NFL Nation reporters are giving early fantasy predictions for every team.
ESPN fantasy football analyst Mike Clay provided the over/unders using his 2019 projections, and each Nation reporter predicted whether one player for each position would hit the number or fall short this season. The full schedule this week:
Monday: Quarterbacks
Tuesday: Running backs
Wednesday: Wide receivers
Thursday: Tight ends
TIGHT ENDS
Jump to a team:
ARI | ATL | BAL | BUF | CAR | CHI | CIN | CLE
DAL | DEN | DET | GB | HOU | IND | JAX | KC
LAC | LAR | MIA | MIN | NE | NO | NYG | NYJ
OAK | PHI | PIT | SF | SEA | TB | TEN | WSH
Arizona Cardinals
Over/under 21 receptions for Charles Clay
Josh Weinfuss' prediction: Under. First and foremost, Clay needs to stay healthy. But it might not matter if he does when it comes to his production. Tight ends aren't heavily used in Kliff Kingsbury's offense, so 21 catches could be the top end of what we could see out of Clay.
Atlanta Falcons
Over/under 579 receiving yards for Austin Hooper
Vaughn McClure's prediction: Over. Hooper had 660 on 71 catches last season, and there's no reason to think he will take a major step back. He's developing into quite the pass-catching threat, and Dirk Koetter will utilize him. Plus Hooper's one-on-one time with Matt Ryan again this offseason only makes the chemistry between the two that much stronger. You'll see Hooper on screens and running option routes, among other things. He'll be a red zone threat, for sure.
Baltimore Ravens
Over/under 606 receiving yards for Mark Andrews
Jamison Hensley's prediction: Over. Andrews is the most dangerous target in the Ravens' passing game, and he had instant chemistry with QB Lamar Jackson last season. He's athletic, fast and dependable in catching any pass thrown within his reach. If he can maintain the same production he had in the second half of last season (44.7 yards per game), Andrews will eclipse 700 yards receiving.
Buffalo Bills
Over/under 24 receptions for Dawson Knox
Marcel Louis-Jacques' prediction: Under. The Bills addressed the tight end position this offseason, adding Lee Smith, Tyler Kroft, Knox and Tommy Sweeney. That's a lot of mouths to feed for a position that caught only 55 passes last season. Improved wide receiver play and increased depth at tight end will make it difficult for Knox to make a large impact in his rookie season -- especially after missing a chunk of training camp with a hamstring injury.
Carolina Panthers
Over/under 593 receiving yards for Greg Olsen
David Newton's prediction: Under. Olsen had five straight years of 800-plus yards before his right foot forced him to miss games the past two seasons. He appears healthy and ready to prove to critics he's one of the top tight ends in the league. But Christian McCaffrey, who led all running backs with 107 catches last season, has become more of Cam Newton's security blanket over Olsen. Having speedy wide receivers DJ Moore and Curtis Samuel also will take catches away from Olsen.
Chicago Bears
Over/under 53 receptions for Trey Burton
Jeff Dickerson's prediction: Over. Burton made modest contributions after signing a lucrative deal in free agency. Burton, who had offseason surgery, will likely be featured enough to surpass 54 catches.
Cincinnati Bengals
Over/under 13 games played for Tyler Eifert
Ben Baby's prediction: Under. Injuries have kept the Pro Bowl tight end off the field for a bulk of the past three seasons. During that span, Eifert has played in 14 total games. The Bengals have eased Eifert back into the offensive rotation through training camp, but he will have to buck the three-year injury trend in order to play more than 13 games in 2019.
Cleveland Browns
Over/under 54 receptions for David Njoku
Jake Trotter's prediction: Under. Njoku had 56 catches last season. But the Browns didn't have Odell Beckham Jr., either. Njoku could take a big step forward as a player this season, and yet see his production regress. There's only so much of the ball to go around in Cleveland.
Dallas Cowboys
Over/under 48 receptions for Jason Witten
Todd Archer's prediction: Over. This is the trickiest one to figure because Witten will not be on the field for virtually every snap, like he had been for most of his career. He had 63 catches in 2017, his final season. He has shown he can still make plays on third down and in the red zone during training camp. This will not be peak Witten but it will still be effective Witten. And QB Dak Prescott trusts him implicitly.
Denver Broncos
Over/under 540 receiving yards for Noah Fant
Jeff Legwold's prediction: Under. He hasn't looked comfortable getting acclimated in the offense and the team's running backs are going to be far more involved in the passing game, no matter how comfortable Fant gets in the scheme. If things go as the Broncos hope, Fant's numbers will increase plenty in the seasons ahead, and he figures to pick up momentum as the season goes along.
Detroit Lions
Over/under 480 receiving yards for T.J. Hockenson
Michael Rothstein's prediction: Over. Rookie tight ends haven't produced well historically and Hockenson isn't the surefire take-all-snaps at the position, either, with Jesse James also needing some work. Eventually Hockenson gets there and ends up building for a breakout year in 2020, but for this season keep expectations in check. He gets to 500 yards, but not much more than that.
Green Bay Packers
Over/under 5 touchdowns for Jimmy Graham
Rob Demovsky's prediction: Over. Teams are going to do everything they can to stop Davante Adams, who caught a career-high 13 touchdowns last season. Don't expect the 10-touchdown season Graham had in 2017, but the expectations are he will easily surpass last season's total of just two TDs.
Houston Texans
Over/under 272 receiving yards for Jordan Thomas
Sarah Barshop's prediction: Under. Thomas will be a red zone threat for Houston, but QB Deshaun Watson has so many other weapons that 272 receiving yards is probably just over what he will contribute, even if he's healthy all season. Jordan Akins, another second-year tight end, has had a good training camp and will take some of Thomas' touches as well.
Indianapolis Colts
Over/under 6 touchdowns for Eric Ebron