Fantasy Football TE Report: Zach Ertz’s Absurd Volume, No. 1 TE, and Matchup Downgrades

Updated:

Sep 23, 2021, 03:45 PM EDT

Fantasy Football TE Report: Zach Ertz’s Absurd Volume, No. 1 TE, and Matchup Downgrades article feature image

Credit:

Credit: Christopher Hanewinckel-USA TODAY Sports. Pictured: Philadelphia Eagles tight end Zach Ertz (86) reacts after missing a pass during the second half against the Tennessee Titans at Nissan Stadium.

The Action Network ranked fantasy football tight ends across standard, PPR and half-point PPR leagues for Week 5.
Here's a deeper dive on three TEs you should start, including Travis Kelce and Jimmy Graham -- plus one to should consider fading.

Which tight ends have the most favorable fantasy matchups this weekend? Who is the best streaming option? And who has a poor matchup?

Here's a breakdown of five notable tight ends featured in Sean Koerner, Chris Raybon and Matthew Freedman's Week 5 fantasy football rankings.

The No. 1 TE

Travis Kelce, Kansas City Chiefs

Kelce is crowned the No. 1 TE among all of our rankers this week. High volume isn't common among tight ends, and Kelce's 9.5 targets per game trails only Zach Ertz.

Kelce will be tested in this matchup against a Jacksonville defense that was able to contain Rob Gronkowski in Week 2, but Kelce presently owns the highest median and ceiling projection among tight ends in the FantasyLabs Player Models.

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The Most Favorable Matchups

Zach Ertz, Philadelphia Eagles

Through four weeks, the Vikings rank 28th in Football Outsiders' Defense-adjusted Value Over Average (DVOA) metric, allowing 6.1 targets and 61.4 receiving yards.

Overall, Ertz garners absurd volume for a tight end, averaging 11.8 targets per game seeing at least 10 targets in every game this season.

Koerner, Freedman and Raybon all have Ertz as their No. 2 TE for Week 5.

Jimmy Graham, Green Bay Packers

Graham's 6.3 targets per game ranks fourth on the team, but his volume could see a boost if wide receivers Randall Cobb (hamstring) and Geronimo Allison (concussion) aren't able to suit up in Week 5.

Additionally, Graham boasts the fifth-highest median projection in the FantasyLabs Player Models against a Lions defense that ranks 27th in pass DVOA against tight ends this season.

Our rankers all have Graham ranked either seventh or eighth.

Matchup Downgrade

David Njoku, Cleveland Browns

Njoku had his best game of the season against the Raiders last Sunday with Baker Mayfield at quarterback, but the Raiders presented a weaker matchup than what he'll face this weekend.

In Week 5 the Browns face a Ravens defense that ranks 11th in pass DVOA against tight ends.

Njoku has an average rank of 11.0 between all three of our rankers.

The Best Streamer

Austin Seferian-Jenkins, Jacksonville Jaguars

If you're desperate, ASJ draws a matchup against a Chiefs defense that will likely be without safety Eric Berry (heel) again. So far this season, the Chiefs allowed the seventh-most receptions (23) and third-most receiving yards (361) to opposing tight ends this year.

ASJ's target share isn't outstanding, but he's seen at least four targets in every game this year.

Want another edge? Be sure to keep up with the week's news on FantasyLabs.

Justin Bailey

Action Contributor

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