JULIOOOO JONES!!!
This week is going to be short since I have work deadlines to meet, but my god was this a fun week for fantasy. Besides the Rams stealing the Patriots talent all space jam style, everything was fairly normal. There was plenty of good football to watch, including Julio becoming the 6th player to reach 300 receiving yards. Not many injuries happened and the ones that did don’t look to be season long. Looking forward to week 5 I hope all of your seasons are off to a good start but there is still a long way to the finish line as we look into this weeks waivers.
Waiver Pick of the Week: Cameron Brate
This week I don’t feel like there is any one player that demands your #1 waiver priority. Over the last few weeks players have gone down and opened a huge roles to fill but this week there is no clear cut must have. How your team is shaping up will most likely determine who you should pick up but considering how bad the tight end position is looking, this could be the week to lock it down.
Cameron Brate, TE, Tampa Bay Buccaneers (11% Yahoo 5% NFL.com)
Brate’s story is another that is less about him and more about his competition. Over the last year ex-teammate Austin Seferian-Jenkins has been a hyped fantasy sleeper who could just not stay on the field. Sefarian-Jenkins has been either injured or held out for off field reasons. The constant aura of negativity around him finally came to a conclusion two weeks ago, when he was released by the Buccaneers in response to his arrest for a misdemeanor DUI.
Sefarian-Jenkins has a small sample size but he was a super efficiency last season, he ranked first among tight ends in fantasy points per snap, second in fantasy points per route run, second in yards per route run, and fourth in fantasy points per catchable target. All of these states should be getting you excited because there is a new sheriff in town.
Looking at the numbers
I’v said it a thousand times but opportunity not talent is what makes fantasy points. Brate’s fantasy value has been limited with Jenkins on the field but going forward he will be the main show. He may not have impressed preseason but quarterback Jameis Winston loves to throw to his tight ends. Last year the Buccaneers finished #12 in points scored at the position and so far this year the they are #5. With only two weeks as the teams number one, Brate is already the leagues 8th most targeted tight end.
He is going to get a ton of volume and standing at 6’5”, 235 lbs he is a prime redzone target. In week 3 against the Rams Brate received 4 different redzone targets. Even in a tough matchup against Denver, Brate saw 8 targets and reeled in 5 of them to lead the team in receiving yards. Winston clearly seems him as a safety blanket and will continue to target him in the middle of the field. There aren’t many tight ends that you can rely upon week to week but based on the last year of Tampa Bays tight end usage and what we have seen so far Brate should be looked at as a starting TE from her on.
Surprisingly good matchup!
Next week Brate and the Buccaneers face a Panthers Defense that just allowed a TD to each of Atlanta’s tight ends. The Panthers aren’t the same without Norman and its not going to get any tougher than Denver. If you don’t have Gronk, Olsen, or Reed, Brate has a great matchup before the bye and solid year long value.