6 Players Worth Reaching for in Your Fantasy Football Drafts

Tyler Eifert, TE, Cincinnati Bengals

Current ADP: 10.09

Earliest Willing to Draft: 9th Round

Tight ends frequently flummox fantasy drafters.

For many fantasy owners, the choice is clear: draft Rob Gronkowski to get the immediate positional advantage on leaguemates, or put little emphasis on tight end by drafting one late and potentially stream them throughout the season.

But Tyler Eifert may offer a third option by drafting your tight end late with the potential for elite tight end upside.

Our own Brandon Gdula researched Eifert’s potential for a breakout season in 2015 earlier in the offseason. The takeaways?

First, Eifert’s size and speed combo compare very favorably with the top three tight ends currently coming off draft boards in Gronkowski, Jimmy Graham, and Travis Kelce.

And second, while Eifert was injured and out for the entire 2014 season, Jermaine Gresham, who is no longer with the team, received 13 red zone targets, which was ranked ninth among all tight ends.

Eifert’s athleticism and his efficiency (0.50 Reception NEP per target in 2013) compared to Gresham (0.37 Reception NEP per target in 2014) suggest that Eifert should be able to do more with those targets.

And if he is able to do more with his looks, it stands to reason that Andy Dalton will look his way more often than he did Gresham. Indeed, reports coming out of training camp are that Eifert is essentially uncoverable. Camp-speak no doubt, but encouraging nonetheless.

The beauty of getting Eifert late is that you can afford to swing and miss on him in ways you couldn’t if you targeted Gronkowski, Graham, or Kelce because his ADP is so low. So why not skip ahead a round deep in your draft to ensure you get a potential fantasy stud at tight end? I know I won’t hesitate to.