Given the state of the tight end position, it is baffling to me that Dallas Goedert is still rostered in just 61% of CBS Fantasy leagues, especially after he was activated from IR Saturday and is in line to play in Week 8. Sure, he may not play a huge role right away, but would you leave Mark Andrews on the waiver wire if he might be limited this week? I didn't think so. And yes, I believe Goedert could be just as good as Andrews when he returns. Maybe better.
In Goedert's last five games before his ankle injury (including the playoffs), he caught 32 passes for 360 yards. He averaged nine targets per game. Sure, he only scored two touchdowns. He still had 80 PPR points in five games. If he'd scored 80 PPR points in five games this season he would be the No. 4 tight end in Fantasy. Ahead of Andrews, who has played six games.
This is not to pick on Andrews; I just keep referencing him to illustrate the elite potential Goedert has as soon as he returns. Yes, it's true that Zach Ertz could be back this year as well, but Goedert played most of those five games with Ertz, too. If he's playing the rest of the season without Ertz, he'd be more like Travis Kelce and George Kittle than Mark Andrews.
The rest of the tight end preview is below, but once again, please go add Goedert.
Here's everything else you need to prepare for Week 8: Start 'Em & Sit 'Em | Dave Richard's Week 8 Preview | QB Start 'Em & Sit 'Em | RB Start 'Em & Sit 'Em | PPR Cheat Sheet | Non-PPR Cheat Sheet | Trade Values | Biggest Questions | QB Preview | RB Preview | WR Preview | TE Preview | Rest-of-Season Rankings | Cut List | Waiver Wire | Winners and Losers | Believe It or Not
Week 8 TE Preview
The following players are not being projected to play Week 8:
Richard Rodgers would be a good streamer if Goedert remains on IR.
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Numbers to Know
- 29.4% -- Nearly a third of Carson Went'z pass attempts have gone to tight ends this year. The Eagles are consistently among the league leaders in this category.
- 11.5 -- Mike Gesicki's average depth of target was among the best at the position with Ryan Fitzpatrick.
- 5 -- Evan Engram leads all tight ends with five drops this season.
- 6 -- The Colts and Lions have given up six Fantasy points per game combined to tight ends this season.
- 6.8 -- Noah Fant leads the Broncos with 6.8 targets per game.. Albert Okwuegbunam is second at 6.5.
- 10 -- Jimmy Graham's 10 red-zone targets are second only to Travis Kelce.
The FFT crew is previewing Week 8 game-by-game on the Fantasy Football Today podcast. Follow all of our podcasts and subscribe here:
Matchups that matter
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Waiver Wire Targets
As long as Dallas Goedert doesn't come back, Rodgers is in a smash spot. The Eagles throw to their tight ends more than anyone else, and Rodgers just saw eight targets in his first full game without Zach Ertz and Dallas Goedert. His touchdown odds are helped by the fact the Eagles play the Cowboys, who have surrendered the fourth-most touchdowns through the air this year (16).
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This could be a low-scoring game and the Ravens defense is very good, but it is allowing 55 yards per game and allowed a touchdown in half of their games to the position. Mostly, there's not another great streamer besides Rodgers. I would prefer Jimmy Graham, but he's rostered in 69% of leagues, which is slightly too high for this column.
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It looks like a bad matchup but Burton is a fine desperation play. He has 16 targets in three games this season and the Colts have a similar history to the Eagles when it comes to targeting their tight ends.
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DFS Plays
Last week was a bad week for expensive tight ends in DFS, and there have been a lot of bad matchups for our truly elite in 2020. This is not one of those times. Kittle's 49ers will be without Deebo Samuel and facing one of the worst secondaries in the league. He should be a lock for double-digit targets and he's projected for nearly triple-digit yards. He's a free space in cash games with all the value at running back and wide receiver.
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Heath's Projections
So who should you start and sit this week? And which surprising quarterback could lead you to victory? Visit SportsLine now to get Week 8 rankings for every position, plus see which QB is going to come out of nowhere to crack the top 10, all from the model that out-performed experts big-time last season.
