What's new
Fantasy Football - Footballguys Forums

Welcome to Our Forums. Once you've registered and logged in, you're primed to talk football, among other topics, with the sharpest and most experienced fantasy players on the internet.

TE O.J. Howard, Raiders (7 Viewers)

Taishōgun said:
Howard's got some legitimate bust qualities to him imo. At the very least, I don't see him becoming a dependable fantasy contributor. 

For starters, he's a 4 year player in a dominant offense, and yet his stats are pretty middling. Watching his highlights, the majority of his big plays come off broken coverage. I get that his speed helped turn those broken coverages into touchdowns, but you can't depend on that consistently in the NFL. He's also very straight-line, doesn't make anyone miss, doesn't break tackles, and doesn't show that he's dependable at making contested catches, which is the hallmark of NFL TEs. Not to mention there's been rumblings throughout his career that he's not the hard worker type. There's lots of reasons to believe Howard is the awesome athlete / medicore football player type. 

Not to mention his new teammate Cameron Brate had a pretty damn great season last year and showed great chemistry with Jameis Winston, plus Brate is still young himself, only 3 years older than Howard. 

Again, I don't see much of any reason to expect Howard to become a reliable fantasy contributor at any point in his career. I'd much prefer to take my chances on Evan Engram and Gerald Everett. 
Click to expand...
Say what now?

 
Oof. 

College statistics aren't exactly the best indicator of NFL success.  Odell Beckham Jr. had pretty middling college numbers as well.  Sometimes the offense an athlete plays in dictates the statistics.  Plenty of players light up college football and never make a dent in the NFL.

As far as Howard not being a hard worker or not loving football?  Where does this come from?  I've seen that too, but everything I read about the young man is positive.  Maybe because he was willing to block in the run game and didn't complain about not getting the ball more?  I don't know.

This kid is 6'6, 250, and ran 4.51.  He dominated at the Senior Bowl.  He dominated at the combine.  He dominated as a blocker against NFL talent (Myles Garrett to be precise).  And he dominated when Lane Kiffin actually got his head out of his ### and threw him the ball.

 
Grahamburn said:
As far as Howard not being a hard worker or not loving football?  Where does this come from?  I've seen that too, but everything I read about the young man is positive.  Maybe because he was willing to block in the run game and didn't complain about not getting the ball more?  I don't know.
Click to expand...
That part is ridiculous. You can't make it through the college S&C program he excelled at without being dedicated and a hard worker. Not loving football? I guess that comes from a perceived less-than-100% effort on some plays? Not sure...the system was certainly a little frustrating to him.

 
Alex Smith Can Handle the Arrival of Patrick Mahomes

Excerpt:

7. I think when the 2017 season is over, we’ll look back on the draft and wonder how the heck O.J. Howard dropped to 19th overall. The Alabama tight end steps into a tremendous situation in Tampa, with a quarterback in Jameis Winston who excels throwing over the middle of the field (Winston connected with Cameron Brate for eight touchdowns last season). Bucs coach Dirk Koetter once envisioned a versatile Gronkowski-type of role when he inherited Austin Seferian-Jenkins in 2015, but he disappointed that year and the team cut him loose after a DUI last September. Howard is Koetter's hand-picked second try.
Click to expand...

 
The Buccaneers passing game has “everything you’d want”

Excerpt:

Mostly, Cosell is really impressed with the Bucs’ potential passing game.


“Talking about dimensions, this team has everything you’d want from a receiving standpoint. This is quote the group. And everybody’s now forgetting about Cameron Brate because of O.J. Howard, but Cameron Brate is a pretty darn good player.”

The Bucs want to run a lot of two-tight-end sets this year, so Brate and Howard will be on the field together a lot.

But what Cosell said about dimensions is really true: Mike Evansis the massive guy with speed who can make some amazing catches. DeSean Jackson is one of the fastest receivers in the NFL. Adam Humphries gives them a shifty slot guy, Brate a receiving tight end who’s perfect for finding space in zone defenses, and Howard an all-around right end who can threaten the deep middle of the field. Plus, the Bucs have several good receiving backs.
Click to expand...
 
As a Falcons fan, I think the Bucs and Falcons can have some electric games in the next 5 years. They scare me much more than Car / NO moving forward. 

