Welcome to our 2019 Player Profiles series. We are going through the top 100 in the consensus PPR rankings of Heath Cummings, Jamey Eisenberg and Dave Richard to give you the case for and the case against drafting each player. By the time you're done, you'll know everything you need to know for drafting in 2019.
Two solid TE1s slot in among a range of WR options in this look at players ranked 90-81:
90. Geronimo Allison, WR, GB
The Case For: Allison is fighting to be Aaron Rodgers' No. 2 receiver and that's been a profitable position in Fantasy in the past. In the four games before he got hurt in 2018, he was on pace for 1,156 yards and eight scores. If Allison can earn 100 targets this season, he'll be a solid No. 3 receiver with upside.
The Case Against: Allison has been in the NFL for three seasons and has a total of 55 catches and four touchdowns. Marquez Valdes-Scantling was running with the starters for most of the offseason, which could relegate Allison to Randall Cobb's vacated role in the offense. We all know how (un)valuable that's been the past two years.
89. Matt Ryan, QB, ATL
The Case For: Ryan has legitimately been one of the best quarterbacks in the NFL the past three seasons. Since the start of 2016, his 8.36 yards per attempt leads all quarterbacks (minimum 800 attempts). He has a system he's comfortable in and a fantastic receiving corps. Ryan is a surefire No. 1 quarterback that you don't have to pay a premium for.
The Case Against: There is at least some reason for concern when it comes to Ryan's volume. In 2016 and 2017, he didn't top 540 attempts. That changed in 2019, but mostly because the Falcons defense was devastated by injuries. If the defense bounces back, Ryan may lose 75 attempts from 2018. That could cost him 600 yards. If he does lose volume, his case as a difference-maker comes down to touchdown rate, which has been all over the place the past four years. He's had two seasons below four percent and two at 5.8% or better. Over a season, that's a difference of at least 10 touchdowns.
88. Cam Newton, QB, CAR
The Case For: Newton's weapons in the passing game could be the best he's had in his career. D.J. Moore should continue his development into a No. 1 receiver, Christian McCaffrey is arguably the best pass-catching back in the league, and Greg Olsen is back. Curtis Samuel and Ian Thomas can also provide depth and big plays. That type of passing upside combined with Newton's rushing production makes him a darkhorse to be the No. 1 QB in Fantasy.
The Case Against: Newton had shoulder surgery in January and as of late May it was unclear when he would begin passing. The expectation is that Newton will be fine, but it's hard not to have Andrew Luck flashbacks. If he's not 100 percent to start camp I'll be concerned.
87. Eric Ebron, TE, IND
The Case For: Ebron fell into the perfect situation with the Colts and took advantage of it. Andrew Luck peppered him with targets in the red zone, and Ebron finished second in the league (not just tight ends) in receiving touchdowns. He should once again be a top-five tight end with No. 3 upside.
The Case Against: Ebron's target share was minuscule when Jack Doyle was on the field, and Ebron will have even more competition in 2019. Both Devin Funchess and Parris Campbell should see a fair share of the targets. Everyone seems to agree that Ebron's touchdowns will regress, but they could legitimately be halved, which would make him barely a top-10 tight end.
86. Golden Tate, WR, NYG
The Case For: Let's forget about the experiment in Philadelphia for a moment. Before the trade, Tate was on his way to a third straight 90-catch, 1,000-yard season in Detroit. There are plenty of targets available in New York; Odell Beckham was getting 10 per game. Tate doesn't need all of those to be a value where he's likely to be drafted. Pencil him in for 80 catches and close to 1,000 yards. He's a guy you'll be starting most weeks in PPR.
The Case Against: The Giants don't have a true No. 1, but they do have Saquon Barkley, Sterling Shepard and Evan Engram. It may be difficult for Tate to get more than 110 targets, which isn't enough if he doesn't drastically improve his yards per reception. Tate will also be 31 when the season starts and just posted his lowest catch rate (65 percent) since 2013. He also hasn't averaged better than 11.8 yards per reception since 2014. If neither of those improve in 2019, he'll struggle to make an impact in Fantasy.
