The heat is cranking up across the nation; time to grab a cold one and chill by the pool. But it’s also the time of year when fantasy football slows down a little. Time to comb over rosters and offer trades, and time to find some players at the ends of rosters worth targeting or adding to your team.
Today, I outline four deeper candidates in the NFC East that I would be targeting via trade or in my early waiver runs if they are free agents.
Jalen Tolbert, WR DAL
There are some players I refuse to give up hope on, and Tolbert is one of them. When he was brought in via the draft last year, I had high hopes that he would break into the starting lineup, and he still may. But the Cowboys aren’t ready for that yet, acquiring veteran Brandin Cooks to fill their third receiver role.
Tolbert thrived in college, even against top-flight corners in the SEC. He’s got great character, work ethic, route-running skills, and plays smoothly and quickly. Tolbert has a great change of direction and ability to win with strong hands. He had a good combine and was poised to emerge for a team as a second-day pick.
The starting WR core for the #Cowboys is going to be CeeDee Lamb, Brandin Cooks, and Michael Gallup. In 2021 it was Cooper, Lamb, Gallup with Cedrick Wilson as WR4. If Jalen Tolbert could be Cedrick Wilson as WR4 that would be solid. pic.twitter.com/VS5i3nGyTE
— Ernie (@es3_09) June 20, 2023
An injury sidelined him for most of his rookie season, and the Cowboys added Cooks to likely break in Tolbert slower. Tolbert is the WR96 off the board in recent ADP and is likely another season or two from emerging. Michael Gallup and Cooks are under contract for a few years, but each has an out after 2023 if the Cowboys want to move on. They may need to in order to afford CeeDee Lamb.
Tolbert could have a secure spot in the lineup after 2023 and is relatively inexpensive at this point. See what you can get him for before it’s too late.
Ryan Jones, TE NYG
This may be as deep as I go in my articles on the series, and I really love Jones. A lot of press was given to the tight ends in the class, but I didn’t hear a lot about the former East Carolina Pirate.
At 6’3” and 247 pounds, Jones has great size, and he displayed his pass-catching acumen in college. He’s got incredibly strong but soft hands and loves to be unleashed in the middle. Jones is a mismatch nightmare for linebackers and moves well for his size.
The Giants did bring in Darren Waller, and he’s the man at tight end for the time being. He’s struggled with injuries the past few seasons, though. Daniel Bellinger was drafted last year and had solid numbers as a rookie. But he’s not as complete as Jones. Jones may take a year or two, but I love what he brings to the Giants.
Jadon Haselwood, WR PHI
It was very tough to find a perfect candidate on this team, but if there is a spot someone could emerge, it’s at slot receiver. Olamide Zaccheaus is listed in the role currently, but there’s a rookie on the team that could push his way into the role in 2024.
The starting WR core for the #Cowboys is going to be CeeDee Lamb, Brandin Cooks, and Michael Gallup. In 2021 it was Cooper, Lamb, Gallup with Cedrick Wilson as WR4. If Jalen Tolbert could be Cedrick Wilson as WR4 that would be solid. pic.twitter.com/VS5i3nGyTE
— Ernie (@es3_09) June 20, 2023
A former five-star, Haselwood has had a long road making it from college to the NFL. Injuries plagued his first few seasons at Oklahoma before he ended up in Arkansas for his senior season. In 2022, he had 59 grabs for 702 yards and a trio of scores. He’s a possession receiver and works best underneath. Haselwood doesn’t possess the speed or separation to win versus man coverage.
While the slot role may not be a lucrative role in Philly, with AJ Brown, Devonta Smith, and Dallas Goedert not going anywhere any time soon. New running back D’Andre Swift will likely command targets. So, if Haselwood is able to make his way to start, it’s still likely going to be capped a bit. I could still see him getting 60+ targets and having a little fantasy value for byes and injury coverage.
John Bates, TE WAS
Logan Thomas is still the Commanders’ starting tight end, but he turns 32 this week and is only under contract for another season. And he is an inexpensive cut if the team opts to move on. I was a big fan of Cole Turner in last year’s draft but knew it would be tough for him to become relevant.
That leaves us with the current backup tight end, Bates. He was a fourth-round pick in the 2021 draft from Boise State and is an interesting prospect. Bates was a hurdle and javelin champion in high school and has sneaky speed. He’s quick off the line, good laterally, strong as a blocker, and has nearly ideal size. As with many college tight ends, Bates needed development, and he’s not there yet.
Bates has been used sparingly, with 34 catches over his first two seasons, and could be primed for a larger role. The Commanders have a solid young receiver corps, but there is potential to get a tight end 50+ targets. There is little else to challenge him should the Commanders move on from Thomas.
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