Have you ever been a fan of a player that never quite figured it out? You knew they had “it,” and all they needed was a chance with the right offense to make “it” happen? Evan Engram is that player for me. He came onto the scene in a big way his rookie year and then became irrelevant for several years after the fact.
There was always a question of what happened to him as fans hoped that Engram would figure it out and become what he had shown he could be in that first season. Well, last year was what fans had been waiting for after he went to the Jaguars and had his first big season in five years. Now, Evan Engram has climbed my rankings to being a top dynasty tight end.
Looking Back
To start things off, we need to address Engram’s previous seasons because they are troublesome. He came into the league strong, with his first season being a top-five finish at his position. The future was bright for our guy, but the Giants went through several transitions that impacted Engram negatively. He had three different head coaches in his time there and a transition from one starting quarterback to a rookie. This kind of instability can be detrimental to a player’s growth and, as we saw with Engram, can set players back.
There were also some nagging injuries throughout this time period, but nothing more serious than a sprain or concussion. While injuries are always a concern, it does not appear as though they will be something that fantasy players have to worry about with Engram. Particularly because they were not repetitive issues, and none of them were severe to the point of something being broken or torn. Also, in spite of these injuries and the transitioning periods that Engram faced, he remained a solid streaming option throughout this time, as he averaged 9.6 points per game (PPG).
A New Home
As stated earlier, last season was a great one for Engram. It was his first top tight end finish that he has had since his rookie season. Engram showed he had decent chemistry with the young star quarterback, Trevor Lawrence, catching 75% of the targets thrown his way. This was important since his targets were intermittent last season, as Engram averaged 5.8 targets per game with a middling 17.1% target share.
There were games where Engram appeared to not be a part of the game plan, and in those games, he disappeared, as he had nine games with single-digit finishes.
However, the other eight games were all TE1 finishes, including one overall TE1 finish where he scored 39.2 points on fifteen targets that he turned into 162 yards and two touchdowns. Over those eight games, he averaged a solid 17.05 PPG. Looking at all of his games together, he finished as TE5 overall this last year and averaged a decent 10.4 PPG.
Given that this was his second finish as a top-five tight end, I am confident in his skills to produce at a high expectation again, as is his new team.
Evan Engram has the skills to put up big numbers, and now that he’s had a full year in his new home, he’s primed to be a big part of the offense. The team showed they have big expectations after offering him a contract extension worth $41.25 million over the next three years. The team is showing a good deal of confidence in Engram with this contract, and should mean big things for him moving forward. This will give him the consistency you hope to find, as he will be a key part of one of the most tight end friendly offenses in the league.
What’s the Cost?
Now for the important part: how do you get this guy on your team? Well, there are plenty of ways to go about it, and the easiest way is to get him as your starting up your league. Looking at the average draft position (ADP) on Sleeper’s app, right now, Evan Engram is going toward the end of the 10th round with an ADP of 117.
This puts him as TE13 off the board, and there are multiple players at his position that I would take him over. He is TE6 on my big board, and that puts him above players such as David Njoku, Michael Mayer, Darren Waller, Pat Freiermuth, Dalton Kincaid, and Dallas Goedert, who are all going ahead of Engram. You can take the discount and wait for him to fall to you in the 9th or 10th round for a great value.
For the teams that you have already drafted in, it is going to require you to trade for him. Value always fluctuates depending on who your trade partner is that you are dealing with. Start with throwing out feelers to see if the owner is willing to part with him. With what he brings to the table in terms of being a starter but also incorporating his age into the equation, I have Engram valued as a late 1st or an early 2nd round pick.
For this reason, your second-round pick would be a good starting point to see if he is available. Another approach would be offering another tight end with something else as an incentive, such as a player from another position or a later round pick. Either way, if your team is competing now, Engram is a solid addition that you should be trying to acquire.
Evan Engram is a player who should be on everyone’s radars moving forward. His ability can be seen on the field every Sunday, and now with his new home in Jacksonville, his value has raised to being a top prospect at the tight end position. Engram’s age is the only real detractor at this point, but even with that in mind, he should be locked in over the next three years with the contract he just signed, which is perfect for a championship window. Be sure to capitalize on that window while you still can.
