Week 12 vs. Green Bay
Zach Ertz continues to be more involved in the Eagles offense over the last four weeks. Last week, he caught six balls for 35 yards and a TD - his first TD of the season. He was targeted 11 times, a season-high. Ertz is averaging six catches over the last four games and is being targeted over seven times a game in that same span.
Ertz may be a guy to take a look at if you're struggling at the TE or have to play multiple at the position. It's a solid matchup this week and Ertz is ranked 10th on our TE list. The Packers are 15th in allowing fantasy points to TEs, but their defense has been a bit lit up over the past few weeks so this is may be a nice spot to plug in Ertz this week.
Week 11 at Seattle
Zach Ertz had six catches for 55 yards on seven targets last week. It was back-to-back weeks with useable fantasy numbers after an 8-97-0 line the week before.
Ertz still isn't a safe play until we see more from him. He's yet to find the end zone this year, but does have 15 targets over his last two games. This week's matchup isn't a good one as the Seahawks are ninth in allowing fantasy points to the TE. Ertz is 16th on our list, but is better off left on benches this week.
Week 10 vs. Atlanta
Zach Ertz had his biggest game of 2016 with an 8-97-0 line last week against the Giants. The Eagles offense looked a lot different last week than we've seen the previous weeks, including attempting longer passes as well as getting Ertz involved.
Since returning from a displaced rib in Week 5, Ertz caught just nine balls between Weeks 5-8. While he's hard to trust after one big game, the Eagles could be making a point to get him more targets. It's a really nice matchup this week against the Falcons who are 27th in allowing fantasy points to TE, but Ertz is still down our list as more of a TE2 play and probably can't quite be trusted for typical leagues that play one TE.
Week 9 at New York Giants
The disappearance of Zach Ertz continues to be one of the bigger mysteries this year for the Eagles. Ertz said he's just not being looked at by QB Carson Wentz, and Wentz only seems to trust Jordan Matthews and Darren Sproles in the passing game. As a result, Ertz had just four catches for 19 yards on four targets last week. He's 20th on our list this week and just isn't a safe option for lineups.
Week 8 at Dallas
Zach Ertz caught just one ball for 14 yards last week and hasn't been a factor since returning from a displaced rib. The last two weeks, Ertz has just two catches for 36 yards on six targets. Unfortunately, Ertz can't be trusted, even in a great matchup against the Cowboys, who are only 29th in allowing fantasy points to the TE. Ertz comes in way down our list as a result. Over the past two seasons against Dallas, Ertz is averaging just 2.75-23.25-0 in four total games.
Week 7 vs. Minnesota
Zach Ertz caught just one ball for 22 yards last week, and he also dropped a walk-in TD on a ball that went right through his hands.
Ertz is yet again off to a very slow start this year, though suffering a displaced rib could still be affecting him. We've seen slow starts before from Ertz (only to watch him go off later in the season), but owners by now are likely losing patience. This week, he's ranked just 18th on our list in a tough matchup against the Vikings, who are seventh in allowing fantasy points to the position. It's tough to trust Ertz right now, so owners may want to go with a higher-ranked option.
Week 6 at Washington
Zach Ertz had three catches for 37 yards last weeks against the Lions. It was his first game back after missing two with a displaced rib. He was targeted three times, but did play on 85% of the snaps so the Birds didn't seem to be easing him back.
Ertz gets a low-end TE1 rank this week coming in 11th on our list. It's an average matchup against the Redskins, who are 18th in allowing fantasy points to TEs. The Birds may opt to run the ball more this week which could cap the fantasy potential of the passing game. However, Ertz is still a solid enough option and the hope is he's more involved this week. Brent Celek didn't catch a ball and Trey Burton had just one catch so this seems to be Ertz's show.
Week 5 at Detroit
Big things were expected by fantasy owners when came to Zach Ertz (especially after a big end to 2015). But after a 6-58-0 line in Week 1, Ertz suffered a displaced rib and missed Week 2 and 3 before a bye in Week 4 gave him some extra time off.
Signs point to the return of Ertz this week, and he will jump right into being a TE1 option. It's a real nice matchup, as the Lions are at the bottom of the league in terms of allowing points to TEs. Trey Burton and Brent Celek took turns being more involved in the offense over the last two week, but Ertz should step right back into that role.
Week 1 vs. Cleveland
Zach Ertz really came to life in the second half of last season. Over his last four games he caught 35 passes in total and averaged about 112 receiving yards in that span. As a result, there is a lot of optimism for Ertz coming into 2016.
Ertz gets a pretty fair matchup in Week 1 against the Browns who were 14th in allowing fantasy points to the position a year ago. With a new QB in Carson Wentz and a new head coach and a new system, it may be another slow start for Ertz. But without a lot of talent at the WR position, Ertz is going to be a very key target, and the Birds are expected to use a lot of multi-TE sets because they see that as a strength in their receiving group. Ertz is a lower-TE1 play this week coming in eighth so should be in lineups.
Fantasy Upside
After a slow first half of the season, Zach Ertz came on strong in the second half, but especially his final four games. Over those last four contests, Ertz averaged a line of about 9-112. He seemed to develop a nice chemistry with QB Sam Bradford and, coincidentally, Bradford was playing well over that same stretch. As Doug Pederson takes over with a new offense, Ertz could end up with a Travis Kelce-like role, which wouldn't be a bad thing. There aren't a lot of talented WRs on the Eagles, so Ertz should see plenty of opportunities and targets, especially in the red zone.
Fantasy Downside
Ertz only produced two TDs last season so he wasn't necessarily a red zone target, but his TD numbers should climb if his last four games are any indication. Ertz was supposed to be a breakout candidate the last two seasons, but never got on track in 2014 and had a slow start in 2015. One has to wonder if last year's second half was a fluke or we're seeing the real Ertz. The Eagles also resigned Brent Celek, who would always surprise at times stealing away catches and playing time. Celek is a superior blocker to Ertz, which can limit Ertz's time on the field.
Bottom Line
Ertz showed a lot last season, especially during the second half. However, in the back of my mind I still have a little fear he'll disappear like he did at times during the last two seasons. Still, I don't think it's enough to prevent me from taking him in the right spot. His ADP is the eighth round, which is 1-2 rounds after guys in the top-six like Kelce and Coby Fleener, but in the ballpark with Ladarius Green and Julius Thomas. To me, this is a perfect spot to land Ertz and given the lack of top-notch WRs on the Eagles, Ertz should provide a lot of value.
