Each week leading up to the 2019 NFL season, Fantasy Madman Drew Loftis and Roto Rage Jarad Wilk will debate which of two fantasy options is the better draft pick. This week: tight ends.

Evan Engram vs. O.J. Howard

Drew: Evan Engram — No Odell Beckham Jr. That’s a big deal in terms of potential production for Engram. Engram has played 11 games in his two years when Beckham was out, and he has played 15 with Beckham. Without Beckham, Engram’s target share has gone up by nearly 20 percent and his touchdowns increased by nearly 40 percent. Project that out over 16 games, and he should see a nice fantasy boost in his third season with the New York Giants.

And the uncertainty surrounding Sterling Shepard’s thumb injury plus Golden Tate’s suspension should shift more targets Engram’s way. We like Howard’s upside, and the presence of an offensive mind like Bruce Arians taking over the helm. But that also creates elements of the unknown. And based on his history as a coach or coordinator, Arians hasn’t produced tight ends of significant fantasy value.

Wilk: O.J. Howard — Had Howard not suffered a foot injury that forced him to miss six games, he was on pace for 75-plus targets, 50-plus receptions, 900-plus yards and about eight touchdowns for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Engram, who played in 11 games, was on pace for more targets and more receptions, but less yards and receptions (partly because of the play of Eli Manning, who, I might remind you, is still under center).

The Giants’ offense may no longer have Beckham, but they still have Saquon Barkley (the focus of the offense), and Shepard and Tate will return, and they are far from ineffective pieces. On your point of Arians never producing TEs of significant fantasy value, do you know any coach who would get significant value out of any of the following: Jake Ballard, Rob Housler, Jim Dray, Darren Fells, Ricky Seals-Jones, O.J. Santiago, Mark Campbell or Steve Heiden? Those have been tight ends who played for Arians in Indianapolis, Cleveland and Arizona, where he had Jermaine Gresham as his top TE for three straight years while competing for touches with Larry Fitzgerald, David Johnson and others. He had highly touted rookie Coby Fleener in Indy in 2012, but he was utterly useless everywhere he landed (outside of his mediocre 2016 season with the Saints). Howard is different. He has the speed to play receiver, the size to cause mismatches and he will be a weapon in a pass-happy offense since there is no running back worth mentioning in Tampa Bay. As long as he remains healthy, sky’s the limit.

Jordan Reed vs. Greg Olsen

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Drew: Jordan Reed — Yeah, yeah, he is always injured. Yeah, yeah, it has been forever since he was a fantasy factor (2016) and he just one glorious fantasy season (2015). But much of the same can be said for Olsen — playing in just half the game the past two seasons and hasn’t had a season of fantasy relevance since 2016, and then had just three TDs. And now Carolina a better check-down option, Christian McCaffrey, and more explosive downfield options. The Washington Redskins have no WR threats who demand extra defensive attention, and its best backfield passing target, Chris Thompson, has his own robust injury history. Rolling the dice late, give me the guy with the better opportunity to be a focal point of the offense.

Jarad: Greg Olsen — Neither of these guys has been fantasy-relevant since 2016, largely because both of these guys seem to get injured by the mere mention of their names. In this case, while Reed has the edge in age, Olsen has the edge in experience — as in experience playing a full 16-game season nine times. You know how many Reed has played? You guessed it, zero. Olsen’s past two seasons have been derailed by foot injuries, limiting him to just 38 targets the past two seasons. In his previous six seasons with the Panthers, he averaged 113. If he can stay healthy, despite a wealth of offensive options, Olsen can be a late-round surprise no one was expecting. Expecting Reed to do anything besides miss 4-6 games and disappoint on his high expectations is a terrible strategy.

Austin Hooper vs. Jimmy Graham

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Drew: Austin Hooper — His productivity has increased significantly each season. On an Atlanta Faclons team that has multiple passing weapons, Hooper won’t be a primary target and is best used as a platoon option when drafting tight ends late, but even if he delivers just what he did last year (88 targets, 71 receptions, 660 yards and four TDs), he is well worth his draft cost. Graham has headed the opposite direction, with career lows (in full seasons) in targets, catches and TDs last year. New coach Matt LaFleur did not produce any fantasy relevant tight ends in his two seasons as an NFL offensive coordinator.

Jarad: Jimmy Graham — As the Titans offensive coordinator last year, LaFleur lost Delanie Walker, his best TE option, after one game — a game in which Walker was targeted seven times. After that, he had Luke Stoker, Jonnu Smith and MyCole Pruitt combine for 525 yards and six touchdowns. It might not have been significant in terms of fantasy, but it is in terms of the way LaFleur uses his TEs, especially in the red zone (four of those six TDs came from inside the 20). Graham, at 6-foot-7, is the definition of a red zone target, so he will see an uptick in TDs, which isn’t difficult as he had just two last year. Graham finished second on the team in targets, receptions and yards in 2018, and Green Bay didn’t sign any additional talent after Randall Cobb, who accounted for 61 targets, skipped town. With a year under his belt with Aaron Rodgers to go along with a new offensive-minded coach, Graham is in line to once again be a fantasy force.