X
Lost password?

Don't have an account?
Gain Access Now

X

Receive free daily analysis

NFL
NBA
NHL
NASCAR
CFB
MLB
MMA
PGA
ESPORTS
BETTING

Already have an account? Log In

X

Forgot Password


POPULAR FANTASY TOOLS

Expert Advice
Articles & Tools
Import Your Leagues
Draft Rankings
Draft Simulator
Enter League Settings
Value Picks
Compare Any Players
News and Alerts

#TrendingNow - Dynasty Risers and Fallers Week 14

Fantasy football risers and fallers for dynasty leagues. Kyle Richardson looks for players trending up or down in dynasty value for Week 14 of the NFL season.

I would like to take a second and welcome you to the all tight end edition of #TrendingNow. If your name isn’t Rob Gronkowski, Travis Kelce or Zach Ertz, you can sometimes be overlooked at the position. Most fantasy football owners don’t play TE premium leagues (leagues in which TEs score more than other players) so there is a larger focus on running backs and wide receivers.

Wide receivers and running backs are going to give you bigger plays and top fantasy production that you will not get from a tight end outside of the elite level players. Based on fantasydata.com, only one tight end had an ADP inside the top 60 last year and that was Gronkowski at 18 overall. My strategy with tight ends is to wait and find value.

In most leagues, you can still get great value for tight ends by waiting till the later rounds after others have snatched up the top options. If you passed on Gronkowski at 18 overall, you would have had a shot at Leonard Fournette, Brandin Cooks, Doug Baldwin and the hottest player outside Alvin Kamara, Keenan Allen. One of those players paired with Even Engram at 161 overall would have given you a ton of production this year. So let’s take a look at the underappreciated tight end position.

Editor's Note: RotoBaller’s Dynasty content delivers year-round dynasty fantasy football rankings, trade advice, rookie analysis, and player outlooks. Build a title-winning roster with sleepers, stash targets, and our full dynasty fantasy football guide.

 

#TrendingUp

Hunter Henry (TE, LAC)

One of my preseason picks to breakout in 2017 (even more then his 2016 campaign) got off to a slow start and owners lost confidence. Two out of Henrys first three games to start the season ended with zero catches. Total this season, Henry has six games with 25 yards receiving or less. Henry has been very boom or bust this season, but brighter roads are on the horizon. Antonio Gates will be done in Los Angeles leaving Henry the opportunity to fully flourish. The one stat that really sticks out to be is Henry’s 13 yards per reception, which is the same average as Travis Kelce, the current TE1. If Henry only had 10 more receptions on the season, he would currently have 631 receiving yards, which would be fifth overall for tight ends.

The production is there but the volume is not. Part of that is probably Gates taking snaps away, but it’s others as well. Four different tight ends saw a snap for the Charges in Week 13. Henry led the way with 50 snaps, but the others are chewing into his volume just enough to keep him on the fringe of top 10 tight end play. All that Henry is missing to be a legit top five TE is more volume. It’s coming in 2018 though, just don’t give up yet.

 

Ricky Seals-Jones (TE, ARI)

On September 25th Ricky Seals-Jones was promoted from the practice squad. On that day, I ran to every league I’m in and added him from free agency. Seals-Jones is a converted WR from Texas A&M but profiles as a more traditional TE. He is big, listed at 6-5, 243 pounds but is not fast. For Seals-Jones to be productive in the NFL, he is going to need to us his size against linebackers. Since he used to be a WR though, Seals-Jones has the footwork to run decent routes around big LBs who are not nearly as athletic. To top it all off, Seals-Jones has some decent NFL genes running through his family tree. His Cousin is Eric Dickerson, the single season rushing record holder. It always helps to have a mentor like Dickerson just a phone call away.

We didn’t hear anything from Jones-Seals this season until Week 11, and seemingly came out of nowhere. Since Week 11, Seals-Jones has nine catches for 170 yards and three touchdowns. Keep an eye on Seals-Jones as a deep stash in dynasty leagues. He plays in an offense with Larry Fitzgerald and David Johnson. Those two on their own will draw enough attention to give Seals-jones plenty of opportunities to produce. If you add in John Brown as well, the Cardinals offense will have playmakers all over the field in 2018. The key will be getting Carson Palmer healthy at this point. It’s not fair to expect Seals-Jones to become a top fantasy tight end right away, but I see a ceiling of top 15 by the end of 2018. I’m drawn to Seals-Jones due to his work as a wide receiver while an Aggie. He has the ability to perform from the TE position at the NFL level.

