Fantasy football 2017: Performance of sleeper, bust tight end candidates from preseason Week 2
With the preseason halfway over, we take a look at some more sleeper and bust candidates at the TE position.
The NFL preseason is halfway done with two weeks of games in the books. Many teams have their depth charts close to settled, and we’ll see their starting lineups rolled out later this week in the third preseason game, the unofficial “dress rehearsal” of the NFL calendar.
But before we get to that point, let’s go over a few performances from the second week of preseason and gauge the fantasy value of a select few players. It’s still early to be making stone-cold predictions, but here are some sleeper and bust candidates at the tight end position based on two preseason games.
Potential sleepers
Austin Hooper, Atlanta Falcons — Hooper was efficient once again with the opportunity he was given, catching both of his targets for 24 yards against the Pittsburgh Steelers. It seems clear by now that he’ll be playing a big role in the Falcons’ offense, and he could easily outplay his 13th-round ADP as a sophomore.
Cameron Brate, Tampa Bay Buccaneers — O.J. Howard remains the first-round elephant in the room, but Brate isn’t going away yet. He had two catches for 17 yards while playing with the first team against the Jacksonville Jaguars, while Howard mixed in on select downs. Brate is still going to get regular snaps and potential red zone targets, so even if he doesn’t catch eight touchdowns again, he’s a worthy late-round flier.
Potential busts
Jordan Reed, Washington — Reed just got activated from the PUP after a toe injury cost him most of camp. He doesn’t exactly need the reps, but Reed is a constant injury risk and has yet to play all 16 games in four seasons. When healthy, Reed is a stone-cold TE1, but he’s prone to missing multiple games at a stretch and has a scary concussion history. Drafting him in the fifth round is a leap of faith I’m not willing to take.
Zach Miller, Chicago Bears — It’d be easy to talk yourself into Miller as a safety blanket for either Mike Glennon or Mitchell Trubisky. It’s not out of the realm of possibility — if Miller stays healthy he could be this year’s C.J. Fiedorowicz and catch enough dumpoff passes to be useful in PPR. But I’ll believe it when I see it, and this offense is not inspiring at all. Cameron Meredith remains the only Bears pass catcher worth drafting in fantasy.