With 2021 fantasy football drafts approaching, here are some 2021 fantasy TE busts and undervalued players to avoid. We’re focusing on 2021 fantasy football tight end busts typically selected in the top 100 0r so picks.
2021 fantasy football average draft position comes from FantasyPros’ half-point PPR consensus ADP.
2021 Fantasy TE Busts: Overvalued Tight Ends To Avoid In Football Drafts
Noah Fant, Denver Broncos (79.7 ADP, TE6)
There’s a quarterback competition in Denver between Drew Lock and Teddy Bridgewater. Without knowing the starter, it’s hard to build on chemistry when you’re getting thrown balls from both quarterbacks an even amount of time.
Right now, Fant is being picked higher in fantasy football drafts based on the fact that Aaron Rodgers could be traded to Denver. The fact is, the Broncos added Teddy Bridgewater, knowing they’ll have a very hard time landing Rodgers in Denver.
Fant finished as the 10th-best tight end in fantasy football last year and had just three touchdowns. Sure, he had a solid 673 receiving yards, but because he couldn’t find the end zone, he was just an average tight end last year.
In 2019 and 2020, Fant played 31 games and started 25. He’s only had 102 receptions and 1,235 yards with six touchdowns in those 31 games. That means he scored a touchdown in just above 19 percent of games in his career.
I wouldn’t a TE1 who can’t find the end zone.
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Dallas Goedert, Philadelphia Eagles (100.3 ADP, TE9)
There’s a rumor going around that Zach Ertz will be shopped for a trade around by the Eagles and likely won’t start the season with the Eagles. So as the speculation continues, many fantasy football drafters are putting their stock in Dallas Goedert, who would be the starting tight end of the Eagles.
Last year, he caught 46 passes for 524 yards with three touchdowns in just 11 games. That’s not so bad. But what is bad is having Jalen Hurts as his everyday quarterback. Hurts finished 2020 with a QBR of 41 and struggled to throw the football. He was really more of a running quarterback.
When it comes down to it, tight ends need to find ways to score touchdowns. When it’s 1st- or 2nd-and-goal, you want the quarterback to target a big tight end.
That won’t happen with Hurts. He’s going to run more often than throw and isn’t accurate by any stretch of the imagination.
Don’t believe the hype. The Eagles offense is not going to be good with Hurts under center.
Hunter Henry, New England Patriots (109.7 ADP, TE12)
Henry had a great start to his career in Los Angeles with the Chargers, filling in for Antonio Gates. But in his first year with Justin Herbert, he caught 60 passes for 613 yards with just four touchdowns in 14 games. His production was average to say the least, and he’s got a history of injuries since starting his NFL career.
Now he’ll be a main receiving option for the Patriots. Of course, while the Patriots have come out and said Cam Newton looks better than last season, it’s hard to trust any of that knowing Newton threw more interceptions than touchdowns last season.
On top of that, the Patriots went out and signed former Tennessee Titan Jonnu Smith, who is likely the more reliable tight end in terms of catching the ball and play-making ability in the first place.
Maybe 2021 first-round NFL Draft pick Mac Jones will get a chance to start later in the season, but you don’t need to take that chance. Henry will miss games and produce less than he did last season with Herbert under center.
Irv Smith Jr., Minnesota Vikings (145.3 ADP, TE14)
The Vikings won’t have Kyle Rudolph any longer; he jumped to the New York Giants. You would think Irv Smith Jr. would see an uptick in his stats with Rudolph being absent.
However, even his own coach, Mike Zimmer, shut that down, saying it was unlikely Smith would see his production rise.
Smith had a terrible rookie season with just 36 catches and 311 yards along with two touchdowns. In 2020, he had just 30 catches with five touchdowns.
Smith does have a chance at catching more touchdowns but his production will be limited in the first place. He’s going to be a hit or miss every single game and that’s not something you want to roll out on your fantasy roster every week.
Rudolph being out of the picture will help, but his departure will not help Smith become an every-week TE1 or flex play.
Another fantasy football tight end bust candidate to avoid:
- Rob Gronkowski, Tampa Bay Buccaneers (99.7 ADP, TE8)
For more 2021 fantasy football draft tips, listen to our Take The Points podcast with Marcus Mosher and Adam Kramer:
