I have been working overtime lately, so I can't do the TE article for each week but here is a breakdown for our first month of the season. This will be easier for me to do consistently, if someone else would like to do a weekly article by all means. Overall, some Tight Ends have begun to thrive while some continue to deal with serious struggles, and it might not be who you think! One player to focus on is Carmel Gibson, who took over Tenzini's roster spot in Baltimore. Gibson has been having an even better season than Tenzini did in S1, but you have to ask yourself if it's the player or if Baltimore is the place to be for TEs to get the best stats.
1.) Carmel Gibson
@SexualEarwax
|| 20 Rec || 161 Yds || 2 TD || 6 PCK ||
Gibson has emerged as the keystone of a Baltimore Hawks offense that is top of the league in passing yards and close to it in rushing as well. 20 receptions is good enough for 2nd among TEs and 1st on the Hawks, and he adds to it a phenomenal YPC average as well as 2 TDs and 6 pancakes. There's no doubt that Gibson is coming out of the gate at full speed, establishing himself as an elite player despite being a rookie. The wait-and-see approach is still the safe bet as the Hawks have not face many defensive powerhouses and the young player still has a lot to prove.
2.) George Wright Jr.
|| 21 Rec || 134 Yds || 1 TD || 9 PCK ||
Wright has been a welcome surprise on a struggling Otters team that can't seem to win its away games. His 21 receptions are tied for 2nd in the league, a feat that nobody would have expected from the slow and stocky blocker this offseason. He also got his first career touchdown in a game against the Liberty that no doubt goes down as his best yet. On the downside, George's purpose on the Otters is to improve the running game, and so far they have been struggling with just 3.4 YPC. His 9 pancakes are good, but the team's whole front 6 will need to step it up to get Jenkins and Bowers playing at their best.
3.) Break Bottles
@Blake Bortles
|| 19 Rec || 129 Yds || 1 TD || 5 PCK ||
There were plenty of questions this offseason about how Bottles and Tenzini would perform in their sophomore years. Neither one has made the kind of improvement you hope for from a franchise player, but Bottles is showing that he is still determined to hit the stat sheet. He had a good game against the Otters in week 4, and has otherwise been a reliable target in a SaberCats offense that is keeping their team alive despite a mediocre defense. For a speedster, though, you expect some speed. Bottles hasn't shown that he can torch defenses up the middle on a consistent basis, and it's holding him back as he is missing the defining part of his archetype which might give him an edge.
4.) Gabriel Tenzini
@princekyle
|| 17 Rec || 116 Yds || 0 TD || 4 PCK ||
Last season's Best TE award winner has struggled to build on that performance with decent receiving numbers, but no touchdowns and poor blocking. His saving grace is his great hands. The Legion have one of the worst defenses in the league and commit plenty of turnovers, they desperately need to keep the ball in the hands of their offense, and Tenzini could be the key to that. His 17 receptions are tied with Stormblessed for most on the team, an improvement there could turn things around for the expansion team.
5.) Ricky Maddox
@SimmerDownBruhh
|| 15 Rec || 84 Yds || 0 TD || 10 PCK ||
Some people may not think that Maddox belongs here above Gucci, but to that I say I don't care what you think. Maddox has been the story of the season so far at TE, as the self-proclaimed GOAT had a great pre-season that has turned into not much through the first four weeks. His 10 pancakes beats out George Wright for most among non-OLs, but oddly he is averaging just 5.6 yards per reception. Maddox is on the outside looking in, and will need a couple of excellent games to get himself back in the mix. Otherwise he will end the season as headline news, and not in a good way.
6.) Rich Gucci
@`7Sports`
|| 15 Rec || 104 Yds || 0 TD || 6 PCK ||
Gucci has never been an elite Tight End, but the Yeti have to be happy with what he's brought so far. A waiver pick turned rookie, Gucci has been a reliable target in Colorado since their cup run last season. So far it looks like he has improved on his hands and is getting better blocking stats that you would have expected from someone with poor strength and iffy technique. If expectations were low when he was taken in the 7th round, it looks like he's exceeding them.
7.) Paul DiMirio
@124715
|| 12 Rec || 65 Yds || 0 TD || 6 PCK ||
DiMirio is another player that is oddly underperforming. Despite his good speed and hands, he has not been a favorite target in Philly and is averaging just 5.4 yards per reception, the worst among our 8 ranked TEs. The athletic rookie needs to bulk up and add some muscle to make contested catches and truck defenders once in a while. Other than that, he just needs to keep getting faster and hope that Jameis Christ finds him downfield.
8.) Joseph Tkachuk
@Theo667
|| 9 Rec || 61 Yds || 0 TD || 4 PCK ||
Do you think the 3-1 Outlaws are upset about Tkachuk's performance so far? I doubt it personally. Tkachuk isn't a bad player, he just isn't very prolific on an Outlaws roster that doesn't need him to be. He brings a little bit of everything to the table, and you can expect him to add one or two touchdowns this season. If you're not going to be a big time receiver, you can at least pitch in as a run blocker. Tkachuk hasn't really done that, and that will be the key to his future as a journeyman in this league.
Well there you have it. What do you think of my rankings, should Wright be above Gibson or Gucci above Maddox? We are still too early to know for sure.
