Week 6 vs. Philadelphia
Jordan Reed caught five balls for 53 yards on 11 targets last week against the Ravens. This week, he comes in fourth on our TE list facing a tough opponent in the Eagles who are second in allowing fantasy points to TEs. One thing to keep in mind for Reed is his status for Week 6 doesn't look too promising. He's suffering from another concussion and hasn't practiced this week leaving his status very much in doubt. If Reed can't go, Vernon Davis would get starters snaps with Niles Paul as the backup. Owners need to keep an eye on this situation and possibly make backup plans.
Week 5 at Baltimore
Jordan Reed owners finally got what they paid for in Week 4. Reed caught nine balls for 73 yards and two TDs - all highs for the year. He was targeted 10 times in the game.
It's not like Reed had been bad over the first four weeks, but owners were expecting more for what likely cost them a fourth round pick this summer. Reed is always going to be a top TE play and should probably always be in lineups no matter what the matchup is. This week gets a little tougher, as the Ravens are one of the top teams at limiting fantasy points to the position. Baltimore held Clive Walford to a 2-23-0 line last week, but Reed remains a must-start player regardless of the matchup.
Week 4 vs. Cleveland
Jordan Reed owners continue to be left feeling like they should be getting more. Reed finished with four catches for 56 yards on seven targets last week, which was his worst performance this season fantasy-wise.
Reed likely isn't living up to his value in regard to where he was drafted, but he continues to be a highly-ranked play each week. This week, he's again second on our TE list and he's got a pretty good matchup against the Browns, who are 21st in allowing fantasy points per game. Owners should stay patient were Reed. He's producing, just not what owners hoped. He's playing an averaged of 87-percent of the snaps and averaging over eight targets a game this season.
Week 3 at New York Giants
Jordan Reed owners have probably been expecting more this season, but he's been OK to this point. Last week he caught five balls for 70 yards on seven targets. That's 12 catches for 134 on 18 targets in two games with no TDs.
This week, Reed is our top TE play so hopefully he can break in the TD column. The Giants are ranked 31st in allowing points to the position so Reed and his owners seem to be in a great spot this week. Last year Reed didn't find the end zone against the Giants but he did average a line of 7-97-0 with nine targets in each contest.
Week 2 vs. Dallas
It wasn't a great start for Jordan Reed owners, but his numbers were still solid nevertheless. He finished with seven catches for 64 yards on 11 targets. At lot of his damage seemed to come earlier in the game and the Pittsburgh defense appeared to sit back but at the same time managed to take away Reed much of the second half.
Reed gets a tough matchup this week against Dallas, which is ranked first in allowing fantasy points to TEs. Reed has struggled a bit against the Cowboys over his last four games, averaging just a line of 5.75-47-0. He has averaged over seven targets a contest in that span. Reed will always be a threat to put up fantasy numbers and be a red zone target, but owners may have to put up with below average numbers from Reed again in Week 2 based on matchup. We do have him ranked second on our TE list, however.
Week 1 vs. Pittsburgh
Jordan Reed showed just how important he can be to Washington by staying on the field and out of the trainer's room. Reed missed just two games last year and posted 87 catches for 952 yards and 11 TDs in 2015, making him arguably one of the top fantasy TEs. He formed a real nice connection with QB Kirk Cousins and as long as he can stay healthy in 2016, he again posted to at least be top-five at his position.
Reed gets an average matchup this week against the Steelers who were 18th in allowing fantasy points to TEs last year. Reed should be started in all leagues and all formats and is second on our TE list with a projected 14.6 points, just .1 off the top play, Rob Gronkowski. The Steelers were fourth in allowing fantasy points to RBs last year and with Matt Jones banged up, the Skins may have to throw a lot in this contest which should benefit Reed.
Fantasy Upside
Jordan Reed was finally able to stay somewhat healthy last year (14 games) which allowed him to have a monster season - he finished #3 in standard formats and #2 in PPR. He caught 87 passes for 952 yards and 11 touchdowns, registering a higher PPG in PPR formats than Rob Gronkowski. He was second only to Delanie Walker in targets per game. Reed seemed to have a nice connection QB Kirk Cousins, and with a real lack of a run game, the Skins took to the air and Reed sure benefited. The same may be true this year as some who follow the team feel Washington will have to air it out again in 2016. As a result, Reed is poised for another big year.
Fantasy Downside
There isn't a lot of downside to Reed other than he does have an injury history. So that's kind of a big deal. However he only missed Weeks 5 and 6 last year. In his rookie year he played in just nine games and in 2014 he played in 11 games.
Bottom Line
Obviously Reed is extremely talented and we think is a near-lock to be a top-five tight end if he stays healthy. That's a big "if" however, and when you consider his ADP is the late third or early fourth round, that's a bit of a risk at that spot in drafts. At that point, you're likely to have a big decision to make between Reed and WRs Jarvis Landy, Randall Cobb and T.Y. Hilton, as well as RBs like C.J. Anderson, Carlos Hyde and Thomas Rawls.
Week 18 vs Green Bay
Jordan Reed came back to reality a bit last week but it was a meaningless game for Washington. Reed had just four catches but for 45 yards are four targets while playing on 13 snaps. Reed is our top TE play this week and for good reason, he's really posted the catches, yards and TDs over the final few weeks of the season. Between Weeks 14-16, Reed has been on fire with 25 catches for 339 yards and five TDs. The Packers are 17th in allowing fantasy points to TEs and only Washington (18th) ranks lower among the teams playing this weekend.
Week 17 at Dallas
Jordan Reed had another monster fantasy game for owners last week posting nine catches for 129 yards and two TDs on 11 targets.
Reed has been on fire the last three weeks with 25 catches for 339 yards and five TDs his last three games. One can argue Reed has been the top TE play this season, at the very least right up there with Rob Gronkowski. This week, it's a tough matchup on paper as the Cowboys are fourth in allowing fantasy points to TEs. Washington could also rest players this week or perhaps pull them early to prep for the playoffs. Reed is ranked third on our list but comes with a workload risk.
As for next year, Reed should rank in the top three at the position after the numbers he posted in 2015.
Week 16 vs. Philadelphia
Jordan Reed had a monster game in Week 15 and continued to stay hot after a bit of a down week in Week 13. Lat week Reed caught seven balls for 84 yards and two TDs on seven targets. Over the past two weeks, Reed has 16 catches on 16 targets for 204 yards and three TDs. Needless to say, he's pretty locked in with QB Kirk Cousins right now.
Reed is a top play this week, but the Birds have been pretty good at defending the tight end and are sixth in allowing fantasy points to the position. Still, Reed has been one of the better fantasy TE options this year and needs to be in lineups.
