NFL Player News

The drafting of Eric Ebron crushed any hope Joseph Fauria had of being a dangerous Fantasy option week in and week out in the Lions' new offense, which is based on what the Saints have been doing and includes a lot of tight end elements. Fauria did have seven touchdowns over 18 catches at 11.5 yards per grab last season and could still make some noise in the red zone but Ebron figures to dominate the playing time. Fauria no longer is worth taking in a typical Fantasy draft.

With the retirement of Tony Gonzalez, the Falcons are undergoing a change in philosophy about their tight end position, reports the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. General manager Thomas Dimitroff said there weren't a lot of athletic pass-catching tight ends available in the draft, and the team will be more traditional in its 2014 approach.

Look for Atlanta's tight ends to line up on the line of scrimmage and block more. The team wants to be more physical up front.

"There’ll be a change in the type of tight end we’ll have on our roster," coach Mike Smith told the paper. "We’ll have a ‘Y’ tight end, where he’ll be an inline player (lined up tight to the formation). They won’t be moving around nearly as much as what we call an ‘F.’ Tony Gonzalez was more of an ‘F’ tight end than a ‘Y’ tight end."

Levine Toilolo, who had 11 catches as a rookie last year, and blocking tight end Bear Pascoe sit atop the depth chart.

There is no doubt that Jace Amaro has the potential to be a Day 1 starter for the Jets and work as a mismatch-style tight end, albeit not to the level of Jimmy Graham or even Jason Witten. But if he can beat out the likes of Jeff Cumberland and Zach Sudfeld -- not tough competition -- then Amaro could develop into a much-needed piece of the offense as a short-area outlet for their quarterbacks. 

It's going to take a training camp and preseason full of glowing reports and highlights for him to gain traction with the Fantasy universe. If it happens then he'll be worth considering with a late pick as a sleeper. Otherwise he'll be available off waivers in seasonal leagues. In long-term formats he's worth that late pick and is a late second to early third-round choice in rookie-only drafts. 

With the 217th pick of the 2014 NFL Draft, the Washington Redskins selected tight end Ted Bolser from Indiana.

The 6-foot-6, 248-pound tight end ran a 4.85-second 40-yard dash at the combine. Bolser totaled 34 receptions for 320 yards and six touchdowns in 2013. He will join a tight end group that includes Jordan Reed, Logan Paulsen and Niles Paul.

With pick No. 155 in the NFL Draft, the Dolphins selected tight end Arthur Lynch from Georgia.

Lynch will help the Dolphins with their blocking and on special teams, but he's not a threat to challenge Charles Clay as a receiver. He started 11 games in 2013 for the Bulldogs and caught 30 passes for 459 yards and five touchdowns.

He is listed at 6-foot-5, 258 pounds.

With the 120th pick in the 2014 NFL Draft, the Arizona Cardinals selected quarterback Logan Thomas from Virginia Tech.

Thomas, the sixth quarterback taken in the draft, looked sharp at the Senior Bowl, which helped his draft stock. Standing at 6-foot-6, 248 pounds, Thomas passed for 2,907 yards with 16 touchdowns and 13 interceptions in 2013. He also rushed for 344 yards with four touchdowns.

Thomas will likely compete with Drew Stanton and Ryan Lindley on the depth chart, behind veteran Carson Palmer.

With the No. 49 pick in the NFL Draft, the Jets selected tight end Jace Amaro from Texas Tech. 

Working in the school's spread offense, Amaro used his 6-foot-5, 265-pound body, 4.7 speed and his big, soft hands to put up some solid numbers (1,352 receiving yards last year, second only to Michael Crabtree in school history).

Amaro has the chance for immediate playing time with the Jets having just Jeff Cumberland and Zach Sudfeld as the top two tight ends on their roster. 

With the 52nd pick in the 2014 NFL Draft, the Cardinals selected Notre Dame tight end Troy Niklas .

This is a big guy (6-foot-7, 270 pounds) who is known more for his blocking than his receiving skill set. The one-time linebacker isn't a great route-runner and isn't exactly a burner. He finished third on the team in receiving with 32 catches for 498 yards and five touchdowns in 2013.

The Eagles needed a receiver with DeSean Jackson gone, and they addressed the position by drafting Vanderbilt's Jordan Matthews in the second round.

Matthews will likely be No. 3 on the depth chart behind Jeremy Maclin and Riley Cooper, and he will have minimal Fantasy value in 2014. He should, however, help Nick Foles and the Eagles offense.

Matthews is a good receiver, but he's not a burner, which the Eagles will miss with Jackson gone. Still, this receiving corps is starting to look solid with Maclin, Cooper, Matthews, Zach Ertz, LeSean McCoy and Darren Sproles.

It should only help Folk, who depended heavily on Jackson last year. He's still a low-end No. 1 Fantasy quarterback, but he's a great one to wait for with a late-round pick.

As for Matthews, he's only worth a late-round flier in standard leagues, and he's a solid second-round pick in rookie-only formats.

Joseph Fauria was one of our Fantasy sleepers this summer ... until Eric Ebron took his place. Actually, Ebron has more upside than Fauria, which hurts to say since Fauria seems like a fun-loving guy, but Fantasy can be cold and cruel. 

The Lions persist that Fauria will still have a role in the offense per the Detroit Free Press, but it could be limited to the red zone and thus keep him off the field for much of the time. Fantasy owners shouldn't draft him.