Fantasy Upside
The Patriots have been trying to regain the Aaron Hernandez magic with two tight end sets for quite some time, ultimately failing to replicate the situation with Tim Wright and Scott Chandler. Gronkowski and Hernandez combined for 38.8% percent of the offensive targets in their best year as well as 42.6 percent of the yards. Bennett has TE1 upside if he can steal some red-zone looks and if Gronk went down, instant top-5 upside at the position.
Fantasy Downside
It is important to note that in the season with Hernandez going off the team did not have a reliable passing down back. Bennett could lose work to Dion Lewis in both the intermediate-short passing game as well as the red zone.
2016 Bottom Line
This could be a situation to take advantage of, even with Tom Brady suspended the first four games of 2016 as Bennett gives the offense versatility and mismatches. If the Patriots game plan similarly as they did with Hernandez, Bennett has huge upside in one of the leagues best offenses. He has already report ably earned Brady’s trust in camp and has been very impressive so far. Bennett’s double-digit round ADP makes him an intriguing gamble that could pay off big for fantasy owners.
Week 13 vs. San Francisco
Martellus Bennett was inactive last week due to an injury, although reports say he's not getting along with the front office and that could have been a factor in the decision. Either way, he's projected to start this week in a good matchup against San Francisco.
Bennett's role continues to decrease, but he's still one of the best tight ends in football. It's just a matter of getting the ball to him. He'll be a low-end TE1 play this week.
Week 12 vs. Green Bay
Martellus Bennett saw six targets last week, but only caught two passes for 26 yards. Surprisingly, two of his worst games this season came when the Bears were without Alshon Jeffery and Eddie Royal. Teams can focus in on the tight end and hold him to low yardage.
Bennett might be able to turn things around this week in a favorable matchup against Green Bay. The Packers have allowed a receiving touchdown to a tight end in four of their last five games. He's had some down performances lately, but Bennett is still a TE1 this week.
Week 11 vs. Denver
Martellus Bennett had a poor outing last week, finishing with three receptions for 18 yards. Meanwhile, Chicago's backup tight end — Zach Miller — caught five passes for 107 yards and two touchdowns. We don't expect Miller's success to continue, but we're also not big fans of Bennett this week in a tough matchup. He'll be a low-end TE1 just because of the shallow talent at this position, but we're not expecting a big game.
Week 10 vs St. Louis
Martellus Bennett had a strong outing last week, catching eight passes for 57 yards and a touchdown. He saw a few more looks in the offense with Eddie Royal being sidelined due to injury.
His numbers are likely to decline in Week 10 against a tough Rams defense. St. Louis hasn't allowed a touchdown to a tight end since Week 1, and overall, they are pretty stingy against receivers. While it's not an ideal matchup, Bennett has proven over and over again he's capable of putting up TE1 numbers on a weekly basis. He's one of the few reliable options at the position.
Week 9 at San Diego
Martellus Bennett surprisingly isn't having a strong season. He has a season-high of 83 yards, but outside of that he hasn't eclipsed 60 in any game. He also hasn't caught a touchdown since Week 4. He hasn't been great, but he's at least doing something every week, and that's more than you can say for most tight ends this season. Plus, he'll be playing this week in a Chicago offense without Matt Forte or Eddie Royal, so he should see some more targets. To top it all off, he has a great matchup against San Diego. He'll be a TE1 option this week.
Week 8 vs. Minnesota
Martellus Bennett had a big game against the Raiders in Week 4, but we haven't seen much from him outside of that matchup. He's still been one of the better tight end options this season, but he hasn't exactly put up huge numbers.
He'll get a good matchup this week against a Vikings defense that has allowed back-to-back 100-yard games to the tight end position. Bennett is usually good enough to give you something, and that's usually worthy of TE1 status. He'll be a good play this week.
Week 6 at Detroit
With Alshon Jeffery and Eddie Royal both out, Jay Cutler looked towards Martellus Bennett for help. The Bears tight end led the team with 11 targets, but only caught four passes for 32 yards. The lack of production is disappointing, but he certainly had his chances.
Look for Bennett to get plenty of looks in Week 6 as well. Jeffery and Royal could sit out again this week, leaving Bennett as the best receiver on the team. He also faces a Lions defense that has allowed a touchdown to a tight end in every week but one this season. Bennett is a strong TE1 option against Detroit.
Week 5 vs. Kansas City
Martellus Bennett abused the Raiders defense like every tight end has this season. But most importantly, he was targeted a team-high 13 times and caught 11 passes for 83 yards and a touchdown.
With Alshon Jeffery sitting, Bennett becomes the top receiving threat in this offense. Jeffery is expected to miss another week, so that means more targets headed in Bennett's direction. The Chiefs haven't been stingy against tight ends this season, but that's more because they haven't faced a strong one. Kansas City has allowed a lot of passing yards, which means Bennett should have a big day. View him as a strong TE1 this week.
Week 4 vs. Oakland
Martellus Bennett owners are in a bit of a pickle this week. On one hand, the Bears Pro Bowl tight end is playing an Oakland defense that has allowed (by far) the most fantasy points to tight ends this season. On the other hand, Jimmy Clausen will likely be the Bears starting quarterback this week.
So far this season tight ends have racked up 305 yards and five total touchdowns (at least one per game) against the Raiders, and Bennett is a tight end who is capable of putting up big numbers. If Jay Cutler were under center, Bennett might be the No. 1 TE option this week. He still should be viewed as a TE1, but his value takes a bit of a hit assuming Clausen starts.
