Prop God’s NFL Playbook: Week 12
Prop God
The overhaul is in full swing in Jacksonville. After signing Christian Kirk to a hefty deal, the Jags will also be bringing in TE Evan Engram on a one-year, $9 million deal. Engram instantly vaults to the top of the Jacksonville pecking order at tight end and gives Trevor Lawrence a dynamic weapon at the position.
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Engram entered the NFL with a lot of promise as a 2017 first-rounder who posted one of the fastest 40-yard dash times we’ve ever seen from a college tight end draft prospect. Thanks to widespread injuries among the Giants pass catchers, Engram was forced into a big role in his rookie season and posted an impressive 64 catches for 722 yards and six scores in the process. He finished the year as fantasy No. 5 tight end, and the future looked bright.
Alas, Engram has since never been able to match his rookie output. As series of injuries and his being comically misused by Jason Garrett have resulted in uninspiring production over the last four years. But his raw athleticism is still there. Engram will also be just 28 years old when the season starts in September.
In Jacksonville, Engram will play under new head coach Doug Pederson. On Pederson’s watch with the Philadelphia Eagles, Zach Ertz finished as a top-six fantasy tight end four times, including in 2018 when Ertz racked up a massive 116 catches. While Engram isn’t the same type of player as Ertz, he does figure to benefit from a Pederson’s TE-friendly offense.
Perhaps the biggest question is how Pederson will use Engram. With Jason Garrett at offensive coordinator in New York, Engram was a square peg being forced into a round hole. He essentially played a Jason Witten-esque role in the offense, and no amount of clapping from the sidelines was going to make that work. Engram is at his best as a slot receiver, and hopefully that’s how the Jags plan to use him.
This is certainly an intriguing landing spot for the veteran, but his usage plus the unknown of Trevor Lawrence’s Year 2 progress make Engram a tricky evaluation for fantasy football purposes. However, given his high ceiling, it’s feasible to position him as a late-round option in 2022 fantasy drafts. A classic risk/reward option, Engram will certainly have the potential to outplay this ADP, though we won’t want to invest much draft capital in him.
