A little dynasty TE discussion... (1 Viewer)

[Sabertooth]

I'm very high on Travis Kelce to be honest. His value couldn't really get much lower and his upside is as a Shockey like player according to comments Reid made last year. I really have a feeling about him.

 

[Faust]

Rotoworld:

Giants third-year TE Adrien Robinson says he "definitely" sees 2014 as his breakout season.

"I hope so," Robinson said. "It has to be this year." Robinson has been dubbed the Jason Pierre-Paul of tight ends by some in the Giants organization due to his combination of size (6-foot-5, 269) and speed (4.56 forty). But he's been unable to stay healthy, and this summer might be Robinson's last to make an impression in New York. He currently sits atop the depth chart with Brandon Myers a free agent, but Robinson is going to have to go out and earn an offensive role.


Source: Newark Star-Ledger

The Newark Star-Ledger names Adrien Robinson one of the main beneficiaries of Ben McAdoo's hiring as offensive coordinator of the Giants.

McAdoo coached the Packers tight ends from 2006-2011 and prefers big, athletic players at the position. Robinson fits that mold. He's 6-foot-5, 269 and ran a 4.56 forty at his Pro Day before the 2012 draft. Robinson battled foot and knee injuries this past season. Brandon Myers is an impending free agent. Robinson should be given an opportunity to earn a prominent offensive role.

Jan 16 - 11:51 AM
Source: Newark Star-Ledger

 

[eNdblu]

Rotoworld:

Giants third-year TE Adrien Robinson says he "definitely" sees 2014 as his breakout season.

"I hope so," Robinson said. "It has to be this year." Robinson has been dubbed the Jason Pierre-Paul of tight ends by some in the Giants organization due to his combination of size (6-foot-5, 269) and speed (4.56 forty). But he's been unable to stay healthy, and this summer might be Robinson's last to make an impression in New York. He currently sits atop the depth chart with Brandon Myers a free agent, but Robinson is going to have to go out and earn an offensive role.


Source: Newark Star-Ledger

The Newark Star-Ledger names Adrien Robinson one of the main beneficiaries of Ben McAdoo's hiring as offensive coordinator of the Giants.

McAdoo coached the Packers tight ends from 2006-2011 and prefers big, athletic players at the position. Robinson fits that mold. He's 6-foot-5, 269 and ran a 4.56 forty at his Pro Day before the 2012 draft. Robinson battled foot and knee injuries this past season. Brandon Myers is an impending free agent. Robinson should be given an opportunity to earn a prominent offensive role.

Jan 16 - 11:51 AM
Source: Newark Star-Ledger

Hope this is true. Been hanging onto him in a TE prem league

 

[IHEARTFF]

Julius Thomas blew the doors off. Ladarius Green has already made the jump. He's no longer a viable buy low guy. Adrian Robinson is running low on time. Gavin Escobar is the next in the line of buy low athletic TE projects. Vance McDonald as well. Maybe Taylor Thompson.

Figure out which of these guys you like and target them:

Escobar

McDonald

Thompson

Bostick

 

[Terpman22]

Julius Thomas blew the doors off. Ladarius Green has already made the jump. He's no longer a viable buy low guy. Adrian Robinson is running low on time. Gavin Escobar is the next in the line of buy low athletic TE projects. Vance McDonald as well. Maybe Taylor Thompson.

Figure out which of these guys you like and target them:

Escobar

McDonald

Thompson

Bostick

Will be Bostick and Robinson all spring, unless Giants make a big TE move.

 

[False Start]

Rotoworld:

Giants third-year TE Adrien Robinson says he "definitely" sees 2014 as his breakout season.

"I hope so," Robinson said. "It has to be this year." Robinson has been dubbed the Jason Pierre-Paul of tight ends by some in the Giants organization due to his combination of size (6-foot-5, 269) and speed (4.56 forty). But he's been unable to stay healthy, and this summer might be Robinson's last to make an impression in New York. He currently sits atop the depth chart with Brandon Myers a free agent, but Robinson is going to have to go out and earn an offensive role.


Source: Newark Star-Ledger

Blurbs like that get everybody excited when in actuality he was asked a question about playing time and he says "I Hope So," now everyone thinks he is about to become a factor? Why? Because HE thinks his playing time might go up? I'm not a fan at all of this guy and his feelings are no different than any other player. Myers could be resigned and they could draft someone or bring in a guy like Quarless. Robinson is nothing more than a flyer right now. By the way, Giant TEs normally do well so if it is Robinson it might be worth the flyer but too many questions.

 

[Tau837]

Colts hired Chudzinski. Could be a bump for Allen (maybe even Fleener, though I don't care for him much).

I think it's huge news for both of them but I thought bigger news for Fleener.

