Fantasy Football 2015: 5 Undervalued Tight Ends

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Aug 12, 2015; Englewood, CO, USA; Denver Broncos tight end Owen Daniels (81) warms up with a football during training camp activities at the UCHealth Training Center. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-USA TODAY Sports

Owen Daniels, Denver Broncos

This is another situation where I think people may be overreacting due to age. Owen Daniels is only 32, but his quarterback is 39, and likely near the end of his career. Somehow I think he’ll still be successful this year though, and he’s shown an affinity for tight ends.

He’s thrown at least 6 touchdowns to tight ends every year for the last ten seasons, including an average of almost 12 per year since he moved to Denver. Now, with Julius Thomas in Jacksonville, Owen Daniels is looking to be the team’s top tight end.

He was the 17th highest fantasy scorer among tight ends last year, but there is little chance for him to do anything but increase production. He has little competition and he will be a part of one of the league’s best offenses, a passing attack that set the league record for passing touchdowns in a season only two years ago.

There’s no question that Peyton Manning is declining, and there are plenty of options to throw to in Denver, but for some reason Peyton likes to throw to his tight ends near the goal line. Julius Thomas scored 24 touchdowns in 2013 and 2014, in only 24 starts.

Owen Daniels may not average a touchdown per start, but it isn’t out of the question to think that he could score double digit touchdowns in 2015, and that would automatically vault him up into the top-5 in terms of fantasy tight ends.

The other factor to consider is Daniels’s consistency. He’s been in the league for nine years and has only finished outside the top-20 of fantasy tight ends twice (seasons in which he played 5 and 8 games). His career averages of 571 yards and 3.6 touchdowns per season would likely make him a top-10 fantasy play, and he should be in the best fantasy situation of his career.

Daniels is currently being taken in the 12th round of ESPN fantasy drafts and as the No. 13 tight end. He’s likely to finish in the top-10 this year, and has the potential to be even higher. He should be one of the top tight ends taken in your fantasy draft, because he’s poised for the best season of his career.

Next: Top 20 Fantasy Football Quarterbacks

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