One of the most difficult tasks during your fantasy football draft
is trying to decide between two players you essentially see as having
identical value. The purpose of this article is to not only identify
pairs of players that are considered of equal value in 2018, but
also take a look at the process of solving those dilemmas. With
that in mind, here are two tight ends whose values look to be
nearly, if not totally identical.
These two veteran TEs are being drafted
in the 5th round of PPR leagues. Who should you choose?
Two veteran tight ends, one of which is playing for a new team
and the other coming off a significant injury. Graham is two years
younger than Olsen (33 to 31), but in reality, both appear to
be heading toward the downside of their career. Still, after the
“big three” at the position are taken, these two are
likely your next best options.
Olsen played the last three weeks of the regular season after
going down early in Week 2 last season and during that time (Weeks
15-17), he was targeted a whopping 27 times by Cam Newton. Graham’s
numbers from Weeks 14 on weren’t nearly as pretty as he
47 yards receiving and only scored one TD. Graham however, has
enjoyed five seasons with 9 or more receiving TDs. Granted, his
production between the 20s has slowed down but in the red zone,
he continues to be a force. Olsen, meanwhile, has never even achieved
9 TDs in a season even once. He did surpass 1,000 receiving yards
in each of the three seasons preceding his injury (2014-2016).
Decisions, decisions, decisions…
First 4 games for Olsen: DAL, @ATL, CIN, Bye
First 4 games for Graham: CHI, MIN, @WAS, BUF
The Verdict: Fool’s gold. That’s how I would
describe the tight end position in Green Bay over the last decade.
Whether it’s Jermichael Finley or Martellus Bennett, having Aaron
Rodgers at quarterback has not really done much for the value
of tight ends playing on the frozen tundra. Here are the top TE
finishes in Green Bay the last five years:
2017: Martellus Bennett - TE45
2016: Jared Cook - TE36
2015: Richard Rodgers - TE9
2014: Andrew Quarless - TE26
2013: Jermichael Finley - TE37
While Graham figures to get some looks in the redzone, his effectiveness
between the 20s leaves something to be desired as it appears he’s
lost some of his separation ability. Also, he hasn’t topped
100 targets since 2014. Meanwhile, Olsen is in Newton’s
thoughts about every other time he drops back to pass. Prior to
his injury last year, Olsen topped 100 targets his previous five
seasons averaging a respectable 5 TDs. Unless you’re playing
in a TD-only league, I can’t recommend taking Graham over
Olsen. On a side note, if you’re leery of one or both being
too far removed from their primes, might I offer up Evan Engram
as a fresh alternative. So, the pick is Olsen here… with
a hint of reservation.