My main reason is if I could pick two TE's in the league I find most similar to Fleener it would be Olsen followed by Cameron and Chud just had good success with both of those guys. Fleener and Olsen are extremely similar in terms of size/build and Cameron is close. My major knock I had on both Olsen earlier in this career and on Cameron prior to this season is that both of them seemed to get lack the physicality or strength to get open consistently or compete for the ball in tight space. This is what I still believe is Fleener greatest weakness as well so I can't help but think Chud could be a major asset to helping create situations that Fleener can be successful

I drafted Fleener a good amount when he entered the league and I don't think he will ever be as good as I hoped. If I was chasing the next Jimmy Graham, and I was, I failed. But I still think people are way to down on him and wrong to assume Allen's return is a death knell to his value. I've seen enough out of him that I believe he can be at least in the same tier as guy like Olsen, so a back end TE1.

The thing about Allen vs Fleener that gives Allen the advantage, is that he's the more complete TE. He not only catches the ball well, he is a great blocker. Fleener couldn't block me and I've had a hip replacement. I can definitely see Fleener's value dropping next year and beyond. I can also see Fleener hurting Allen's fantasy value as well. As a Colts homer I love having them on the team I root for, but I'm not that excited about having either on my fantasy team.

I got a different take on this completely.

Fleener is a terrible blocker but I don't think that's very relevant any longer. Julius Thomas is a terrible blocker but we are seeing an influx of fantasy relevant TE's who are not very good blockers.

Colt's drafted Fleener knowing what he was as a blocker. Their plans for him was not as an every snap in-line TE . They were forced to use him in that role last year and that was negative for both team and player. But I don't think Allen returning impacts that negatively but positively for Fleener as they'll be able to move him around more. Fleener was not heavily targeted last year and while some of that might have had to do with not being able to get open a lot of it had to do with increased blocking responsibility's.

The popular opinion seems to be that Allen will negatively impact Fleeners value and I don't see it that way but believe it's going to be a positive that will allow them to be more versatile with the way they use him. I think the Colts want to run a primarily two TE based offense. Allen has the potential to hurt Fleeners value but in a more indirect fashion. I don't think it's a battle between the two of them as much as it's battle for Fleener to display enough to the Colts that the versatility he provides the offense is enough that the two TE base is the primary offense. Which I think is a big reason the addition of Chud is huge because I think he can get enough out of Fleener to make this happen.

 

[cstu]

Isn't he on Indy? Fleener could be the guy there, no? One guy that looks good is Pitta, who seems like Flaccos best friend....

Fleener has proven this year that he can't be "the guy". Allen has a much more well-rounded skill-set and will never leave the field once he's back, due to his blocking prowess and versatility.

I agree about Fleener, but what has Allen proven?

Fleener's game is pretty much one dimensional: find the seam. Allen is the better blocker, better route runner, better receiver, better player. Here is a blurb from Roto that sums it up quite nicely:

"On the surface, Fleener's 52/608/4 sophomore line appears to be a step in the right direction. Dig deeper, however, and you find a player who still does almost none of the little things right. A soft blocker, Fleener has been prone to drops. He has a remarkable knack for not knowing where the chains are. His numbers were greatly inflated by the absence of Dwayne Allen (hip). With Allen certain to return atop the depth chart next season, Fleener can't be considered more than a TE2."

According to PFF, Fleener had one drop in 84 targets.

 

[saintfool]

any thoughts on Rivera in OAK? he's a receiver, for sure, and the Raiders are looking at QB (again).

 

[bostonfred]

Chasing the next big thing at TE looks great when it works, but it's a sucker's bet. Like all developmental players, they're long shots to be legit fantasy producers and will eat up a roster spot while you wait for development that may never happen. But TE is also a relatively short lived position. Most rookie TEs suck, it's an injury prone position, and only the elite few TEs stay good for more than a couple years.

But that's further cut up by the fact that you'll rarely be willing to roll without a starting TE in the hopes of one of your devy guys emerging. So you'll have paid the price to have a startable TE on your roster, but then when your guy finally emerges, you won't get any value from it because you're not going to start a second TE in most leagues, you won't trade away your "good TE" right away when your devy guy shows flashes the first couple weeks because lots of TEs show flashes early in the season then disappear (I'm looking at you, Jared Cook), and by the time you're actually starting them, if you're not just chasing points at a highly unpredictable position, you'll have a starter quality TE wasting away on your bench.

So by the time your guy develops, you may only get a couple years of production from him, years which are further cut up by the fact that TE is an injury prone position. You'll have wasted roster space developing the guy, and you'll waste roster space on your ex-starter who has minimal trade value (have you ever seen someone make a huge trade for someone else's backup TE?), and if you do trade that guy, you'll still need a plan B guy for when your newly emerged stud gets hurt, so you can never totally cash out.

And now with TEs being the trendy pick, you'll never get a bargain on them in the draft, even though that's the time that you'll have to wait the absolute longest to see if the guy emerges. But you can't get a bargain trading for one, either, because the second you make an offer for a guy, their price goes up because their owner will think you know something they don't. So you'll almost always pay a premium over their actual expected value.

