There is preseason news that is making me reconsider my support of two tight ends: Zach Ertz and Larry Donnell.
Eagles’ Chip Kelly said that, due to a core muscle injury, TE Zach Ertz will not play this preseason but should be ready week 1.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) August 14, 2015
Last season, I was all about Ertz. He was on a high-powered offense and stood as a 6-foot-5, 250-pound target. There wasn’t much not to like about the Ertz, and he recorded seven receptions 163 receiving yards and a touchdown from Weeks 1-2. Quickly, however, his production became redact, and the 24-year old tight end only hauled in two more touchdown receptions for the season.
His injury certainly isn’t encouraging, but I really became discouraged when reports stated Brent Celek was still the better blocker. Even though he’s a monster in the passing attack, Ertz lost time to Celek because of his blocking ability. He reportedly worked on his blocking during the offseason, and Ertz even met with Tony Gonzalez to pick his brain on how to improve. That didn’t appear to be enough to push Celek for a bigger role, so I’m not as high on him as I was earlier in the year.
As I mentioned, the other tight end I am down on is Donnell. The 26-year old tight end had impressive performances in the first two weeks of the 2014 season like Ertz, but he lost time when his blocking was not up to par. He also reportedly worked on his issues during the offseason, but he is currently battling Achilles’ tendinitis.
If Donnell’s blocking improved, he could have seen more playing time and used his height (6-foot-6) to serve as the perfect target in the end zone for Eli Manning. Now that he is trying to fight off an injury to start the season, however, I think he has a few barriers to Fantasy success.
As much as I would like each of these tight ends to work out, I am starting to look at other options at the position.
Categories: 2015 Fantasy Football
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