Week 10 vs. Kansas City
Greg Olsen had another nice game against the Rams last week, catching five passes for 52 yards and a touchdown. Olsen leads all TEs and is actually eighth in overall receiving yards in the NFL this season. He’s a vital part of the Panther offense and should continue to be leaned on heavily by QB Cam Newton.
The Chiefs have only allowed one touchdown to the TE position all season, but they rank in the bottom half of the league in overall pass defense and Olsen is the kind of elite TE that can be matchup proof. He should be active in all leagues and should continue to be one of the top TE options each and every week.
Week 9 vs. Los Angeles
Greg Olsen is coming off a down week against the Cardinals, where he caught only one of the three passes thrown his way for 11 yards. It was Olsen first legitimately bad game of the season, and likely an anomaly. The team got up early and leaned on the running game, with only 27 pass attempts all game. That won’t be the case every week.
This week, Olsen should get back on track against the Rams. The Rams have been very average against the pass this season, but half of the six passing touchdowns they’ve allowed this year have gone to TEs. Expect another game where Olsen is heavily-targeted and he should be active in all leagues.
Week 8 vs. Arizona
Greg Olsen had another strong outing against the Saints before the bye, with six catches on seven targets and 94 yards. Olsen has been one of the most consistent fantasy options this season and he leads all TEs in yards and receptions.
This week isn’t the best matchup for Olsen. The Cardinals have only allowed five passing touchdowns all season, and not a single one to the TE position. In fact, the Cardinals are best in the league against the TE spot, averaging only 2.1 fantasy points per game to TEs in ESPN standard leagues. Still, Olsen will be targeted so heavily he should still be in for a quality game. We still have him as a top option in all league formats, and he should be active in all leagues.
Week 6 at New Orleans
Greg Olsen didn’t find the end zone on Monday night against the Bucs, but he did catch nine passes for 181 yards. Olsen is fourth in the league in receiving yards and has been a monster in the passing game for Carolina. He’s also tied for fifth in the NFL with 33 receptions.
Olsen goes up against a Saints defense that allows 301 passing yards per game to opposing offenses and he should once again be heavily targeted in a game that could end up being a shoot-out. He’s the top fantasy option at the TE position every week right now and should be active in all league formats.
Week 5 vs. Tampa Bay
Greg Olsen had another nice game last week against the Falcons, catching six passes for 76 yards and a touchdown. He leads all TEs in fantasy points so far this year and has scored a touchdown in two of the last three games. He also leads the team with an average of 10 targets per game through the first quarter of the season.
This week he faces a Bucs team that has struggled on defense so far this year. While they haven’t given up a touchdown to a TE yet, they also haven’t faced a team that emphasizes the TE position through four games. The Bucs have allowed nine touchdown passes to opposing teams, 28th in the league, and Olsen should once again be an elite fantasy option in all leagues.
Week 4 at Atlanta
Greg Olsen only had 64 yards against the Vikings last week, but he did catch six passes on a team-high 10 targets and he remains Cam Newton’s favorite option in the passing game, with nine targets per game through the first three weeks.
This week, Olsen should definitely be active in all league formats. The Falcons gave up 109 yards and a TD to the tight end position on Monday night, and they are tied for dead last with Detroit in touchdown passes allowed this season. Olsen is an elite fantasy option every week, one of the steadiest out there, and should be used over anyone else at the position.
Week 3 vs. Minnesota
Greg Olsen had a great game against the 49ers last week, catching five passes for 122 yards, including a 78-yard catch and run for touchdown where he got deep behind the defense. Olsen is one of the top TEs in the game and has a nice rapport with QB Cam Newton. Newton looked his way eight times last week, and he’s second on the team behind Kelvin Benjamin with 17 targets through two games.
This week, he’ll face a Minnesota defense that has been stellar to start the year, but has given up at least four receptions to starting TEs in each of the first two games. Olsen is a must-start each week regardless of the matchup, and even against a tough Vikings team, he should be active in all leagues.
Week 2 vs. San Francisco
Greg Olsen had a decent enough first game of the season against the Broncos last week. He wound up with 73 yards on seven receptions and was targeted nine times, second most on the team. Olsen remains an elite TE, especially with Rob Gronkowski currently a little banged up. It was good to see Kelvin Benjamin taking targets away from the other WRs rather than from Olsen, affirming that Olsen will continue to be heavily used in the Carolina passing game.
This week, Olsen should once again be a must-start. The 49ers bottled up the Rams really well on Monday night, but that seemed to be more a product of how bad the Rams were than it was how good the 49ers defense was. Olsen should be able to find space to roam and be an elite option in all fantasy league formats.
Week 1 at Denver
Greg Olsen was second in the league among TEs last season with 1,104 yards receiving. He also caught seven touchdown passes and remains one of the most consistent fantasy performers at his position. Even with the return of Kelvin Benjamin from injury, Olsen should continue to be an integral part of the Panthers passing game. Look for him to be targeted early and often this season.
Olsen owners would prefer a better matchup to start the season, as the Broncos were one of the best in the league last year against the pass. However, they were very average against the TE position, and of the 19 touchdown passes they allowed all season, seven went to TEs. Olsen is a must-start every week regardless of the matchup, and while Denver isn’t the ideal opponent to start the year against, Olsen is still worth starting in all formats.
Fantasy Upside
Greg Olsen is coming off the best season of his career. He set career highs with 1,104 yards and 14.3 yards per reception, and he scored the second most touchdowns in his career with seven. Olsen has good size at 6-foot-5 and enough athleticism to stretch the seam. He also led the team in targets last season, and was second only to Kelvin Benjamin in 2014. He’s demonstrated dependable hands, and has continued to improve every year in the Panther offense, growing right with quarterback Cam Newton. He has a high fantasy floor as he’s been targeted at least 100 times in each of the past four seasons.
Fantasy Downside
While Olsen should remain a top option in the Carolina passing game, the return of receiver Kelvin Benjamin might take some targets away from him, especially in the red zone. Additionally, Olsen is coming off a career year and is entering his 10th season. He hasn’t shown any signs of decline yet, but it’s hard to imagine him taking another step forward at age 31, where tight ends typically are heading into a steep decline.
2016 Bottom Line
Olsen is a top tight end option, but his ceiling is only as a steady producer, not as an elite, game-changing talent. That might be nit-picky, but the drop-off from Rob Gronkowski and even to some extent, Jordan Reed is a big one to get to the rest of the top five tight ends. Olsen should be a good one again though, and if fantasy owners can get him later than his 5th round ADP, then he’s good value as a week-to-week starter that you don’t have to worry about.