There's always a market for RBs and WRs, and with more lineup spots, you can usually find a way to start them when they pan out without benching a better player. RBs are more scarce and more valuable because of the lineup requirements, and WRs have longer careers. If you're going to stash true developmental players and you have the roster spots to do it, TE is the last position where you should do it. Go out and get a veteran TE instead - preferably one who's a bit undervalued, and is coming off a bad year. Pitta is far and away my first choice for this right now (for reasons I outlined on the previous page) but your window to get him is rapidly closing. If you're going to overpay for a prospect, make it a guy who's already producing and has huge upside, like Zach Ertz.

 

[ClownDogs]

Chasing the next big thing at TE looks great when it works, but it's a sucker's bet. Like all developmental players, they're long shots to be legit fantasy producers and will eat up a roster spot while you wait for development that may never happen. But TE is also a relatively short lived position. Most rookie TEs suck, it's an injury prone position, and only the elite few TEs stay good for more than a couple years.

But that's further cut up by the fact that you'll rarely be willing to roll without a starting TE in the hopes of one of your devy guys emerging. So you'll have paid the price to have a startable TE on your roster, but then when your guy finally emerges, you won't get any value from it because you're not going to start a second TE in most leagues, you won't trade away your "good TE" right away when your devy guy shows flashes the first couple weeks because lots of TEs show flashes early in the season then disappear (I'm looking at you, Jared Cook), and by the time you're actually starting them, if you're not just chasing points at a highly unpredictable position, you'll have a starter quality TE wasting away on your bench.

So by the time your guy develops, you may only get a couple years of production from him, years which are further cut up by the fact that TE is an injury prone position. You'll have wasted roster space developing the guy, and you'll waste roster space on your ex-starter who has minimal trade value (have you ever seen someone make a huge trade for someone else's backup TE?), and if you do trade that guy, you'll still need a plan B guy for when your newly emerged stud gets hurt, so you can never totally cash out.

And now with TEs being the trendy pick, you'll never get a bargain on them in the draft, even though that's the time that you'll have to wait the absolute longest to see if the guy emerges. But you can't get a bargain trading for one, either, because the second you make an offer for a guy, their price goes up because their owner will think you know something they don't. So you'll almost always pay a premium over their actual expected value.

There's always a market for RBs and WRs, and with more lineup spots, you can usually find a way to start them when they pan out without benching a better player. RBs are more scarce and more valuable because of the lineup requirements, and WRs have longer careers. If you're going to stash true developmental players and you have the roster spots to do it, TE is the last position where you should do it. Go out and get a veteran TE instead - preferably one who's a bit undervalued, and is coming off a bad year. Pitta is far and away my first choice for this right now (for reasons I outlined on the previous page) but your window to get him is rapidly closing. If you're going to overpay for a prospect, make it a guy who's already producing and has huge upside, like Zach Ertz.

I agree with this for the most part in 12 team leagues, start 1TE, but in the leagues i am in, TE's get 1.5ppr so well worth acquiring upside TE's and hope they bust out. (16 team full IDP and flex of RB/TE)

 

[Tau837]

Isn't he on Indy? Fleener could be the guy there, no? One guy that looks good is Pitta, who seems like Flaccos best friend....

Fleener has proven this year that he can't be "the guy". Allen has a much more well-rounded skill-set and will never leave the field once he's back, due to his blocking prowess and versatility.

I agree about Fleener, but what has Allen proven?

Fleener's game is pretty much one dimensional: find the seam. Allen is the better blocker, better route runner, better receiver, better player. Here is a blurb from Roto that sums it up quite nicely:

"On the surface, Fleener's 52/608/4 sophomore line appears to be a step in the right direction. Dig deeper, however, and you find a player who still does almost none of the little things right. A soft blocker, Fleener has been prone to drops. He has a remarkable knack for not knowing where the chains are. His numbers were greatly inflated by the absence of Dwayne Allen (hip). With Allen certain to return atop the depth chart next season, Fleener can't be considered more than a TE2."

According to PFF, Fleener had one drop in 84 targets.

Also, Fleener tied for #12 in receiving first downs by TEs. That's not necessarily great, but it doesn't seem as bad as the boded statement makes it sound.

 

[Coeur de Lion]

Chasing the next big thing at TE looks great when it works, but it's a sucker's bet. Like all developmental players, they're long shots to be legit fantasy producers and will eat up a roster spot while you wait for development that may never happen. But TE is also a relatively short lived position. Most rookie TEs suck, it's an injury prone position, and only the elite few TEs stay good for more than a couple years.

But that's further cut up by the fact that you'll rarely be willing to roll without a starting TE in the hopes of one of your devy guys emerging. So you'll have paid the price to have a startable TE on your roster, but then when your guy finally emerges, you won't get any value from it because you're not going to start a second TE in most leagues, you won't trade away your "good TE" right away when your devy guy shows flashes the first couple weeks because lots of TEs show flashes early in the season then disappear (I'm looking at you, Jared Cook), and by the time you're actually starting them, if you're not just chasing points at a highly unpredictable position, you'll have a starter quality TE wasting away on your bench.

