Cameron Brate (TE, TB) - 2018 Fantasy Football Draft Sleeper

BALLER MOVE: Target ~150

CURRENT ADP: ~160

ANALYSIS: Tampa Bay Buccaneers tight end Cameron Brate has a split outlook between those who believe he will be a bust and those expecting another very productive season. The reason for the bust tag is the presence of fellow tight end O.J. Howard, who finished his rookie season opposite Brate with 26 catches for 432 yards and six touchdowns, which tied him for the team lead. Those expecting a down season for Brate are assuming that Howard will see increased use and overshadow his teammate. That’s all fine and dandy but the naysayers are forgetting something very important.

Brate has the trust of his quarterback, Jameis Winston, and that carries a great deal of weight when it comes down to crunch time on the football field. Winston and Brate have connected for 14 touchdowns over the last two seasons. Winston has targeted Brate 158 times for 105 receptions and 1,251 yards during that same span. No rookie (or second-year player) is going to suddenly disrupt that sort of connection between players. For that reason alone, Brate is an excellent draft target for fantasy owners.

It’s also important that Brate has been dependable health-wise, having missed just one game over the last two seasons. Brate has had some lower body injuries but was able to play through them last year. Still, the Inside Injuries algorithm has him as a Low Risk for Injury, and he will enter the 2018 season at a Peak Health Performance Factor (99.65%). Sure, Howard will get his share of targets and will almost certainly build upon his successes from last year. But Brate and Winston will simply continue what they’ve been doing and also build upon their successes.

This should be another very successful season for these two players. Don’t let the naysayers tell you that Howard is going to steal Brate’s targets. There are plenty to go around, and Brate will easily put up another 50-60 receptions for 600-700 yards and 8-10 touchdowns; even more if there is an injury to Howard or other members of the Bucs’ receiver corps.