Week 2 vs Raiders
With all the outside receivers getting most of the love, there is almost nothing left over for the tight ends. Eric Ebron saw just two targets against the Bills and split offensive snaps with Pat Freiermuth. The tight end situation in Pittsburgh has become very muddied for fantasy purposes. It may be best to steer clear and see if one takes a step forward ahead of the other as time goes on.
Week 1 at Bills
Ebron had a nice 2020 with 6+ catches, 558 yards and five touchdowns. But Pittsburgh spent a second-round pick in April's draft on Penn State TE Pat Freiermuth and he will eventually take over. Take the addition of Najee Harris to boost the running game, all the receivers Pittsburgh has, and the threat of Freiermuth, Ebron's time as a fantasy option may be coming to an end.
Fantasy Upside
Eric Ebron saw the eighth-most targets among tight ends in 2020. Even with all the outside weapons, Pittsburgh still found plenty of ways to involve Ebron in the offense, particularly in the red zone. He finished 15th in fantasy scoring among tight ends. He had six games with at least five catches. He won’t be a consistent TE1, but with the right matchup, can be a weekly play and dependable TE2.
Fantasy Downside
Ebron’s main competition at tight end in 2020 was Vance McDonald, who wasn’t much of a competition at all. But in 2021, the Steelers spent a second-round pick on Penn State TE Pat Freiermuth. They’ll find ways to involve the player once considered “Baby Gronk”. Ebron won’t totally lose his TE1 status in Pittsburgh so soon, but it wouldn’t be surprising to see Freiermuth eat into Ebron’s workload as the season progresses.
2021 Bottom Line
Ebron is still a solid TE2 for 2021 and should still be a factor when the Steelers reach the red zone. His 91 targets in 2020 were fourth on the team and 35 more than the fifth-highest total from James Washington. Freiermuth will eat into some of those targets, but we know the history of rookie tight ends. Ebron still will be a dependable weekly matchup option as a TE2 and can be had very cheap in drafts.
Week 17 vs Browns
Ebron scored his first touchdown since Week 11 in helping the Steelers clinch the division last week. But he was already up and down with Ben Roethlisberger in the lineup. Now it’s Mason Rudolph as the Steelers just look to stay healthy going into the playoffs. Ebron is a deep TE2 for Week 17.
Week 16 vs Colts
Ebron left Monday's game early with a back injury after just ten offensive snaps. He's back at practice and gearing up to face a Colts defense that has allowed 90 yards to the position in each of the last two weeks, including 75 to Darren Waller and 50 to Jordan Akins among that group. Coming off the injury and with the Steelers struggling on offense, Ebron is in TE2 territory for championship week but does have some upside.
Week 15 vs Bengals
Ebron was another victim of the Steelers' struggles on offense last week, catching just two passes for 30 yards. Tight ends have had recent success against the Bengals. Mike Gesicki had 88 yards and a touchdown and Evan Engram had 129 yards against the Bengals. Ebron's recent surge, minus last week, still gives him upside and he's No. 7 in our half-PPR tight end rankings.
Week 14 vs Bills
If only Ebron didn't have a major case of the drops. Even still, Ebron has two straight games with 11 targets and seven catches with at least 50 yards in both. He has double-digit PPR points in three straight and six out of the last seven. That production and upside have him as a top-10 option among tight ends for the start of the fantasy playoffs in a huge AFC showdown against the Bills on Sunday night.
Week 13 vs Washington
Pittsburgh finally got Eric Ebron well-involved in Week 12, seeing 11 targets, seven catches and 54 yards, all season-highs for him. And this was all with just playing 49/72 snaps in Week 12. Washington is a middle-of-the-pack team against opposing tight ends in fantasy. Ebron sits in the top-10 tight ends this week.
Week 12 vs Ravens
Ben Roethlisberger has helped make numerous receivers fantasy worthy this season, including a nice recent stretch from Eric Ebron, who has a touchdown in three of his last four games, though he hasn't hit 50 yards since Week 7. He scored a touchdown against Baltimore in the first meeting in Week 8, who is near the middle in terms of fantasy points allowed to opposing fantasy tight ends.
Week 11 vs Jaguars
Ebron is seeing the field plenty and almost consistently receiving 5-6 targets per game. Touchdowns have become tough to come by for Ebron because of all the options on the outside, but the targets, particularly in the red zone, at least Ebron a chance to put up some points each week.