 

#TrendingDown

Austin Hooper (TE, ATL)

I didn’t buy into Austin Hooper like some others did this offseason. I understood why the hype reached certain levels, but the Falcons offense as a whole worried me. Now, I am not labeling Hooper as a bust and I am not saying he doesn’t have the opportunity to become a fantasy relevant tight end. Hooper was strongly considered by some to be a top 10 tight end heading into this season and he hasn’t performed close to those standards. It was probably unfair to expect that from Hooper anyway considering he only started three games last year and only had 19 receptions on 27 targets.

It looked like Hooper was well on the way to meeting those expectations after hauling in 128 yards on two catches for a touchdown to start the season. But it took him another five games after that just to reach 120 yards receiving. Outside of Week 1, Hoopers best performance came in Week 4 when he had 50 yards receiving. That’s his highest mark since the beginning of the season. In Week 11 he had negative receiving yards on two catches. I know I am not a football player, but that seems extremely difficult to do in the NFL when you touch the ball twice.

Maybe Hooper can bounce back in 2018 and become a more valuable dynasty asset. Hooper just hasn’t been consistent enough to head into the offseason planning on him being your starting tight end. If you play in deeper leagues and you can stash him, absolutely do it. He is only 23 years old and plays in an offense with a lot of weapons around. But is this a case of having too many weapons around him?

 

Jason Witten (TE, DAL)

As with Hooper, this is another case of a hot start gone cold. Jason Witten had 17 catches for 156 yards and two touchdowns in his first two games this year. With the possibility of an Ezekiel Elliot suspension still coming, it appeared Witten would continue to be a featured piece of the game plan. With a suspension to the star running back, the passing game would certainly need to pick up the slack. I even bought into the start by Witten and traded for him in a league hoping he would help with Kyle Rudolph’s slow start, but they decided to switch and now Rudolph is the one that is hot.

Witten has five games this year with only one reception. I don’t care who you are, I need someone who is going to get me more than one reception a game. It happens to players from time to time, nothing we can do about a down performance. But five times? No way I can roll him out in my lineup and be comfortable expecting a top 10 TE performance each week. Consistency continues to be the name of the game.

What is going to happen next year with the Cowboys or even Witten himself? The Cowboys will move back to a run first offense with Elliot, especially with how many troubles we have seen Dak Prescott have by himself this year. The most interesting part to this however, is Wittens interest in the open Tennessee coaching position. Maybe Witten will plan on hanging it up soon to get into coaching. When he sees players around him going down with concussions and possible CTE related life issues, he could decide to retire. Maybe he decides to give it one more go in 2018 and try for a ring. I’m not willing to pay much for this production and one more season in a dynasty league. If you pick him up as depth, that’s absolutely fine, but I don’t recommend in looking to Witten as your starting TE.

 

More 2017 Dynasty League Strategy




POPULAR FANTASY TOOLS

Expert Advice
Articles & Tools
Import Your Leagues
Draft Rankings
Draft Simulator
Enter League Settings
Value Picks
Compare Any Players
News and Alerts

REAL-TIME FANTASY NEWS

Tyrion Davis-Price

Titans Waive Tyrion Davis-Price
Tre Harris

Chargers Relying on Tre Harris to Be Starting X Receiver
Eugenio Suárez

Eugenio Suarez Expected Back Friday
Micah Parsons

Will Become Highest-Paid Non-QB
MarShawn Lloyd

Vying for RB2 Role
Keandre Lambert-Smith

KeAndre Lambert-Smith Finds End Zone in First Training Camp Practice
Tyler Shough

