TE Cade Stover Fantasy Impact
Predicting rookie tight end production is always difficult. Historically, the safest bet is not to expect too much. Tight end is one position, in particular, where it seems development takes a little more time. This is evident in the fact that only three tight ends were taken in the first three rounds. In round four, however, we saw double that number taken. It’s becoming less and less common for a team to spend high draft capital at the position. The reason is twofold. First, there simply aren’t a lot of teams that choose to feature the tight end as a focal point of their passing game. Beyond that, unless the prospect in question has the type of talent that can be a true game-changer (i.e. Brock Bowers), waiting on the position can lead to finding a hidden gem who develops into a consistent contributor. That’s what the Texans are hoping they got with their selection of Ohio State’s Cade Stover in the fourth round, 123rd overall. While Stover has the tools to develop into a solid NFL tight end, what is his potential as a fantasy asset? Let’s take a look.
Fantasy Value
Stover is one of the most physically and athletically gifted tight ends in this draft class. Even though he is fairly new to the position he has adapted quickly. He is a solid blocker and has enough speed to be a threat down the seams. These traits could help him develop into a reliable starter for the Texans as he continues to get more comfortable with the position. Adjusting to the NFL speed could take some time, but luckily Stover landed on a team that can afford to be patient with him. With a skill group that includes newly acquired WR Stefon Diggs and RB Joe Mixon as well as veteran TE Dalton Schultz and WRs Nico Collins and Tank Dell, they won’t have to ask Stover to do too much right out of the gate. That’s good for the team, but won’t be good for Stover’s fantasy potential. Stover is not even being drafted in redraft leagues and I understand why. He isn’t likely to be a consistent performer for the Texans and doesn’t provide much upside. Plus, taking Stover as a wait-and-see depth piece means you sacrifice depth somewhere else. The best option is to leave Stover on the waiver wire for now, and if he does break out, then go get him.
Dynasty Value
At first glance, the landing spot may not look ideal for Stover. The Texans have a stable of talented pass catchers as well as a veteran tight end in Dalton Schultz who is currently ahead of Stover. But the reality is that Stover may have fallen into an excellent situation for him. While Stover is talented, he is raw and could benefit from sitting behind a veteran like Schultz. This would allow Stover to develop for a year or two before being asked to make too big of an impact making an impact. But with no immediate path to fantasy-relevant production, Stover could end up being drafted late in dynasty rookie drafts or not at all, depending on whether the league in question is tight end premium. Tight ends who produce regularly are hard to come by and many of those we’ve come to rely on are not getting any younger. Brock Bowers is the clear cream of the crop in this draft class, but that is also baked into his draft capital. Stover may not be able to help you right away, but if you are willing and able to be patient with him, he could develop into a consistent, if not game-changing, producer in a position where consistency is hard to come by.
Conclusion
With Stover, there is talent there that could turn into consistent production if developed correctly and utilized. But the Texans offense has a lot of mouths to feed and doesn’t center around the tight end position. This may make it hard for Stover to do much of anything in his rookie season, especially with the well-established and trusted Dalton Schultz ahead of him (at least for the moment.) Still, Stover is one of the most physically and athletically gifted tight ends in this draft class, and although he is fairly new to the position he has adapted quickly. He is a solid blocker and has enough speed to be a threat down the seams. These traits could help get him on and keep him on the field. But right now, in redraft especially, he is nothing more than a late-round or waiver wire pick as a wait-and-see back up to your starting tight end. In dynasty leagues, he is a draft-and-stash prospect. In some leagues, he’s not even being drafted, but if you’re a tight end needy team I would consider him in the later rounds.
