There is a wealth of fantasy football articles advising you who to draft and when. However, what about the players to stay away from? In my Players to Avoid series, I am selecting one player from each NFL team for fantasy owners to avoid in their 2019 fantasy football drafts.
I kicked off the with the AFC East last week. This week I stay out East and tackle the NFC East.
Jason Witten, TE, Dallas Cowboys
The Case
Future Hall-of-Famer tight end Jason Witten came out of retirement and is back playing with the Dallas Cowboys. Witten will upgrade the tight end position for the Cowboys, however, his biggest mission will be to help mentor the team’s young tight ends.
Witten has played in 239 out of a possible 240 career games. His one missed game was a result of a broken jaw. Out of his 239 career games, he has started in an impressive 229 of them.
In 2018, the Dallas Cowboys received next to nothing from their tight end position. When you remove Blake Jarwin‘s improbable three-touchdown explosion in Week 17, the Cowboys tight ends produced only one touchdown from 88 total targets on the season.
Witten is 37-years-old and was not in the league last season. In his final season before retiring, he had 63 catches for 560 yards on 87 targets and five touchdowns.
Geoff Swaim took over for Witten as the Cowboys’ starting tight end. However, Swaim doesn’t scare any defenses in the passing game. His season ended early in Week 11 when he broke a bone in his wrist. Swaim is now with the Jacksonville Jaguars after signing with the Jags this offseason.
The Verdict
The ceiling for Witten will be his 2017 season; however, it’s hard to predict what type of production we should expect from Witten after when we last saw him play. He was a step(s) slower, and he is a catch and drop tight end. His yards after the catch are non-existent.
Witten could end up as a low-upside safety valve for Dak Prescott, but he has not scored more than eight touchdowns since 2013.
The Cowboys and fantasy football owners are praying that Witten is at least a better player now than his performance in the broadcast booth, that was completely disturbing to hear. Look for Witten to pick up sympathy selections, but please don’t be one of those fantasy owners. Tight end is typically a weak fantasy spot, but there are better options within the NFC East to fill out your 2019 fantasy football rosters.