Delanie Walker is out for the season and Greg Olsen is out for the foreseeable future. Where does that leave the fantasy players that drafted them and had them pegged as starters? Not to worry, I have a couple names to help patch up your lineup.
So since Walker and Olsen play for the Titans and Panthers, respectively, it makes the most sense to start looking for replacements on their depth charts. This brings Jonnu Smith and Chris Manhertz into the limelight. Smith was drafted by the Titans in the third round of the 2017 NFL Draft and offered a lot of athleticism and upside coming out of Florida International University. He has already been named the starter and should see an uptick in targets at the very least.
Smith only caught one pass on three targets for 12 yards in the first game against the Dolphins; that’s an uninspiring stat line, but necessity might take precedence. The next name on the roster is Luke Stocker who shouldn’t be viewed as a serious option right now. Smith might be worth a roll of the dice in deeper leagues, but it’s difficult to tell what kind of role he will eventually carve out, especially when Corey Davis got 42% of the targets in week 1.
Manhertz, on the other hand, is not someone I view as a viable option and is not someone I would plug into my lineup. The intriguing name on the Panthers’ roster is rookie Ian Thomas. He was taken in the third round of this past April’s draft and could eventually be a top-10 fantasy tight end, but probably not this year. The obvious problem here is the near-constant trend of rookie tight end struggles. Very rarely do we see tight ends impact the game like running backs and wide receivers do in their first season; that’s something to keep in the back of your mind. I wouldn’t consider Manhertz or Thomas at this point, but the latter might be worth stashing on your roster for a week or two if you have space.
Another name that has gained steam in the fantasy community is Seahawks’ tight end Will Dissly. He’s also a rookie, but he surprisingly already bucked the trend I mentioned in the previous paragraph. He’s the hot hand right now, so he is someone I would play if he’s available. I wouldn’t be shocked if he has a coming-back-to-Earth moment after hanging 105 yards and a touchdown on 3 receptions with five targets in week 1, but there’s potential there. This is a short-term play but could pay some dividends as a stop-gap option. Dissly is the best waiver wire option that I have found. He’s only owned in 23.5% of the leagues, so chances are he’s waiting to be picked up.
supporting stats from CBSSports.com
featured image from seahawks.com
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