So by the time your guy develops, you may only get a couple years of production from him, years which are further cut up by the fact that TE is an injury prone position. You'll have wasted roster space developing the guy, and you'll waste roster space on your ex-starter who has minimal trade value (have you ever seen someone make a huge trade for someone else's backup TE?), and if you do trade that guy, you'll still need a plan B guy for when your newly emerged stud gets hurt, so you can never totally cash out.

And now with TEs being the trendy pick, you'll never get a bargain on them in the draft, even though that's the time that you'll have to wait the absolute longest to see if the guy emerges. But you can't get a bargain trading for one, either, because the second you make an offer for a guy, their price goes up because their owner will think you know something they don't. So you'll almost always pay a premium over their actual expected value.

There's always a market for RBs and WRs, and with more lineup spots, you can usually find a way to start them when they pan out without benching a better player. RBs are more scarce and more valuable because of the lineup requirements, and WRs have longer careers. If you're going to stash true developmental players and you have the roster spots to do it, TE is the last position where you should do it. Go out and get a veteran TE instead - preferably one who's a bit undervalued, and is coming off a bad year. Pitta is far and away my first choice for this right now (for reasons I outlined on the previous page) but your window to get him is rapidly closing. If you're going to overpay for a prospect, make it a guy who's already producing and has huge upside, like Zach Ertz.

Don't really disagree with much of this, but in deeper leagues, the quality of the available players at TE (talking waivers here) generally absolutely buries that of the available players at RB and WR. Yeah, the payoff on a TE is probably less, but TE40 vs RB100 or WR120 is still a no-brainer in favor of the TE IMO.

 

[Dinsy Ejotuz]

bostonfred's comments above are why it makes a lot of sense to give TEs PPR preference. It expands the useful player pool and makes sure that TEs are rostered when you give them 1.5ppr -- they become startable as a flex. Why have one of your four offensive positions be an afterthought?

 

[Faust]

Rotoworld:

Joseph Fauria is expected to play an "important role" in new OC Joe Lombardi's offense.

Lombardi worked with Jimmy Graham in New Orleans and plans to bring the Saints playbook to Detroit, which has caught Fauria's attention. "I have a similar background to (Graham) with basketball and similar height and the way we play," Fauria said. "I think I can contribute very similarly to how he has with the Saints." Those are lofty aspirations. Fauria was merely a red-zone option as a rookie. His role could increase dramatically if free agent Brandon Pettigrew walks.


Source: detroitlions.com

 

[False Start]

A few TEs that have a chance to break out would be Fauria, Bostick, Toilolo, Robinson, Quarless and Escobar. A lot has to do with the draft and free Agency, but all have a reasonable chance to get some playing time and become a factor and should be rostered for upside alone. All have the exact same value to me, none more valuable than the other for trade purposes just who you like I would suppose.

 

[Two Deep]

Rotoworld:

Joseph Fauria is expected to play an "important role" in new OC Joe Lombardi's offense.

Lombardi worked with Jimmy Graham in New Orleans and plans to bring the Saints playbook to Detroit, which has caught Fauria's attention. "I have a similar background to (Graham) with basketball and similar height and the way we play," Fauria said. "I think I can contribute very similarly to how he has with the Saints." Those are lofty aspirations. Fauria was merely a red-zone option as a rookie. His role could increase dramatically if free agent Brandon Pettigrew walks.


Source: detroitlions.com

Refer to post #99

 

[False Start]

With Pettigrew being a free agent I am hoping he moves on and Fauria becomes the man. 7tds on very limited targets last season. with Joe Lombardi ex saints QB coach being Detroits new OC I am holding out hope Fauria becomes the next Jimmy Graham.

Rotoworld:

Joseph Fauria is expected to play an "important role" in new OC Joe Lombardi's offense.

Lombardi worked with Jimmy Graham in New Orleans and plans to bring the Saints playbook to Detroit, which has caught Fauria's attention. "I have a similar background to (Graham) with basketball and similar height and the way we play," Fauria said. "I think I can contribute very similarly to how he has with the Saints." Those are lofty aspirations. Fauria was merely a red-zone option as a rookie. His role could increase dramatically if free agent Brandon Pettigrew walks.


Source: detroitlions.com

Refer to post #99

While Fauria did have 7 TDs, that does not mean he can do it on an every down basis, he went undrafted for a reason. That doesn't mean he can't perform it just means many people have seen some deficiencies in him. I like his upside but I have already seen in some of my leagues owners talk up this blurb/news like it means something. Just because Fauria thinks he can play like Jimmy Graham means nothing, especially when that is a tough task in itself.

 

[bicycle_seat_sniffer]

With Pettigrew being a free agent I am hoping he moves on and Fauria becomes the man. 7tds on very limited targets last season. with Joe Lombardi ex saints QB coach being Detroits new OC I am holding out hope Fauria becomes the next Jimmy Graham.

Rotoworld:

Joseph Fauria is expected to play an "important role" in new OC Joe Lombardi's offense.

