the Jets' top-two tight ends splitting the targets and rendering each other useless for fantasy purposes, Conklin has demolished Uzomah in the target department, 24-1.
Conklin is one of the top available tight ends in fantasy leagues right now, but should you add him after his superb Week 3 performance where he hauled in eight passes for 84 yards? Here is my take:
Editor's Note: Our incredible team of writers won two writing awards and received 12 award nominations by the Fantasy Sports Writers Association. A big congrats to our very own Byron Lindeque (Golf) and Jordan McAbee (NASCAR) for both winning Writer Of The Year awards! Be sure to follow RotoBaller's analysis and advice all year long, and win more. Win More With RotoBaller!
Should I Add Tyler Conklin After His Week 3 Performance?
While there might be tight ends on your league’s waiver wire with more upside (Cleveland’s David Njoku) or who scores more touchdowns (Minnesota’s Irv Smith Jr.), Conklin is definitely a viable pickup option heading into Week 4.
Yes, the Jets have a talented trio of wide receivers in Corey Davis, Elijah Moore, and impressive rookie Garrett Wilson. But Conklin has still been heavily involved in the passing attack. He is second on the team in targets, and I do not believe that will change once Zach Wilson returns from his knee injury and takes over the offense. Conklin is the ultimate safety valve for a quarterback. He does not run long routes (9.6 career YPC), but he runs a lot of them for the Jets, and he has solid hands that quarterbacks can count on.
Conklin is a better pickup in PPR leagues where his receptions are more valuable. Know going in that he will not light up the fantasy scoreboards with his yardage (seven 50-yard games in 67 career contests) or his touchdowns (five career TD). Yet, Conklin is averaging six catches and eight targets per game this year, and if he keeps up that pace, he will surely set career-highs in receptions and touchdowns because of all the extra opportunities.
If the production you are getting out of your tight ends in your PPR league is minimal, then taking a flyer on Conklin is fine. He will not get you 80 yards every Sunday, but he will not kill your fantasy chances with zero-catch games, either. Conklin is consistent and should be good for 35-75 yards per game now that he has carved out a spot in the Jets' offense. If you are looking to use him in a standard league and hoping he puts up Travis Kelce-like numbers, then do not waste your time.