Packers fantasy: Jimmy Graham can be a game-winning tight end
New Green Bay Packers tight end Jimmy Graham could provide tremendous value for fantasy owners if he falls in drafts.
Finding an every-week starter at tight end isn’t easy in fantasy football.
Unless you draft Rob Gronkowski or Travis Kelce, your best bet is to wait until later in the draft before making your move at the tight end position.
Sure, there are other options, such as Zach Ertz and Greg Olsen, but these players come with a risk.
Ertz had a great year in 2017, but this was the first time in his career he has been an elite fantasy option. Prior to last season, Ertz had never finished higher than eighth among tight ends for fantasy points, according to FantasyPros.
His current average draft position (ADP) is in the fourth round, according to Fantasy Football Calculator. That’s risky. Time will tell whether his ADP remains this high.
Second-year Evan Engram could be a player to target if he’s still available in the mid-rounds, but if he’s gone, and Jimmy Graham is still available, he could become an every-week starter in your lineup.
Graham’s current ADP has him going in the fifth round. Again, I’d say this is too high. Maybe his name value and the fact he’s playing with Aaron Rodgers will cause his ADP to remain this high as we enter draft season. My hope is that Graham falls in drafts to the mid-to-late rounds.
It would come as no surprise if the likes of Evan Engram and Kyle Rudolph end up with a higher ADP than Graham. Hunter Henry would have been in consideration too before he got injured.
While other teams overpay on the likes of Gronkowski, Ertz and Olsen, a player like Graham could fall to you later on. In the early rounds, you can focus on improving your running back and wide receiver depth chart.
Graham could become a high-end TE1.
Aaron Rodgers’ new red zone target comes with game-winning potential. Graham has 16 touchdowns over the past two seasons, including 10 in 2017.
All 10 of his touchdowns came in the red zone, and no player in the entire league had more red zone targets than Graham, according to Pro Football Reference.
The Green Bay Packers will be down in the red zone a lot. And Graham is incredibly difficult to defend.
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As we get closer to the season, we’ll be able to get a clearer picture of Graham’s ADP, along with the other top tight ends. But for now, the hope is that he slides in drafts, allowing you to focus on other positions early, before picking up Graham later on.