TE Premium Strategy?

[SoShady]

Joined my first ever TE premium league. We are drafting now for the 2017 season. The TE's get 1.5 PPR and all the other players get 1 PPR. I made a trade for a extra 1st round pick moving my 2nd/4th/10 for 1.2 and took DJ after Zeke went 1.1. With my pick I took L Bell in the 1st round. We are 1 pick away from my 3rd round pick. Only Gronk has gone so far for TE's. I'm really thinking about snagging either Reed or Eifert with this pick. But I have seen different strategies that say the top guys are even more important. While others say they totally ignore the TE during the draft. Just snagging a young guy later and working devalued vets through trades. I'm also thinking about going with another RB. But don't want to get crazy with my T Coleman love. What would you guys do? Take a TE, take T Coleman or go a totally different direction? We are doing reverse order for the rookie draft this summer so I will have 1.7 for strategy purposes.

QB -
RB - DJ
RB - L Bell
WR -
WR -
TE -
Flex -
2 DL
2 LB
2 DB

Some of the big names still available.

QB - all but D Carr
RB - McCoy, Hyde, D Martin
WR - Watkins, K Allen, Jeffery

 

[TKOSpikes]

If TE's get 1.5, sign me up for the sleepers. I'd be drafting RB after RB.... probably first five picks. Assuming there is nobody wide-eyed obvious to take elsewhere.

 

[SoShady]

TKO this is the way things have gone so far. I don't personally see anyone that is like that. The TE's have dropped. I like Reed but those concussions scare the crap out of me. Don't need him retiring in a year or two because of them. Really like Coleman but has he proved enough to jump into the 3rd round discussion?

1st - Zeke, DJ, Brown, Murray, Julio, Bell, AJG, OBJ, Evans, Gronk, Cooper, Hopkins

2nd - Gurley, Dez, Hilton, Robinson, Gordon, Freeman, Kuechly, L Collins, K Benjamin, Landry, Mack, Cooks

3rd - Carr, L Miller, D Thomas, Booker

 

[TKOSpikes]

Holy crap! Crazy IDP points or something?

Yeah... Coleman, Ware, Martin and Shady stand out to me. Although, I understand the hesitation with Shady... and Martin.

 

[SoShady]

Yeah a bit crazy. But it was one team taking two of the three. It was the team that I traded up to 1.2 with. So he used his two second round picks on Kuechly and Mack and followed it up with L Miller at the top of the 3rd.

1 point for every Assisted Tackle DB, LB
3 points for every 2 Assisted Tackles (1.5 per) DL
2 points for every Solo Tackle DB, LB
3 points for every Solo Tackle DL
5 points for every Interception ALL
5 points for every Sack ALL
2 points for every Fumble Forced ALL
1 point for every Fumble Recovered DB, DL, LB
4 points for every Safety ALL
6 points for every Defensive TD ALL
2 points for every Conversion Return

 

[SoShady]

Ended up going with T Coleman. Tried to talk myself into a TE or QB but couldn't do it. With Reed's concussions I just couldn't bring myself to select him. McCoy ended up going the pick before I took Coleman. This morning I swung a trade for the 1.1 selection. Ended up moving down 6 spots in the 5th round and swapped my 6th round pick for his 8th and got 1.1. Now my RB's will be DJ, Bell, T Coleman and Fournette.

 

[tlance]

If TE's get 1.5, sign me up for the sleepers. I'd be drafting RB after RB.... probably first five picks. Assuming there is nobody wide-eyed obvious to take elsewhere.

I would give the exact opposite advice.

The fact that TEs get 1.5 makes the elite options extra valuable. What separates guys like Reed and Olsen from the pack is their ability to rack up receptions. Olsen's 8 catches for 80 yards nets you 20 points. Meanwhile, miller's 5 catches for 50 yards only gets 12.5.

 

[TKOSpikes]

I would give the exact opposite advice.

The fact that TEs get 1.5 makes the elite options extra valuable. What separates guys like Reed and Olsen from the pack is their ability to rack up receptions. Olsen's 8 catches for 80 yards nets you 20 points. Meanwhile, miller's 5 catches for 50 yards only gets 12.5.

Except Reed is not worth a high pick. He's always injured. So yeah, if you can get Olsen and Gronk... but that's it. And Gronk is taken. So drafting TE high is just silly.

 

[tlance]

Except Reed is not worth a high pick. He's always injured. So yeah, if you can get Olsen and Gronk... but that's it. And Gronk is taken. So drafting TE high is just silly.

Agree to disagree on Reed. He is worth the injury risk, IMO.

My point is that I would not be shut out of the top 5. I am in 2 PPR leagues this year. In 1 I have Olsen along with decent, not great RBs and WRs. I am 6-2 and 2nd in points.

In the other, I have a crazy collection of talent at WR and RB:

Elliott, Miller, Booker, Howard, Coleman

Evans, Cooks, Thomas, Cobb, j. Brown

With no TE. I am 4-4, middle of the pack in points, and currently looking to trade Miller or Howard for a guy like Reed.

 

[tlance]

And, in neither of those leagues are TE receptions worth more than WR receptions.

It is brutal getting 3-6 points when my opponent consistently scores 10-15.

 

[SoShady]

I kind of have my eye on Hunter Henry. I think he could become special in the Chargers offense. We all know Rivers loves the TE. Hopefully Gates gets the f out of the way sooner than later. But I don't really love the idea of using my 5th round selection on him. I would much rather use one of my two 8th round selections on him. But that's a pretty huge gap 31 picks.