Lombardi worked with Jimmy Graham in New Orleans and plans to bring the Saints playbook to Detroit, which has caught Fauria's attention. "I have a similar background to (Graham) with basketball and similar height and the way we play," Fauria said. "I think I can contribute very similarly to how he has with the Saints." Those are lofty aspirations. Fauria was merely a red-zone option as a rookie. His role could increase dramatically if free agent Brandon Pettigrew walks.


Source: detroitlions.com

Refer to post #99

While Fauria did have 7 TDs, that does not mean he can do it on an every down basis, he went undrafted for a reason. That doesn't mean he can't perform it just means many people have seen some deficiencies in him. I like his upside but I have already seen in some of my leagues owners talk up this blurb/news like it means something. Just because Fauria thinks he can play like Jimmy Graham means nothing, especially when that is a tough task in itself.

Antonio Gates wasnt drafted.

I like Fauria alot, especially if Detroit doesnt re-sign Pettigrew.

 

[ConnSKINS26]

Fauria doesn't have anywhere NEAR the athleticism of Graham. He fails the first, most important point of comparison.

 

[EBF]

Fauria = tall, stiff, and immobile. All he can do is catch TDs.

 

[CoachJankySpanky]

Graham is a much better athlete. Fauria reminds me more of Gronk in the athleticism department since they both seem a bit awkward. He obviously doesn't have Gronk's potential though. Either way, I hope he becomes a serviceable TE2 for fantasy purposes. Some of those Rotoworld blurbs can be nice to see when you own these players, but they can be pretty laughable for the most part. Some get way too giddy over the sensationalism and comparisons in those blurbs, especially when it comes from the own player's mouth.

 

[Faust]

Packers sign TE Raymond Webber

 

[GoodLloydHaveMercy]

Chasing the next big thing at TE looks great when it works, but it's a sucker's bet. Like all developmental players, they're long shots to be legit fantasy producers and will eat up a roster spot while you wait for development that may never happen. But TE is also a relatively short lived position. Most rookie TEs suck, it's an injury prone position, and only the elite few TEs stay good for more than a couple years.

But that's further cut up by the fact that you'll rarely be willing to roll without a starting TE in the hopes of one of your devy guys emerging. So you'll have paid the price to have a startable TE on your roster, but then when your guy finally emerges, you won't get any value from it because you're not going to start a second TE in most leagues, you won't trade away your "good TE" right away when your devy guy shows flashes the first couple weeks because lots of TEs show flashes early in the season then disappear (I'm looking at you, Jared Cook), and by the time you're actually starting them, if you're not just chasing points at a highly unpredictable position, you'll have a starter quality TE wasting away on your bench.

So by the time your guy develops, you may only get a couple years of production from him, years which are further cut up by the fact that TE is an injury prone position. You'll have wasted roster space developing the guy, and you'll waste roster space on your ex-starter who has minimal trade value (have you ever seen someone make a huge trade for someone else's backup TE?), and if you do trade that guy, you'll still need a plan B guy for when your newly emerged stud gets hurt, so you can never totally cash out.

And now with TEs being the trendy pick, you'll never get a bargain on them in the draft, even though that's the time that you'll have to wait the absolute longest to see if the guy emerges. But you can't get a bargain trading for one, either, because the second you make an offer for a guy, their price goes up because their owner will think you know something they don't. So you'll almost always pay a premium over their actual expected value.

There's always a market for RBs and WRs, and with more lineup spots, you can usually find a way to start them when they pan out without benching a better player. RBs are more scarce and more valuable because of the lineup requirements, and WRs have longer careers. If you're going to stash true developmental players and you have the roster spots to do it, TE is the last position where you should do it. Go out and get a veteran TE instead - preferably one who's a bit undervalued, and is coming off a bad year. Pitta is far and away my first choice for this right now (for reasons I outlined on the previous page) but your window to get him is rapidly closing. If you're going to overpay for a prospect, make it a guy who's already producing and has huge upside, like Zach Ertz.

Don't really disagree with much of this, but in deeper leagues, the quality of the available players at TE (talking waivers here) generally absolutely buries that of the available players at RB and WR. Yeah, the payoff on a TE is probably less, but TE40 vs RB100 or WR120 is still a no-brainer in favor of the TE IMO.

Both of you bring compelling cases but I fall just slightly to the side of targeting TEs because of the lack of availability for much of anything on the waiver wire at WR or RB... Every league is different of course but the best available WR on the wire in my league are the likes of Ted Ginn and Austin Collie and the top RBs are players like Mike Gillislie and maybe Brandon Bolden or Spencer Ware and Theo Riddick or Michael Ford... I did forget abt Marques Wilson... I just feel like a Joe Fauria or Brandon Bostick or Adrien Robinson all have a better chance to break into the top 15 at their position than somebody like the RBs and WRs listed above.

 

[GoodLloydHaveMercy]

Fauria = tall, stiff, and immobile. All he can do is catch TDs.