Pushing for Fully Guaranteed Rookie Deal
Ar'Darius Washington

Goes on PUP List
Lamar Jackson

to be Even Better in 2025?
Tre Harris

Agrees to Terms on Rookie Deal
Justin Herbert

Off to Good Start at Training Camp
Jameson Williams

Earning Rave Reviews from Lions Coaches
Christian Mahogany

Expected to Start for Lions
Zach Allen

an Extension Candidate in Denver?
Zaire Franklin

May Miss Start of Training Camp
Portland Trail Blazers

Damian Lillard Returning to Portland
Mason Taylor

to Play "Crucial" Role in Jets' Offense
Paul Skenes

Pirates Could Preserve Paul Skenes in Second Half
T.J. Watt

Once Again Becomes Highest-Paid Non-QB
RJ Harvey

Reaches Agreement on Four-Year Rookie Contract
Rashee Rice

Chiefs Believe Rashee Rice Will Receive Two- to Four-Game Suspension
Brooks Barnhizer

Grabs 19 Points, Nine Boards in Summer League Win
Jack Kiser

Inks Rookie Deal With Jaguars
Mike Green

Expected to Sign Rookie Deal with Ravens on Thursday
Mike Williams

Retiring After Eight NFL Seasons
Jeremiah Fears

Scores 22 Points in Summer League Loss to Thunder
Isaiah Collier

Collects 17 Points In Summer League Win
Caleb Houstan

Joins Hawks
AJ Johnson

Erupts for 25 Points in Summer League Loss
Washington Wizards

Leaky Black Logs Double-Double in Loss to Jazz
Connor Norby

Undergoes Surgery, Expected to Miss 6-8 Weeks
Trey Alexander

Tallies 25 Points in Losing Effort
Johni Broome

Records Second Consecutive Double-Double
Jahmir Young

Has Historic Summer League Outing
Rob Dillingham

Plays Big Role in Wednesday's Win
Tyrese Proctor

Erupts for 35 Points Against Kings
Cody Williams

Leads Jazz to Victory Against Wizards
LeBron James

Mavs Not Interested in "Gutting its Roster" For LeBron James
Josh Hart

Undergoes a Procedure on Right Finger
Jake Burger

Goes on 10-Day Injured List With Quad Strain
Sal Frelick

Dealing With Grade 1 Hamstring Strain, TBD for Start of Second Half
Chris Sale

Plays Catch
Los Angeles Clippers

Bradley Beal Heading to Los Angeles to Join Clippers After Contract Buyout
Rayan Rupert

Scores 24 Points in Summer League Win
Derik Queen

Collects Third Consecutive Double-Double in Summer League Loss
GG Jackson II

Records 13 Points in Summer League Action on Tuesday
Johni Broome

Logs Double-Double Against Wizards
DaRon Holmes II

Records Double-Double in Summer League Loss to Raptors
Kyle Schwarber

Named All-Star Game MVP
Harris English

Takes Stellar 2025 Performance to The Open Championship
Aldrich Potgieter

Seeks Better Result in Northern Ireland
Cameron Young

Likely to Hang Around at The Open Championship
Cameron Smith

Just Trying to Make the Cut at Royal Portrush
Jordan Spieth

Is Jordan Spieth Still a Natural for Links Style Golf?
Patrick Reed

a Viable Option at The Open Championship
PGA

Sungjae Im Wants to Rebound from Last Experience at Royal Portrush
Xander Schauffele

Looks to Defend His Claret Jug at Royal Portrush
Tony Finau

Trying to Turn Tide at Royal Portrush
Daniel Brown

Seeks a Rebound at The Open Championship
Rory McIlroy

Will be the Most Watched Player This Week at Royal Portrush
Daniel Berger

Trending Poorly as The Open Championship Looms
Clayton Kershaw

Retires Both Batters In ASG Appearance
Eugenio Suárez

Eugenio Suarez Hit In Pinky In All-Star Game, X-Rays Negative
MLB

NL All-Stars Win On Tie-Breaker Home Run Swing-Off
Robert MacIntyre

Hoping to Bounce Back at Open Championship
Shane Lowry

Hopes to Repeat at Royal Portrush
Brian Harman

Hopes to Rekindle Some Magic at the 153rd Open
UTA

Michael Carcone Returns to Utah on One-Year Contract
Bowen Byram

Signs Two-Year Deal with Sabres
Morgan Barron

Jets Re-Sign Morgan Barron for Two Years
PGA

Chris Gotterup Punches Ticket to Royal Portrush With Win at Scottish Open
Bryson DeChambeau

