I can’t believe we are already over halfway done with the fantasy football season. If we are being completely honest, I didn’t think that we would get here. I didn’t. COVID-19 loomed large over the start of the season, and the NFL protocols seeming laughably insufficient. Given the season almost shook apart several times already, my pessimism was warranted, but did not come to fruition. I am happy we still get to talk about football! This week, let’s talk ask the hard question: should we start or sit Noah Fant, Jimmy Graham or Eric Ebron in fantasy football week nine?
Start or Sit Noah Fant at Atlanta
We were without Noah Fant for two weeks, so his good games have been sort of spread out. Please don’t forget about Noah Fant; the guy is a stud. He has at least five targets in every single game of the season, and his “worst” game of the year was his return from injury against the Chiefs in week seven. He still turned in three catches for 38 yards. When he was going around Mike Gesicki’s range, you can understand the appreciation for the stats. Like finding a glass of water in the desert.
I love Noah Fant for his target volume: his 7.2 targets per game ranks third among available TEs this week. This week, he gets an Atlanta squad that tricked us into thinking Jimmy Graham and Greg Olsen weren’t washed and who gave big days to Robert Tonyan and T.J. Hockenson. Ian Thomas had three catches against them, which is analogous to any other TE going 6/110/2. I would definitely start Noah Fant this week, and every other week.
Start or Sit Jimmy Graham at Tennessee
Jimmy Graham is rostered in about 50% of leagues. He tricked us into thinking that he was back earlier this year. In reality, he got a lot of touchdowns and a lot of targets. Over the last three games, Graham has 12 catches but just 78 yards in that timeframe. 2020 Jimmy Graham is starting to look a lot like 2019 Jimmy Graham: big, but useless. This week, he gets Tennessee. The Titans have allowed three touchdowns to tight ends in eight games but allowed 6/50 to Eric Ebron a couple of weeks ago. The truth with Tennesee is that they haven’t faced a lot of good tight ends this year. I’m not entirely sure they face one this week. If you’re in a PPR league and you’re desperate, you can sort of squint and justify putting him into your lineup. Otherwise, you want to sit Jimmy Graham.
Start or Sit Eric Ebron at Dallas
Ebron’s had a consistent drumbeat of target volume, with the exception of week six against Cleveland (guess who streamed him then, this guy). Outside of that game, somewhere between 4 and 6 receptions and about 50 yards has been the norm for Ebron. He’s a consistent low-end TE1 PPR producer, and he has a chance to kick in a touchdown on any given week. It’s hard to get a full read on what Dallas has done defensively since they just got Sean Lee and Leighton Vander Esch back from long absences. That having been said, they have pretty much been a middling matchup this season on paper. In reality, three tight ends have more than five targets against them. Two of them scored touchdowns, and two of them had at least 60 yards. If you’re in a pinch at tight end (hello, George Kittle managers), go ahead and start Eric Ebron
The Verdict
I would start Noah Fant this week and every other week. Then, you can see where it goes from here. Ebron is your second option, and Jimmy Graham can reward you if he falls into the end zone.
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