I'm not saying he is Gronk by any stretch but I don't see why we should expect him to score less than 6 TDs in a healthy yr... He is a better and less heralded red zone option than Calvin Johnson and I don't see teams devoting too much attention to trying to shut him down in that area of the field while Calvin is on the field... I don't think being undrafted really means much more than he was considered to be raw as a TE and not such a strong blocker... Heck Taylor Thompson was drafted but his ball skills don't look natural in any way... Joe Fauria's size makes him intriguing and while he may appear a little stiff in comparison to the Aaron Hernandez and Jimmy Graham type athletes I wouldn't consider him immobile at all... It's all abt matchups and while he isn't blazing fast or hulking like Gronk I have a hard time finding safeties or corners that match up well with him and most LBs don't have a shot to stay with him consistently... I actually think a fair comparison for Fauria is Fendi Onubon but without Fendi's backwards hands...

Of course without development NONE of these TEs will be anything more than a possible flex option from wk to wk...

 

[BeTheMatch]

Fauria = tall, stiff, and immobile. All he can do is catch TDs.

I'm not saying he is Gronk by any stretch but I don't see why we should expect him to score less than 6 TDs in a healthy yr... He is a better and less heralded red zone option than Calvin Johnson and I don't see teams devoting too much attention to trying to shut him down in that area of the field while Calvin is on the field... I don't think being undrafted really means much more than he was considered to be raw as a TE and not such a strong blocker... Heck Taylor Thompson was drafted but his ball skills don't look natural in any way... Joe Fauria's size makes him intriguing and while he may appear a little stiff in comparison to the Aaron Hernandez and Jimmy Graham type athletes I wouldn't consider him immobile at all... It's all abt matchups and while he isn't blazing fast or hulking like Gronk I have a hard time finding safeties or corners that match up well with him and most LBs don't have a shot to stay with him consistently... I actually think a fair comparison for Fauria is Fendi Onubon but without Fendi's backwards hands...

Of course without development NONE of these TEs will be anything more than a possible flex option from wk to wk...

 

[ghostguy123]

Haha, that is just one of those things that even if you do truly believe it, you still should not say it in public.

 

[Terpman22]

No reason to hate. Brandon Myers was JUST a top 10 TE 2 years ago. No one will mistake that guy for a great athlete.

 

[Dr. Octopus]

Haha, that is just one of those things that even if you do truly believe it, you still should not say it in public.

If you also account for the fact that the "less heralded" part results in lesser coverage on Fauria then Calvin, who will see a top corner with safety help likely, it's not as far fetched as it may sound. There's no denying that Fauria is a tough redzone matchup, if you look at what he did as a rookie. Obviously I wouldn't say he's a better option than Calvin, but what he said is food for thought at least.

 

[loose circuits]

Joseph Fauria has a ridiculous catch radius which makes up for his 4.85 40 yd dash. He fell out of draft because of blocking. If used like Jimmy Graham, he will produce. I like him when he was at UCLA and even more now that he's proved he can produce in the NFL in a limited role. With more experience and especially if Pettigrew moves on, he should be a good TE2 at the least. Even if Pettigrew stays they could use a lot of 12 personnel with him flexed out creating mismatches down the seam. Don't think I would move him from my team for less than a 2nd.

 

[Dr. Octopus]

Christian Fauria has a ridiculous catch radius which makes up for his 4.85 40 yd dash. He fell out of draft because of blocking. If used like Jimmy Graham, he will produce. I like him when he was at UCLA and even more now that he's proved he can produce in the NFL in a limited role. With more experience and especially if Pettigrew moves on, he should be a good TE2 at the least. Even if Pettigrew stays they could use a lot of 12 personnel with him flexed out creating mismatches down the seam. Don't think I would move him from my team for less than a 2nd.

At 42 years old I'd be a little worried about him breaking a hip or something though

 

[Coeur de Lion]

If used like Jimmy Graham, he will produce.

He's not going to be used like Jimmy Graham dude. Graham is a ridiculous athlete capable of destroying coverages slanted specifically to stop him -- that's why he gets so many targets. Fauria is closer to Herman Munster than Jimmy Graham as a "space" athlete. He might develop into a decent complementary weapon, but he's never going to command either the number or the type of targets that come Graham's way.

 

[loose circuits]

If used like Jimmy Graham, he will produce.

He's not going to be used like Jimmy Graham dude. Graham is a ridiculous athlete capable of destroying coverages slanted specifically to stop him -- that's why he gets so many targets. Fauria is closer to Herman Munster than Jimmy Graham as a "space" athlete. He might develop into a decent complementary weapon, but he's never going to command either the number or the type of targets that come Graham's way.

the OC is from New Orleans and will be using the same playbook. Will Fauria be featured like Jimmy Graham, no, but he will be asked to do similar things and is capable of producing when you consider he will never see a double with Calvin ok field. Not sure why that is tough for you to understand. Fauria has a similar catch radius and is .2 sec slower in 40. Does that make a huge difference when running a 15 yd pattern?I'm not saying he will have Graham like production, but he can do similar things and will have some wrinkles his way. Graham-lite is more like it which is why I said TE2 not elite TE1

 

[Dr. Octopus]

If used like Jimmy Graham, he will produce.