Hopes to Reverse Links Golf Struggle at the 153rd Open
Keegan Bradley

Needs to Find The Weekend at Royal Portrush for Ryder Cup Hopes
Oneil Cruz

Ties Home Run Derby Distance Record
Cal Raleigh

Wins 2025 Home Run Derby
Justin Thomas

Finishes Tied For 22nd at Genesis Scottish Open
Scottie Scheffler

Finishes Tied For Eighth at Genesis Scottish Open
Jon Rahm

Finishes in Second at LIV Andalucia
Tallison Teixeira

Suffers First-Round TKO
Derrick Lewis

Scores First-Round TKO
Michael Lorenzen

Royals Put Michael Lorenzen on Injured List With Oblique Strain
Stephen Thompson

Loses Controversial Split Decision
Gabriel Bonfim

Wins Controversial Split Decision
Calvin Kattar

Gets Outclassed At UFC Nashville
Steve Garcia

Extends His Win Streak
Nate Landwehr

Gets Knocked Out
Morgan Charrière

Morgan Charriere Scores Third-Round Knockout
Austen Lane

Suffers Submission Loss
Vitor Petrino

Scores First-Round Submission In Heavyweight Debut
Tuco Tokkos

Earns His First UFC Win
Junior Tafa

Unsuccessful in his Light-Heavyweight Debut
Chase Elliott

Charges to A Finish of Third At Sonoma
Chase Briscoe

Finishes Second With his First Career Road-Course Top-Five at Sonoma
Christopher Bell

Rollercoaster Day Ends With Top-5 Finish at Sonoma
William Byron

Maintains the Regular-Season Points Lead
Kyle Busch

Earns A Hard-Fought Top-10 Finish At Sonoma
Alex Ovechkin

Not Thinking About Retirement
PIT

Penguins Acquire Arturs Silovs
NHL

Nikolai Kovalenko Returns to Russia
Yoshinobu Yamamoto

Tosses Gem Against Giants
Shota Imanaga

Shuts Down Yankees on Sunday
Nathan Eovaldi

Dominant Again in Seventh Win
Tyler Reddick

Evades Near Upset to Remain Alive in In-Season Challenge
Ty Gibbs

One of Three Tylers to Make In-Season Challenge Semifinals
Kyle Larson

Curiously Mediocre at Sonoma Before Late-Race Crash
NASCAR

John H. Nemechek Edges Out Teammate to Make In-Season Challenge Semifinal
Alex Bowman

Ty Dillon Bumps Alex Bowman to Advance to In-Season Challenge Semifinal
Chicago White Sox

Billy Carlson Goes 10th Overall to White Sox
Cincinnati Reds

Steele Hall Selected Ninth by Cincinnati
Toronto Blue Jays

Blue Jays Select JoJo Parker with Eighth Overall Pick
Miami Marlins

Marlins Select Aiva Arquette With Seventh Overall Pick
Pittsburgh Pirates

Pirates Select Seth Hernandez with Sixth Overall Pick
Shane Van Gisbergen

Can Anyone Beat Shane van Gisbergen at Sonoma?
Tyler Reddick

Better at Sonoma Than Record Shows
Chase Elliott

a Prime DFS Option at Sonoma
Michael McDowell

Struggling a Bit at Sonoma
NASCAR

Christopher Bell Has Never Finished Better Than Ninth at Sonoma
Ryan Blaney

Has Top-10 Upside at Sonoma
NASCAR

Sunday at Sonoma Will Likely Be a Long Race for Bubba Wallace
Kyle Larson

Is A Likely Top-Five Contender for Sonoma
Ryan Preece

Points Position Could Affect Race at Sonoma
Todd Gilliland

Struggling to Find Speed at Sonoma
Ty Gibbs

May be an Underrated Favorite to Compete for the Win at Sonoma
Erik Karlsson

Open to Move Away From Pittsburgh
Zach Hyman

Hopes to be Ready for Start of Next Season
SJ

Jeff Skinner Joins Sharks on One-Year Contract
RANKINGS
C
1B
2B
3B
SS
OF
SP
RP

RANKINGS

QB
RB
WR
TE
K
DEF