Week 4 at Los Angeles Chargers
Welcome to fantasy stardom, Zach Ertz. At a position starving for consistency outside of Rob Gronkowski, Ertz is providing just that. He's played more than 80% of snaps all three weeks, been targeted 8-10 times each week and scored 14-17 PPR points each week. He's been money, and in Week 4, start him again. This guy is proving to be one of the best returns on investment in 2017 fantasy drafts.
Week 3 vs. New York Giants
Zach Ertz is off to a great start. He's the TE3 in PPR leagues, buoyed by 18 targets (second among TEs). It feels like he's taken over Jordan Matthews' role in this offense as the inside-the-numbers, short-to-intermediate target. It's clear he has chemistry in the early weeks of a second season with Carson Wentz. Consider Ertz a top-3 TE option this week, in a great matchup against a Giants team only ranked 20th in our aFPA vs. PPR TE rankings.
Week 2 at Kansas City Chiefs
Ertz caught all 8 of his Week 1 targets, illustrating the chemistry he has with QB Carson Wentz in an offense with two new outside receivers and a slot receiver who didn't play that role most of last season. Fire him up again in fantasy lineups as a top-five option at the position in Week 2 against a Chiefs defense where Wentz may opt to stay away from shutdown CB Marcus Peters.
Week 1 at Washington
Zach Ertz could be the beneficiary of targets after the Eagles traded slot WR Jordan Matthews. Consider him a low-end TE1 in Week 1 against a Washington defense that was 25th in our aFPA vs. PPR tight ends a year ago. Ertz has not scored in his last four games against Washington, but he does have two 100-yard games. He's a solid upside play in Week 1.
Fantasy Upside
In his first season with Doug Pederson and Carson Wentz, Ertz went from 10th to fourth in TE fantasy points per game (PPR scoring). After the Eagles traded Jordan Matthews, Ertz is now the team's best returning pass-catcher.
Fantasy Downside
A staggering 45% of Ertz's fantasy points came in three games towards the end of last season. His consistency left a lot to be desired, hurting owners in more weeks than helping them.
2017 Bottom Line
Ertz is a prime example of why fantasy managers need to do more than just look at season-long projections. Ertz's boom-or-bust nature is best suited for best-ball leagues. However, his eighth-round redraft ADP comes with baked-in risk. Just make sure you take another TE later if you select the week-to-week headache that has been Ertz.
Week 17 vs. Dallas
Zach Ertz saw his very solid fantasy production take a hit last week, as he caught just two balls for 33 yards against the Giants.
This week, Ertz remains a TE1 play, coming in at eighth on our list. It's a great matchup for Ertz, as the Cowboys are only 24th in allowing fantasy points to TEs, but Ertz has struggled against Dallas in his career. Over his last four games, he's averaging a line of just 3.75-28-0 and has averaged just over five targets a game in those contests. Start Ertz with caution.
Week 16 vs. New York Giants
Zach Ertz continued yet another late-season push, catching six balls for 80 yards last week against the Ravens on eight targets. He has at least 79 receiving yards in his last three games, with one TD in that span. Ertz continues to be Carson Wentz's top target as of late.
Ertz gets a great matchup this week against the Giants. He's fourth on our TE list, as the Giants are 28th in allowing fantasy points to the position. In Ertz's last two games against the Giants, he has 17 catches for 249 yards total. Ertz is probably one of the only Eagles trending up in terms of fantasy these days, and appears to be a nice starting option.
Week 15 at Baltimore
Zach Ertz had another huge game last week, catching 10 balls for 112 yards on 13 targets. He has 28 targets over the last two games to go along with 19 catches for 191 yards and a TD in that same span.
The red hot Ertz gets a tough matchup this week against the Ravens. Baltimore is ninth in allowing fantasy points to the TE, but Ertz still comes in as a TE1 play this week. Ertz is getting more targets than any other Eagle over the last two weeks, even WR Jordan Matthews. If RB Darren Sproles misses time (concussion), this should also help to keep Ertz's targets around double-digits. Based on the past several weeks, he's a solid TE play.
Week 14 vs. Washington
Much like the last few years, Zach Ertz is starting to come on strong as the season winds down. He caught another TD last week, his second in three weeks and caught nine balls for 79 yards on 15 targets. The team was without Jordan Matthews and playing from behind, keep in mind. Since Week 9, though, Ertz is averaging about nine targets a game, so there is a focus on getting him the ball. This week, he gets the Skins, who are 29th in allowing fantasy points to TEs. Ertz comes in as a low-end TE1 play, but is tough to trust despite his recent play. Last time the team's played he was still invisible, posting a 1-22-0 line.
Week 13 at Cincinnati
After stringing together some productive games, Zach Ertz fell off a bit last week, catching just three balls for 36 yards on six targets. The three games before Ertz had at least a TD or 55 plus yards receiving in that span.
This week, Ertz comes in 12th on our TE list and gets a nice matchup against the Bengals, who are just 30th in allowing fantasy points to TEs. Ertz seemed to have turn the corner a bit, but it still seems like the team is trying to get him involved in the passing game. Outside of Jordan Matthews at WR, Ertz is probably QB Carson Wentz's next most reliable receiver. By now, though, you probably have a safer option to go with at TE.
