Packers: Jimmy Graham early 2019 fantasy football predictions
Green Bay Packers tight end Jimmy Graham didn’t meet expectations for fantasy football in 2018. Will that change next season?
The Green Bay Packers took a risk when they signed Jimmy Graham to a multi-year contract last offseason.
Graham’s first season didn’t go as well as many expected, but he’ll likely enter 2019 as the starting tight end.
Should you consider drafting Graham in fantasy next season?
How Graham finished in 2018
Graham finished with 636 receiving yards, which was about where many expected. But he only caught two touchdown passes, a year after finding the end zone 10 times with the Seattle Seahawks. Graham was too inconsistent for fantasy football which made him a tough player to trust in starting lineups.
According to Fantasy Pros, Graham finished 13th among tight ends in half-point PPR scoring. That’s disappointing considering his average draft position (ADP) was the TE4, according to Fantasy Football Calculator.
Tight end was a difficult position to predict in 2019. Unless you had Travis Kelce, Zach Ertz, George Kittle or Eric Ebron, chances are you were searching the waiver wire for a new tight end most weeks.
What to expect in 2019
To be completely honest — I have absolutely no idea what to expect from Graham. What I do know is that I won’t be drafting him.
On one hand, you can make a case for Graham improving in 2019. He’s now worked with Aaron Rodgers for a year. That will help. New head coach Matt LaFleur could also help by using the tight ends in the receiving game more often.
But you could also argue that Graham will be one year older; he turns 33 during the 2019 season. Was his inconsistent play last year a sign of what’s to come?
Fantasy draft
Even if you miss out on the top tight ends in your fantasy draft, I’d avoid Jimmy Graham. His current ADP reflects that, as he doesn’t even make Fantasy Football Calculator‘s top-12 for 2019, which means he’s expected to go undrafted in most leagues.
If you miss out on the top-tier TEs, safer selections in the draft are David Njoku, Hunter Henry and O.J. Howard. It’ll be interesting to see which team Jared Cook is playing for next season, too.
Maybe Graham will bounce back next season and become a TE1 once again, but that’s not a risk I’m willing to take in the draft unless it’s with one of my final selections if I have a bench spot available.