2019 Tight End Consistency Rankings: Spot TE sleepers, busts ahead of fantasy drafts

Bob Lung

2019 Tight End Consistency Rankings: Spot TE sleepers, busts ahead of fantasy drafts image

Is there anything more frustrating than an inconsistent fantasy football team? You put all that time into your cheat sheet, rankings, and draft strategy, only to have most of the players you pick turn out to be busts. The big weeks are fun but somehow the bad weeks hurt more -- and you can’t chalk it all up to bad luck. That’s why you should consider consistency when making your projections and trying to find the top sleepers and busts.

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BigGuyFantasySports.com is devoted to helping you find the most consistent players with its "Clutch Rating" (or CR). Using a unique formula to determine "Clutch Games", you can see which players mostly often help your team win. A solidly consistency player will have a CR above 70 percent, while upper-tier stars often top 80 and even flirt with 90 percent.

2019 PPR RANKINGS:
Running back | Wide receiver | Tight end | Top 200

In the preseason, looking at a player’s consistency helps determine whether they are overvalued or undervalued. With a murky set of TE rankings this year, anything to help separate the good from the mediocre can be important.

2019 STANDARD RANKINGS:
Quarterback | Running backWide Receiver | Tight End | D/ST | Kicker | Top 200

Fantasy Football Consistency Rankings: Tight Ends

1. TE1A Travis Kelce, Chiefs

2. TE1A Zach Ertz, Eagles

3. TE1A George Kittle, 49ers

4. TE1B Jared Cook, Saints

5. TE1B Evan Engram, Giants

6. TE1B Eric Ebron, Colts

7. TE1B Hunter Henry, Chargers

8. TE1B O.J. Howard, Buccaneers

9. TE1B Delanie Walker, Titans

10. TE1B David Njoku, Browns

11. TE1B Jordan Reed, Redskins

12. TE1B Vance McDonald, Steelers

FANTASY SLEEPERS: 
8 QBs | 14 RBs | 11 WRs | 11 TEs | 6 D/STs | One from each team

If a player is listed as a TE1A, it means I expect them to earn a 70 percent or higher Clutch Rate this season. You will notice there are currently only three tight ends ranked at that level. Of course, they are the obvious studs: Travis Kelce, Zach Ertz and George Kittle. The remaining tight ends on the above list are all ranked as TE1B. This means I expect them to earn a Clutch Rate between 55 and 70 percent. Obviously, the higher-ranked tight ends like Jared Cook and Evan Engram are expected to earn much higher than 55 percent, but they probably won’t exceed 70 percent. The lower-ranked TEs certainly could exceed a 55-percent Clutch Rating, but my expectations of that happening are lower.

The big question for this year at tight end is whether Kelce, Ertz, and Kittle can live up to their extremely high ADPs. To me, the answer is yes. If you grouped them in the wide receiving rankings, their expected consistency numbers last year would have placed them in the top 15. So, getting one of that trio in the first four rounds counts as a value. You can always draft consistent, undervalued receivers later to fill the gap.

Let’s take a look at one potential sleeper and one possible bust at the TE position, understanding how consistency affects their values.

Undervalued: Evan Engram, Giants

While I realize Engram isn’t greatly undervalued, anytime you can get the fourth-most consistent tight end in the sixth round, it's worth pointing out. Engram, in what many considered a down year due to injuries, had a 73-percent Clutch Rate (which ranked him sixth) in 2018. However, when Odell Beckham, Jr. wasn’t on the field at the end of the year, Engram had a 100-percent CR (four-for-four to end the season). Beckham is officially gone, and Eli Manning will need Engram more than ever. He’s worth a sixth-round pick when he can earn close to the same consistency as the big three tight ends.

Overvalued: Austin Hooper, Falcons

Every year, Hooper’s consistency is in the 20s among tight ends, and every year, early mock drafters treat him as a borderline TE1. Well, that’s why you are here reading this, right? Please do not draft Hooper too high. His consistency was only 38 percent last year. Even if he made it to 50 percent, he’s not a TE1. Let someone else reach for him. He won’t be on any of my teams in 2019.

MORE: Consistency reports at Big Guy Fantasy Sports

If you want more consistency from your draft prep, go to Amazon and pick up the award-winning 2019 Fantasy Football Consistency Guide. You can also follow me on Twitter @bob_lung.

Don’t miss out on the 2019 Midwest Fantasy Football Expo on Sunday, August 18, 2019 in Canton, Ohio! Go to www.midwestffexpo.com for tickets!

Bob Lung

Bob Lung Photo

Bob Lung is a fantasy sports contributor for The Sporting News.