85. Jared Cook, TE, NO
The Case For: The tight end position in Fantasy Football is terrible, and Cook was one of the few good options in 2018. Now he's getting a major quarterback upgrade with his move to the New Orleans Saints. Drew Brees hasn't targeted the tight end much recently, but that's mostly because they haven't had a good one since Jimmy Graham left. Cook should follow up his 2018 with another top-10 season and he may even score more touchdowns.
The Case Against: Another reason Brees hasn't targeted his tight ends much is because he has Michael Thomas and Alvin Kamara. Those two accounted for 49% of the Saints total targets in 2018. Ben Watson was third on the team with just 46. Cook will have red-zone opportunities, but he won't sniff the 101 targets he saw last year. He's a fine late-round option to settle on, but nothing more.
84. Latavius Murray, RB, NO
The Case For: Murray left Minnesota for New Orleans this offseason and will inherit the Mark Ingram role. Ingram saw 13 touches per game in that role last year, and virtually anyone who has run the ball in New Orleans has been efficient. Murray has scored 26 touchdowns over the past three seasons and should get plenty of red-zone opportunities in the high-powered Saints offense. He's not the starting running back for the Saints, but he may be on your Fantasy team.
The Case Against: The Saints gave Alvin Kamara a larger share last season even when Ingram returned, and Ingram's role in the passing game almost vanished. Murray has not had a lot of receiving success the past couple of years, so his role may be limited to the ground game. The Saints also leaned heavily on Kamara in the red zone in 2018, so the touchdown upside for Murray may not be quite as high as it seems.
83. Corey Davis, WR, TEN
The Case For: Davis improved in his sophomore year and is primed for a third-year breakout. He has an excellent pedigree as a former top-five pick and showed flashes in 2018 of just how high his upside can be. Three times he scored at least 19 PPR Fantasy points. If Davis and Marcus Mariota both stay healthy in 2019, we'll finally see the receiver's potential pay off in Fantasy Football.
The Case Against: The Titans are going to lean heavily on the run game, which severely limits the upside for any of their pass-catchers. Davis will also have to contend with the return of Delanie Walker and the arrival of Adam Humphries and A.J. Brown. Davis is a fine third receiver or a best-ball play due to his weekly upside, but most weeks there won't be enough volume for him to be a reliable starter. Besides, why would we think both Davis and Marcus Mariota are going to stay healthy?
82. Austin Ekeler, RB, LAC
The Case For: Ekeler has been wildly efficient as a change-of-pace back behind Melvin Gordon. He's averaged better than 5 yards per carry and more than 10 yards per reception each of his first two seasons in the NFL. He's one of the rare backups who have Fantasy value with the starter healthy. And if Gordon goes down again, he becomes an instant starter.
The Case Against: When Gordon did go down last year it became another committee with Justin Jackson. Unsurprisingly, Ekeler's efficiency suffered with more work while Jackson at times looked like the better back. There's just no guarantee Ekeler beats out Jackson for the secondary role, and certainly no guarantee either will be must-start if Gordon goes down.
81. Marvin Jones, WR, DET
The Case For: Before his Week 9 injury, Jones was on pace for 903 yards and nine touchdowns. He was a borderline No. 2 receiver in both formats, which is about where he's being drafted. But a lot of that production came with Golden Tate on the field. Danny Amendola shouldn't demand the same target share Tate did, which opens up the opportunity for Jones to top 120 targets for the first time in his career.
The Case Against: The Lions are a below-average offense that would like to be more run-heavy. And Jones isn't as good as Kenny Golladay. He doesn't catch enough passes to be a reliable starter in PPR, and any sort of touchdown regression could make him a flex at best in non-PPR.