Also I still have a soft spot for Mike Smith and hope he does well. 

 
bigmarc27 said:
As a Falcons fan, I think the Bucs and Falcons can have some electric games in the next 5 years. They scare me much more than Car / NO moving forward. 

Also I still have a soft spot for Mike Smith and hope he does well. 
Click to expand...
that whole division could average 40 points a game this year. 

 
I'm going to need everyone to stop talking up Howard right now please and thanks.

I need him to fall to me in our upcoming rookie draft.

 
PewterReport.com

There may have been a six-week dead period for football fans during the course of the month of July, but though the players couldn’t do organized activities together as a team, Bucs rookie tight end, O.J. Howard, says they’ve been hard at work.

“Six weeks off, but it’s really not off,” Howard said. “You have to keep in shape; you have to train and keep the football mindset. Coming back two days early kind of helped get us into that football mindset.”

Howard has been all over the place since draft day. Not only did have have the added rookie mini camp before the team’s regulated OTA week, but he’s also been back-and-forth between Tampa and his home town of Prattville, Alabama, both training and spending some time in the community.

“I started my annual backpack giveaway in my community for all the kids to go back to school. We did supplies, games, did some football drills, just a way to give back to where I grew up and keep school first in all the kid’s lives,” Howard said. “Honestly, without education I don’t think you can go far in life nowadays. A lot kids think that it’s just about sports, but if you don’t make the grades, you won’t be able to play sports. I always just try to keep that in their mind and keep them focused.”

Safe to say it’s been quite the adjustment period for the team’s prized first round pick. But, it hasn’t just been an adjustment to the busier schedule, but also in Howard going from an amateur to a professional in his craft.

Even just in the camp’s OTA practices, Howard says that practicing in the NFL is like practicing for the biggest game of the year in the SEC every day.

“I would say mostly mental, just knowing the little things,” Howard said. “In the NFL, every guy is really, really good. It’s like an Alabama-LSU matchup every day, and that’s exactly what it is. It’s an SEC game for me every day – there’s no non-conference games. Everybody is good. You have to have good technique, and it’s more mental than anything.”

Howard says he’s been getting some hands-on help from the veterans in the tight end room like Cameron Brate and Luke Stocker, and also noted that working with quarterback Jameis Winston is motivating in itself. He even said that, “being around great players makes you become great” in reference to the Bucs starting offense. But, he’s also been getting some help from some of the best at his position who have come before him by studying tape of old.

“I started [studying guys] last year, guys who play now and guys like Tony Gonzalez and Jason Witten,” Howard said. “Those are guys who, even when they were older, they were really dominant because of their technique and the way they ran the routes and the little things. I just study guys like that to see what makes them stay in the game so long… For me, there’s a lot of guy who were before my time who were really good. Personally, I like Tony Gonzalez as my No. 1 guy, Winslow is up there in my books and Antonio Gates.”

Howard and the rest of the Buccaneers kick off training camp tomorrow morning at 8:45 a.m. at One Buc Place.
Click to expand...

 
Hu-Tang Clan said:
I'm going to need everyone to stop talking up Howard right now please and thanks.

I need him to fall to me in our upcoming rookie draft.
Click to expand...
Did you get him?

I had pick 9 in my rookie draft and I was all ready to take Njoku. I had seen all the videos, heard all about how athletic he was and how much the Browns love him. Mike Williams was hurt so I thought maybe he would fall to 7 and Howard would go 6 and someone of Hunt or Ross would go at 8.  Well, I was way off. Hunt went 6th, Williams 7th, and Njoku 8th. I was like "Noooooooooooooooo... wait. What?" And took Howard.  I had 0 thought that he would last til my pick and was pleasantly surprised. But this has lead to me forgetting that I own him over and over.

That said, I doubt he'll be a top 10 TE this year.  It's extremely rare for a TE to have a good rookie year, with pretty much only Gronk being the exception in the last decade.  I'd bet that Brate has the better year because he's the proven, reliable asset, and when your QB throws as many picks as Winston (Bortles-like amount of picks) you need reliability.

 
ESPN's Dan Graziano reports O.J. Howard is "turning heads" in training camp.

