For the last several years, the Philadelphia Eagles used tight ends in the passing game as much as any team in the league. The only difference between the Eagles and teams like Kansas City with one dominant tight end was that Philadelphia had two – Zach Ertz and Dallas Goedert.
Both of them became impressive offensive weapons, but from the fantasy football perspective, having 2 guys performing 1 role tended to devalue both. When one or the other was injured, the healthy 1 thrived. But when they played together, they were splitting up the production. That changed 6 games into the 2021 season when Ertz was a somewhat surprising trade deadline move when he was sent to the Arizona Cardinals.
Below, we look at Zach Ertz’s 2022 fantasy football average draft position (ADP) and where you should draft him.
Arizona has long been a desert for tight end production. Can you name the last playmaking tight end that made a fantasy impact who played for the Cardinals? The truth is that there hasn’t been a consistent fantasy tight end there in decades, not just a few years. Ertz may change that. In 11 games he played with the Cardinals last season, he caught 56 passes for 574 yards.
Zach Ertz’s ADP: 96.87
(ADP data courtesy of MyFantasyLeague.com; last updated at time of this publishing – ADPs continually change as more drafts occur)
It’s difficult to find a sharper line of demarcation among fantasy tight ends (or any position for that matter) than you see in the landing zone for Ertz. He is low-end TE1 (No. 9 overall at the position) and the distance between tight ends being selected is expansive. The last tight end in front of Ertz is T.J. Hockenson (Detroit Lions) with an ADP at 78.62. After Ertz comes off at 96.87, the next 2 tight ends being drafted are Dawson Knox (Buffalo Bills) at 101.75 and Mike Gesicki (Miami Dolphins) at 113.11.
The division of talent seems clear that from the 8th round into the 12th round, less than 1 tight end per round is coming off draft boards and Ertz’s draft spot is pretty solidly entrenched.
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Zach Ertz’s 2021 stats
Games: 17
Receptions | targets: 74 | 112
Receiving yards: 763
Receiving touchdowns: 5
Where should you draft Ertz?
Ertz is still a work in progress with the Cardinals. When the team was gearing up for the 2021 season, Ertz wasn’t in the plans. It was only when he was available in trade that he was in Arizona’s plans.
A year later and a full offseason for the coaching staff to design more plays that feature tight end mismatches down the seam that fit into Ertz’s strengths, it could be a different landscape in the Cardinals passing game. He has averaged more than 50 yards a game in his career, which, if extrapolated over a full season, would lead to about 85 receptions for 850 yards and a handful of touchdowns – the kind of numbers you expect from a mid- to low-end TE1.
While Hockenson is the better athlete, I wouldn’t be surprised in fantasy drafts if Ertz goes higher simply because he is part of a better offense and a better receiver corps that will leave Ertz in more 1-on-1 situations.
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