The 2017 NFL season was not the year of the tight end. Outside of Gronkowski and Travis Kelce, the position was lacking much top end talent. Many of the better tight ends in the league dealt with injuries, hurting their production in 2017. No tight end finished with more than 158.0 fantasy points in standard scoring and 193.0 points in half-point PPR.
For the 2017 NFL season, the following players are all some form of a bust in fantasy. Whether injuries limited their abilities or they suffered through serious inconsistencies, they were not great options to have in fantasy football.
Greg Olsen – Carolina Panthers
While injuries kept Greg Olsen out of nine games this season in the seven games he did play, Olsen was mostly a dud. Outside of a big performance in Week 15 against the Green Bay Packers Olsen never caught more than 27 yards in a game. In fact, removing Olsen 116 yard performance, Olsen averaged only 12.5 receiving yards per game and did not catch a touchdown. Considering Olsen had played 16 games each of the last nine seasons and topped 1000 yards receiving over the previous three, this year was a huge letdown for Olsen fans and fantasy owners. Olsen will be 33 next season but is still one of the better tight ends in the NFL.
Austin Hooper – Atlanta Falcons
After blowing the doors off the Chicago Bears secondary in the first game of 2017, Austin Hooper looked to be one of the more intriguing tight ends for the 2017 season. However, Hooper never came close to matching his 128-yard performance in Week 1. Outside of Week 1, Hooper’s season high in yardage was 50 in Week 4 against the Buffalo Bills. Hooper only caught two more touchdowns after Week 1 and finished with less than ten receiving yards on four occasions. Hooper is young and could improve more in 2018, closer to the point he is actually relevant in fantasy football.
Jordan Reed – Washington Redskins
Injuries continue to be the downfall of Jordan Reed’s career. Reed is one of the more athletically gifted tight ends in the NFL. However, in five years, Reed has never played a full season. He finished this year with only six games for the Redskins. Both of Reed’s touchdowns this season came in the same game. In his other five appearances, he never caught more than 48 yards. That means he was a complete bust for you if you drafted him.
Reed’s health is such a concern that he could be cut by the Redskins to save money. Overall, he cannot be trusted to be a reliable option in fantasy in 2018 and he’s no longer in the TE1 conversation.
Martellus Bennett – Green Bay Packers
When Martellus Bennett left the New England Patriots and signed with the Green Bay Packers, many believed he would take another step forward towards becoming a top-12 fantasy tight end. After all, the Packers were needy at the position and a pairing with Aaron Rodgers and the pass-happy Packers should have resulted in plenty of opportunities. Overall, Bennett played poorly in Green Bay, eventually getting waived and returning to New England for two games. Bennett played nine games total in 2017, failing to reach the end zone and never catching more than 53 receiving yards. Who knows where Bennett will be next season? There’s a good chance he will retire from football once the Super Bowl is over.
Tyler Eifert – Cincinnati Bengals
For the third time in four seasons, injured derailed Tyler Eifert’s season. The former Pro Bowl tight end played just two games in 2017, catching four passes for 46 yards. Eifert went into the 2017 season with moderate expectations. Eifert had five receiving touchdowns in eight games in 2016 and 13 touchdowns in 13 games in 2015. Now, Eifert is a free agent and will likely play somewhere else in 2018. Eifert has the size and talent of a great tight end, but the consistent injury concerns will probably see him signed to a short-term deal with many of incentives. Expectations for Eifert will be low in 2018, with him likely not ranking in the top-24 tight ends.
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