As the fantasy season inches closer and managers prepare for their upcoming drafts, the tight end position is one of the roster spots that extra consideration should be given. As one of the top-heavy positions in fantasy football, managers will need to decide whether to leverage a high draft pick on one of the elite names or opt for an option with a lower ADP.
In this scenario, we’re looking at two highly talented tight ends out of the NFC East, with one proving more durable over the other, who arguably boasts more upside heading into the fantasy season.
Darren Waller, New York Giants
Waller has a fresh start in the Big Apple as he seeks to return to the level of production he put together from 2019 to 2020, in which he tallied back-to-back 1,000+ yard receiving seasons. Since then, however, he’s missed a total of 14 games over the last two seasons while failing to log more than three receiving touchdowns in a season. In 2022, he finished as TE31 with an average of 9.4 PPR fantasy points per game through six appearances.
It will be interesting to see how Waller’s arrival shakes up the Giants’ plan of attack, as Brian Daboll’s offense ranked 29th in pass attempts and 27th in net yards per pass attempt in his first year in New York. Perhaps with a talent like Waller in tow, he’ll allow Daniel Jones to look to move the ball through the air more freely.
Dallas Goedert, Philadelphia Eagles
Goedert is coming off a 2022 campaign in which he tallied 55 receptions on 69 targets for 702 yards and three touchdowns. In PPR fantasy leagues, he finished as TE12 with an average of 11.8 PPG, which is arguably a factor of playing within a stacked offense that includes Jalen Hurts’ dual-threat ability, as well as having two stud receivers in AJ Brown and Devonta Smith.
Still, the Eagles’ tight end has the advantage of consistency as Philadelphia enters year three with head coach Nick Sirianni, while the team ranked sixth in pass percentage to tight ends two years ago. That volume dropped in 2022, but perhaps it was a factor of Goedert having missed five games. So long as he stays healthy, it’s hard not to imagine Hurts targeting his talented receiving group on a consistent basis.
Fantasy football verdict
As mentioned before, the tight end spot is a tricky position to fill, and the best bet is to try and find a reliable, consistent player that you know will be on the field on Sundays to give you points. Goedert has everything you want in those parameters, and the huge advantage he has over Waller is his durability over the last few seasons. Waller has tremendous upside, but only if he can work his way back to his level of production from three years ago.