Per Graziano, the Bucs believe Howard is Day 1 ready as a blocker. Unspoken there is the fact that Howard might not make an immediate impact as a receiver, especially with Cameron Brate siphoning snaps and targets. A freak athlete, Howard will make a rookie impact, it just might not be on the fantasy stat sheet.

Source: ESPN.com 

Aug 1 - 1:39 PM
Click to expand...

 
O.J. Howard caught 1-of-3 targets for 17 yards in the Bucs' Week 2 win over the Bears.

Howard actually out-snapped Cameron Brate, but the game was out of reach for the final 2.5 quarters. It was an ideal time for the Bucs to get Howard some in-game run. Brate will still catch more passes for the time being, but Howard could pass him on the depth chart sooner than people think.
Click to expand...
 
streamkeeper said:
Thanks to Olsen breaking his foot, I am rolling with OJ now.  Anyone else?
Click to expand...
Working in your favor is he's already on the field a ton because of his blocking ability. 

In more competitive games they're definitely going to target him. 

The first play of the game last week was a deep seam route to OJ. 

He isn't going to be featured with all the weapons Tampa has but you'll get 30-40 yards and a 50/50 shot at a TD on a weekly basis. 

Once he and Jameis get more comfortable he'll take off. 

 
He will not be featured this year. The Bucs have a veteran TE in Brate who is a good pass catcher and has excellent chemistry with Winston. On top of this, rookie TEs almost never produce. 

Barring an injury to Brate, the best hope is he goes 2 for 3 and have one catch as a TD. He will be predominantly utilised as a blocker. 

 
btemp said:
He will not be featured this year. The Bucs have a veteran TE in Brate who is a good pass catcher and has excellent chemistry with Winston. On top of this, rookie TEs almost never produce. 

Barring an injury to Brate, the best hope is he goes 2 for 3 and have one catch as a TD. He will be predominantly utilised as a blocker. 
Click to expand...
:thumbup: Agreed... It takes time for QB to jell with rookie TE despite his physical talent. 

 
Last edited by a moderator:
Week seven vs the Bills

OJ Howard 51 offensive snaps (71%) 6 targets 6 receptions 98 yards 2 TD

Cameron Brate 38 offensive snaps (53%) 9 targets 6 receptions 60 yards

Brate certainly hasn't gone away and both players were on the field for some of Tampa Bays snaps in this game but pretty fantastic game for Howard this week.

 
Biabreakable said:
Week seven vs the Bills

OJ Howard 51 offensive snaps (71%) 6 targets 6 receptions 98 yards 2 TD

Cameron Brate 38 offensive snaps (53%) 9 targets 6 receptions 60 yards

Brate certainly hasn't gone away and both players were on the field for some of Tampa Bays snaps in this game but pretty fantastic game for Howard this week.
Click to expand...
Is this the beginning of something big or an outlier?

 
Biabreakable said:
Good question. Wondering about that myself.

Brate still had more targets than Howard in the game.
Click to expand...
Unlike Engram that I feel good starting going forward I could see OJ having a 1 catch for 8 yard type of game next week. I've got him in 2 dynasties but I may need to see him do this over a couple of weeks before I feel comfortable running him out there.

 
He's more talented than Engram but his situation is much worse. You can't count on him with Brate there. 

 
petekrum said:
Is this the beginning of something big or an outlier?
Click to expand...
When they drafted Howard, I thought it would hurt Brate's value, but I don't think that dude is going away anytime soon. Howard is TD dependent right now.

Can anybody tell me if the Bucs run a lot of 12 personnel or do Brate & Howard form a TEBC of sorts? I'm not too familiar with their offense because I don't own any Bucs & don't follow them closely.

 
Football Jones said:
When they drafted Howard, I thought it would hurt Brate's value, but I don't think that dude is going away anytime soon. Howard is TD dependent right now.

Can anybody tell me if the Bucs run a lot of 12 personnel or do Brate & Howard form a TEBC of sorts? I'm not too familiar with their offense because I don't own any Bucs & don't follow them closely.
Click to expand...
Tons of 12. Their base set. 

 
I love the 2 TE set & Brate/Howard form a fantastic pair. Tons of stuff you can do with it to keep the D off balance.

