Julius Thomas is now a Jacksonville Jaguar. (Getty)
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I have to be honest — I hate drafting tight ends.
Two years ago in one of my season-long leagues, I was able to grab then New Orleans Saints tight end Jimmy Graham and I was as giddy as a newly-turned 21-year-old on Bourbon Street.
But most of the time, if you miss out on the handful or so of the elite TEs, you’re better off waiting and taking a flier on someone with upside.
But that’s dangerous, too. Taking a flier on someone can many times lead to a bust for your team at the position. So who are those bust candidates for 2015? I’ve got a few listed below I’m being cautious with.
Bookmark our fantasy football rankings 2015 page to keep up-to-date on the latest projections and rankings heading into the season.
Keep reading to find out who some of the potential busts at the tight end position will be:
1. Julius Thomas, Jacksonville Jaguars
Thomas goes from Peyton Manning to Blake Bortles. I’m not knocking Bortles (that much), but Manning is a perennial 65 percent passer while BB was at 58% in his 2014 rookie season. Thomas saw just 60 targets last year, but turned them into a whopping 12 touchdowns on 43 receptions. Thomas might see more throws come his way in 2015, but he’s not scoring a dozen TDs again. I mean, Bortles threw only 11 in 14 games. I do believe in Blake, but not yet. I can see 45 catches for Thomas, but half the TD total. That puts him as a low-end fantasy starter … at best.
2. Jordan Cameron, Miami Dolphins
After his 80-catch, 7-touchdown 2013 season, Cameron was all over everybody’s radar for 2914. Then 2014 came and Cameron played just 10 games (injuries — Cameron gets those often), catching 24 balls for 2 scores. About those injuries, Cameron has played in just 47 of 64 possible regular season games in his first 4 seasons. Is it a given he’ll be banged up this year? Of course not. But it absolutely bears watching. Silver lining: Dolphins QB Ryan Tannehill targeted former tight end Charles Clay 84 times in 2014. Cameron has the talent, but he’s also got the red flags.
3. Owen Daniels, Denver Broncos
A Peyton Manning tight end is always fantasy-relevant. Daniels could very well put up decent numbers — if he’s on the field. Daniels hasn’t played a full season since 2008, though he hit 15 of 16 games in 3 of the past 4 years. Daniels has never really been a red zone threat; 6 TDs in 2012 is his career-high. He won’t approach the aforementioned Thomas’ 12 scores — that I can tell you. Daniels is a crapshoot. He’s never had a QB like Peyton, but he’s never been able to stay healthy. How lucky do you feel?
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4. Eric Ebron, Detroit Lions
The 10th overall pick in the 2014 NFL Draft had a tough rookie season. Ebron pulled in just 25 passes (on 49 targets) in 13 games and scored just a single TD. How much is expected from Ebron this season? Tough to say. But it seems as if the Lions have phased the tight end out of their offense in recent years (saw Brandon Pettigrew on a milk carton recently). Ebron certainly has the tools, but he has to show it on the field. And he needs his QB — Matt Stafford — to stop regressing.
5. Tyler Eifert, Cincinnati Bengals
Eifert had a solid rookie season, but missed all but 3 games in 2014 with an elbow injury. Word is, Eifert has been unstoppable in training camp and seems to have developed a rapport with QB Andy Dalton. Sigh. If I had a bowl of Skyline Chili every time I heard that. Could Eifert be the real deal? Sure. But with AJ Green, Mohamed Sanu, the returning Marvin Jones, the emerging Jeremy Hill and Gio Bernard, there are a lot of mouths to feed. Yes, Jermaine Gresham is gone, but I’m going with a more reliable option when selecting my TE. But you obviously need to monitor the former first round draft selection.
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