EDIT: Added word count & player mentions.
GRADED
1.) Carmel Gibson
@SexualEarwax|| 20 Rec || 161 Yds || 2 TD || 6 PCK ||
Gibson has emerged as the keystone of a Baltimore Hawks offense that is top of the league in passing yards and close to it in rushing as well. 20 receptions is good enough for 2nd among TEs and 1st on the Hawks, and he adds to it a phenomenal YPC average as well as 2 TDs and 6 pancakes. There's no doubt that Gibson is coming out of the gate at full speed, establishing himself as an elite player despite being a rookie. The wait-and-see approach is still the safe bet as the Hawks have not face many defensive powerhouses and the young player still has a lot to prove.
2.) George Wright Jr.
|| 21 Rec || 134 Yds || 1 TD || 9 PCK ||
Wright has been a welcome surprise on a struggling Otters team that can't seem to win its away games. His 21 receptions are tied for 2nd in the league, a feat that nobody would have expected from the slow and stocky blocker this offseason. He also got his first career touchdown in a game against the Liberty that no doubt goes down as his best yet. On the downside, George's purpose on the Otters is to improve the running game, and so far they have been struggling with just 3.4 YPC. His 9 pancakes are good, but the team's whole front 6 will need to step it up to get Jenkins and Bowers playing at their best.
3.) Break Bottles
@Blake Bortles|| 19 Rec || 129 Yds || 1 TD || 5 PCK ||
There were plenty of questions this offseason about how Bottles and Tenzini would perform in their sophomore years. Neither one has made the kind of improvement you hope for from a franchise player, but Bottles is showing that he is still determined to hit the stat sheet. He had a good game against the Otters in week 4, and has otherwise been a reliable target in a SaberCats offense that is keeping their team alive despite a mediocre defense. For a speedster, though, you expect some speed. Bottles hasn't shown that he can torch defenses up the middle on a consistent basis, and it's holding him back as he is missing the defining part of his archetype which might give him an edge.
4.) Gabriel Tenzini
@princekyle|| 17 Rec || 116 Yds || 0 TD || 4 PCK ||
Last season's Best TE award winner has struggled to build on that performance with decent receiving numbers, but no touchdowns and poor blocking. His saving grace is his great hands. The Legion have one of the worst defenses in the league and commit plenty of turnovers, they desperately need to keep the ball in the hands of their offense, and Tenzini could be the key to that. His 17 receptions are tied with Stormblessed for most on the team, an improvement there could turn things around for the expansion team.
5.) Ricky Maddox
@SimmerDownBruhh|| 15 Rec || 84 Yds || 0 TD || 10 PCK ||
Some people may not think that Maddox belongs here above Gucci, but to that I say I don't care what you think. Maddox has been the story of the season so far at TE, as the self-proclaimed GOAT had a great pre-season that has turned into not much through the first four weeks. His 10 pancakes beats out George Wright for most among non-OLs, but oddly he is averaging just 5.6 yards per reception. Maddox is on the outside looking in, and will need a couple of excellent games to get himself back in the mix. Otherwise he will end the season as headline news, and not in a good way.
6.) Rich Gucci
@`7Sports`|| 15 Rec || 104 Yds || 0 TD || 6 PCK ||
Gucci has never been an elite Tight End, but the Yeti have to be happy with what he's brought so far. A waiver pick turned rookie, Gucci has been a reliable target in Colorado since their cup run last season. So far it looks like he has improved on his hands and is getting better blocking stats that you would have expected from someone with poor strength and iffy technique. If expectations were low when he was taken in the 7th round, it looks like he's exceeding them.
7.) Paul DiMirio
@124715|| 12 Rec || 65 Yds || 0 TD || 6 PCK ||
DiMirio is another player that is oddly underperforming. Despite his good speed and hands, he has not been a favorite target in Philly and is averaging just 5.4 yards per reception, the worst among our 8 ranked TEs. The athletic rookie needs to bulk up and add some muscle to make contested catches and truck defenders once in a while. Other than that, he just needs to keep getting faster and hope that Jameis Christ finds him downfield.
8.) Joseph Tkachuk
@Theo667|| 9 Rec || 61 Yds || 0 TD || 4 PCK ||
Do you think the 3-1 Outlaws are upset about Tkachuk's performance so far? I doubt it personally. Tkachuk isn't a bad player, he just isn't very prolific on an Outlaws roster that doesn't need him to be. He brings a little bit of everything to the table, and you can expect him to add one or two touchdowns this season. If you're not going to be a big time receiver, you can at least pitch in as a run blocker. Tkachuk hasn't really done that, and that will be the key to his future as a journeyman in this league.
Well there you have it. What do you think of my rankings, should Wright be above Gibson or Gucci above Maddox? We are still too early to know for sure.
Code:
Word Count: 1107EDIT: Added word count & player mentions.
GRADED
Jurisprudence Jones, OL ![[Image: cYhSwFY.png]](https://i.imgur.com/cYhSwFY.png)
![[Image: BVsashy.png]](https://i.imgur.com/BVsashy.png)
![[Image: USs0IGI.jpg]](http://i.imgur.com/USs0IGI.jpg)