It would be my base offense if I was an OC (as long as you have the personnel to run it).

 
Last edited by a moderator:
The Buccaneers will certainly look towards the future over its last few games and that means O.J. Howard should get more chances. He saw six passes to Cameron Brate’s one against the Lions and that trend is likely to continue. Brate’s presence provides plenty of risk but the upside is too hard to ignore considering he will be amongst the first numbers called inside the ten-yard line. If you don’t own a “set it and forget it” fantasy tight end, give Howard a shot to have a big day on a national stage.
Click to expand...

 
Tampa Bay Buccaneers TE O.J. Howard (ankle) left the game Monday, Dec. 18, versus the Atlanta Falcons due to an ankle injury. He's questionable to return to the contest.

 
Last edited by a moderator:
(USA Today Fantasy Sports) Tampa Bay Buccaneers TE O.J. Howard has the potential to "take a big leap" in his second year, according to head coach Dirk Koetter, who added that "there are so, so many little things that he can do better."

 
No upside with them signing Brate but i still love his talent. Going to have to wait for a bit for him to break out though......like years maybe. 

 
I've seen a couple of rankings that list OJ Howard above Cameron Brate this year, and yet others that definitely favor Brate by 7 or 8 spots.  

I had just assumed Brate would be the more fantasy-relevant of the two because he seems to be a reliable red-zone target, but maybe it is more of a coin flip than I thought. What sort of case could be made for taking OJ Howard ahead of Brate? Even in PPR leagues, touchdowns are still the benchmark in my opinion because only the top 3 or 4 TEs see enough targets to make a PPR difference. 

https://www.fantasypros.com/nfl/draft/cameron-brate-oj-howard.php

 
grateful zed said:
(USA Today Fantasy Sports) Tampa Bay Buccaneers TE O.J. Howard has the potential to "take a big leap" in his second year, according to head coach Dirk Koetter, who added that "there are so, so many little things that he can do better."
Click to expand...
Reading between the lines, this is not exactly an endorsement.

Tex

 
Andy Dufresne said:
Because he helps their team, they have a lot of money to spend, and they don't care about our fantasy teams. 
Click to expand...
I understand your point.  I know the Bucs don't care about our fantasy teams.  But to me, drafting a very athletic, hopefully top tier TE in Howard, and then paying a big chunk of change to another TE already on the team seems odd to me.  It's not like they don't have needs at other positions.  They could have tried to trade him for picks etc or used the money to fill other needs since they already had Howard....

 
Silver & Black said:
I understand your point.  I know the Bucs don't care about our fantasy teams.  But to me, drafting a very athletic, hopefully top tier TE in Howard, and then paying a big chunk of change to another TE already on the team seems odd to me.  It's not like they don't have needs at other positions.  They could have tried to trade him for picks etc or used the money to fill other needs since they already had Howard....
Click to expand...
 Depth is super important so keeping a good player is better than getting a pick to use on a mystery player.  And I don't think the Bucs are in cap trouble. 

 
Last edited by a moderator:
Silver & Black said:
I understand your point.  I know the Bucs don't care about our fantasy teams.  But to me, drafting a very athletic, hopefully top tier TE in Howard, and then paying a big chunk of change to another TE already on the team seems odd to me.  It's not like they don't have needs at other positions.  They could have tried to trade him for picks etc or used the money to fill other needs since they already had Howard....
Click to expand...
Brate isn't much of a blocker.  OJ is.  Koetter likes to run a lot of 2 TE sets.  Brate is also often Jameis' security blanket.  OJ is on his rookie deal.  Brate's deal will be ending when OJ will need a raise.  There are other reasons, but those are the ones that stick out.

 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

Ministry of Pain
Atlanta Falcons Offense '24- WR/RB/TE/QB and the OL
Replies
3
Views
187
zamboni
zamboni
ignatiusjreilly
QB/TE draft strategy 2023
2
Replies
82
Views
3K
Pip's Invitation
Pip's Invitation
Faust
TE Luke Musgrave, GB
2 3
Replies
120
Views
7K
JohnnyU
JohnnyU

Users who are viewing this thread

Total: 8 (members: 0, guests: 8)
Top