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The tight end position has always been top-heavy in fantasy football, and that looks to be the case again heading into 2017. But for owners who don’t want to reach for Rob Gronkowski, Travis Kelce or Greg Olsen, it can be tough to find a tight end in the later rounds who can consistently produce day in and day out.
Last year, one of the more consistent performers out of the TE spot was the Ravens’ Dennis Pitta, who had 86 receptions for 729 yards and a pair of touchdowns. However, Pitta was forced to have yet another hip surgery, which will cost him the entire 2017 season and likely end his career.
The Ravens will need someone to step up and replace those numbers, and many expect them to turn to former second round pick Maxx Williams. Let's look at his resume to see if he fits that label.
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Madd Maxx the Sleeper
The Ravens not only lost Pitta for the whole season, but recently tight end Crockett Gillmore had surgery on his MCL, ending his 2017 season. That leaves Williams, Ben Watson, Nick Boyle and the recently signed Larry Donnell as the options for the Ravens as they begin training camp. All four of them have potential to earn playing time, but each comes with their own baggage. Watson is a 36-year-old coming off an ACL tear that cost him all of last season, Boyle is one positive PED test away from facing a yearlong suspension, and Donnell was great in 2014 with the Giants, but injuries have hampered his career since then. He only had 15 receptions for 92 yards and a touchdown last season on a pass-heavy offense. Williams is not baggage free either, as he only played in four games last year and had to undergo offseason knee surgery. However, he is going to avoid the Physically Unable to Perform list to begin training camp.
So why should you gamble on a player who is coming off major knee surgery, did not catch a single pass last year and is in a four-person race to play tight end in Baltimore? For starters, Baltimore does most of their offensive damage in the air, making it an attractive location to put up fantasy relevant numbers. The Ravens were first in passing attempts and second in completions last year. Ravens quarterback Joe Flacco threw for a career-high 4,317 yards last year and has consistently thrown for over 3,500 yards over his nine NFL seasons. The TE spot in Baltimore will be heavily featured in the offense yet again, and if Williams is the primary beneficiary, he should get 5-6 targets per game.
While Williams did not do anything last season, he had a productive rookie season in 2015, catching 32 passes for 268 yards and a touchdown across seven starts and 14 total games. The fact that Williams was featured prominently his rookie year is a great sign that the Ravens are invested in their 2015 second-round pick.
While Watson and Donnell both have considerably more NFL experience, Williams has more upside than either of them. Watson had a phenomenal year in New Orleans in 2015, catching 74 passes for 825 yards and six touchdowns, but at age 36 and coming off an ACL tear that cost him all of last season, he is far from a lock to be healthy and a contributor this season. Likewise, Donnell was a limited contributor last year and is unlikely to step right in and take snaps away from Williams. Boyle was drafted the same year as Williams (in the fifth round) but only had six receptions for 44 yards last season, and is unlikely to supplant Williams on the depth chart.
All signs point to Williams being the primary tight end for Baltimore in 2017. While they have the depth to mix-and-match week to week, even playing the majority of snaps will make Williams fantasy relevant. He has the upside to be a TE1 in favorable matchups, and can easily settle in as a TE2. This is all dependent on him being the primary option, but for now he is worth the late-round flyer in fantasy drafts. In the last rounds, grabbing someone with the upside to put up TE1 numbers is almost always worth the risk.
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