He's not going to be used like Jimmy Graham dude. Graham is a ridiculous athlete capable of destroying coverages slanted specifically to stop him -- that's why he gets so many targets. Fauria is closer to Herman Munster than Jimmy Graham as a "space" athlete. He might develop into a decent complementary weapon, but he's never going to command either the number or the type of targets that come Graham's way.

the OC is from New Orleans and will be using the same playbook. Will Fauria be featured like Jimmy Graham, no, but he will be asked to do similar things and is capable of producing when you consider he will never see a double with Calvin ok field. Not sure why that is tough for you to understand. Fauria has a similar catch radius and is .2 sec slower in 40. Does that make a huge difference when running a 15 yd pattern?

I like Fauria, but he's in no way as fluid an athlete as Jimmy Graham. Maybe their actual timed speed is close but Graham looks mure more athletic and can run after the catch well. Fauria not, so much. I do agree that he should be able to find space in the seams with Calvin and )(hopefully) another option on the outside.

Maybe Lombardi used Graham so frequentky because he was the best option and biggest mismatch in the passing game - not because he has ome kind of magic touch for TEs?

 

[Coeur de Lion]

If used like Jimmy Graham, he will produce.

He's not going to be used like Jimmy Graham dude. Graham is a ridiculous athlete capable of destroying coverages slanted specifically to stop him -- that's why he gets so many targets. Fauria is closer to Herman Munster than Jimmy Graham as a "space" athlete. He might develop into a decent complementary weapon, but he's never going to command either the number or the type of targets that come Graham's way.

the OC is from New Orleans and will be using the same playbook. Will Fauria be featured like Jimmy Graham, no, but he will be asked to do similar things and is capable of producing when you consider he will never see a double with Calvin ok field. Not sure why that is tough for you to understand. Fauria has a similar catch radius and is .2 sec slower in 40. Does that make a huge difference when running a 15 yd pattern?I'm not saying he will have Graham like production, but he can do similar things and will have some wrinkles his way. Graham-lite is more like it which is why I said TE2 not elite TE1

Yeah, we'll have to agree to disagree here. IMO Fauria can't and won't be asked to do anything similar to Graham -- he won't be lining up at WR, he can't threaten the seam. His catching radius is nowhere near Graham's because he's just tall; he completely lacks the body control to win contested balls the same way and the fluid athletic ability to get seperation and create target windows against tight coverage. Graham is used primarily as an oversized WR in NO -- Fauria is a below average athlete for a TE. It's a vast gulf and not even worth bringing up as a comparison.

 

[loose circuits]

Sure, but to say Fauria isn't an athlete is ridiculous. When a guy that size can move like he does that's athletic. I agree he doesn't have similar yac potential, but he can catch with the best of them. He lined up mostly in the slot and a lot for Detroit last year already playing a very similar position to Graham. He doesn't look fast running because his legs are so long- his stride is massive

 

[Terpman22]

Fauria reminds me of a guy with shoes filled with cement, running knee deep in a river, running against the current, with a 100 lb backpack full of nails in it.

Graham reminds me of the first time a gazelle learned how fast and graceful it is. With brand new Nike Air's while wearing bald eagle down socks.

 

[BeTheMatch]

Fauria reminds me of a guy with shoes filled with cement, running knee deep in a river, running against the current, with a 100 lb backpack full of nails in it.

Graham reminds me of the first time a gazelle learned how fast and graceful it is. With brand new Nike Air's while wearing bald eagle down socks.

And dancing. Don't forget the dancing.

 

[eNdblu]

Brees' favourite target is Jimmy

Stafford's is Calvin

Fauria's a totem pole of a target, but he's going to be pretty low on that totem pole in terms of target distribution when he'll be up against Megatron, Bell (can't seem him leaving), Bush, Durham (if they retain him), and whatever WR they bring in to replace Burleson

 

[Terpman22]

Brees' favourite target is Jimmy

Stafford's is Calvin

Fauria's a totem pole of a target, but he's going to be pretty low on that totem pole in terms of target distribution when he'll be up against Megatron, Bell (can't seem him leaving), Bush, Durham (if they retain him), and whatever WR they bring in to replace Burleson

But he throws like 7000 passes a year. And Durham? Really?

 

[eNdblu]

Brees' favourite target is Jimmy

Stafford's is Calvin

Fauria's a totem pole of a target, but he's going to be pretty low on that totem pole in terms of target distribution when he'll be up against Megatron, Bell (can't seem him leaving), Bush, Durham (if they retain him), and whatever WR they bring in to replace Burleson

But he throws like 7000 passes a year. And Durham? Really?

All I'm trying to say is that there are established targets in front of him. Fauria was a one trick pony this season. "You're tall, jump and grab this ball in the end zone". Durham is by no means an above average talent, but he's got a couple years now with the Lions and even longer playing with Stafford going back to their UGA days.

