C.J. Fiedorowicz

A 2014 third-round selection (No. 65 overall) who was hardly used his first two seasons, Fiedorowicz took the third-year leap last year, finishing as the No. 17 tight end in both standard and PPR formats. At 6-5, 265, he has prototypical size for an in-line NFL tight end, and while he won't blow anyone away with straightline speed (4.76 40 time), he's athletic enough to serve as a major threat in the red zone while also occasionally stretching the field between the 20s. His 12 red-zone targets and seven inside-the-10 targets both led the Texans last season, though it didn't lead to much actual production with QB Brock Osweiler throwing the majority of those passes. A few CJF drops (six in all, and one more in the playoffs) gummed up the works, but so long as drops don't take away from a player's future opportunity, we don't worry too much about them. Fiedorowicz figures to stay busy over the middle while dangerous wideouts DeAndre Hopkins and Will Fuller lure safeties toward the sidelines. Last year probably reflects close to what Fiedorowicz's ceiling is, but the Texans should get better quarterback play this year, and he at least has an established role in the offense. It probably adds up to a boring floor pick, but in some formats, there's a place for that.

Fiedorowicz’s 14 starts led all Houston tight ends in 2015, but with just 24 targets, he’s not considered a pass-catching threat. The position as a whole has not been a featured element in the offense the last two seasons. He’s the Texans’ best blocker at the position and gets pigeon-holed as a “blocking tight end,” something that Texans coaches bristle at as they feel Fiedorowicz has improved his skills beyond blocking, including his route running and hands. As the team’s best blocker, he’ll get the most playing time and could challenge Ryan Griffin as a leading target at tight end, though undrafted free agent Stephen Anderson made some noise during OTAs as a receiving threat. The big question is whether the Texans will incorporate more of the tight end in the offensive game plan.

Fiedorowicz had just seven targets and four catches in 15 games played during his rookie season in 2014. It wasn’t a surprise that he got so few opportunities – Fiedorowicz came out of Iowa with a reputation as a blocking tight end – but to see how little the tight-end position was used by head coach Bill O’Brien was unexpected. We suspect more of the same for the FIedorowicz and his fellow tight ends in 2015.

A third-round pick in this year's draft, Fiedorowicz could see significant playing time in new coach Bill O'Brien's tight end-friendly offense. O'Brien plans to use formations with multiple tight ends, as he did in New England as the Patriots offensive coordinator. Fiedorowicz will play as the in-line tight end while incumbent starter Garrett Graham lines up in the slot. Fiedorowicz was considered the best blocking tight end in the draft but not a major receiving threat; he's sure handed but has average speed. At 6-5, 265, though, he would provide a big target in the red zone.