I'm not buying any Fauria stock in my dynasty leagues unless he's coming for free or a 3rd round rookie draft pick. Even then, I might rather take a chance on drafting someone who might not even be drafted in Colt Lyerla.

 

[FavreAndAwayAnIdiot]

Please stop saying Quarless is "one to watch".

Remember Donald Lee? Neither does anyone else, but at least Lee had some physical talent.

 

[BWill]

No love for Dennis Pitta?

 

[GoodLloydHaveMercy]

Effectiveness in the Redzone is highly dependent upon how other teams view the other options... See Marvin jones for example... The defense is designing schemes to take away AJ green which gives the more favorable matchup to Marvin... No different in this situation... Calvin is obviously the better player no doubt but Fauria should always be the better matchup because of the attention that Calvin will continue to get in the red zone... Matt stafford has no qualms abt trying to hit Fauria in the red zone (15 attempts including two 2 pt conversion attempts)... Fauria also had 20 TDs in 3 yrs at UCLA... I don't care that his 40 times are terrible I only care about what I see and what I've seen is a dude with a ton of passion (check out the pick six off of his hands against the Giants) and enough ball skills to outperform the likes of athletic freaks who play like pansies (here's looking at you Jared Cook and Fendi Onubon)

I enjoy reading the funnies offered up by terpman22 and bet he match but I don't see what they see (except the dancing)

I see a taller more slender Gronk without a fraction of what Gronk can do in the run game... It's conceivable that Fauria can step into a role where he at least gets the targets that pettigrew had and I suspect he would do a lot more with those targets

Just my $.02

 

[False Start]

Please stop saying Quarless is "one to watch".

Remember Donald Lee? Neither does anyone else, but at least Lee had some physical talent.

Bostick is going to be given a chance in GB, right? Thinking about making a move for Bostick.

 

[False Start]

No love for Dennis Pitta?

He is getting up there is age and everyone pretty much knows what he does, he is solid. I think this is for up and comers even though the title does not say it thats the sense I get, but I could be wrong.

 

[FavreAndAwayAnIdiot]

Please stop saying Quarless is "one to watch".

Remember Donald Lee? Neither does anyone else, but at least Lee had some physical talent.

Bostick is going to be given a chance in GB, right? Thinking about making a move for Bostick.

Considering how critical the TE position is in Green Bay, I expect them to draft one in the top 3 rounds or sign a mid-range FA. Either way, I don't believe their starting TE is currently on the roster. The article about Bostick was typical "I don't have anything else to report on" off-season media fluff.

 

[ConnSKINS26]

Please stop saying Quarless is "one to watch".

Remember Donald Lee? Neither does anyone else, but at least Lee had some physical talent.

Bostick is going to be given a chance in GB, right? Thinking about making a move for Bostick.

Considering how critical the TE position is in Green Bay, I expect them to draft one in the top 3 rounds or sign a mid-range FA. Either way, I don't believe their starting TE is currently on the roster. The article about Bostick was typical "I don't have anything else to report on" off-season media fluff.

Is it that critical? Finley's been there for years and never lived up to the hype--in fact he's been pretty damn disappointing outside a couple of stretches. I've never thought of the TE position in GB as being a lynchpin of the offense.

 

[Warpig]

Isn't he on Indy? Fleener could be the guy there, no? One guy that looks good is Pitta, who seems like Flaccos best friend....

Fleener has proven this year that he can't be "the guy". Allen has a much more well-rounded skill-set and will never leave the field once he's back, due to his blocking prowess and versatility.

I agree about Fleener, but what has Allen proven?

Fleener's game is pretty much one dimensional: find the seam. Allen is the better blocker, better route runner, better receiver, better player. Here is a blurb from Roto that sums it up quite nicely:

"On the surface, Fleener's 52/608/4 sophomore line appears to be a step in the right direction. Dig deeper, however, and you find a player who still does almost none of the little things right. A soft blocker, Fleener has been prone to drops. He has a remarkable knack for not knowing where the chains are. His numbers were greatly inflated by the absence of Dwayne Allen (hip). With Allen certain to return atop the depth chart next season, Fleener can't be considered more than a TE2."

According to PFF, Fleener had one drop in 84 targets.

Also, Fleener tied for #12 in receiving first downs by TEs. That's not necessarily great, but it doesn't seem as bad as the boded statement makes it sound.

1 drop? I live in Indy. Get to see all their games. Maybe they meant he AVERAGED 1 drop per game? I know he had numerous key drops. I know there was a game where he had 2 or 3 drops alone earlier in the season. I'm of the mindset if the ball touches your hands, you need to catch it so maybe my rating scale is different?

He's basically a "move" TE. Which can be a good thing. But if Luck loses faith in him, he'll just continue to decline.

For right now though, my money is on Allen.

Disclaimer: I own both in various leagues.

 

[Faust]

Tight End Sleepers