Zach Ertz News

Zach Ertz

28-Year-Old Tight EndTE

Philadelphia Eagles

2018 Receiving Stats

REC

116

YDS

1163

AVG

10.0

TAR

156

2019 Receiving Projections

REC

YDS

AVG

TAR

Unlock Our Projections

2019 Fantasy Outlook

If it feels like Ertz gets better every season, you're not wrong. His fantasy point total has gone up every year since he entered the NFL, and he's coming off a season in which he set career highs in just about every counting and efficiency stat. Imagine what Ertz might have accomplished had Carson Wentz lasted the full season. Ertz's per-play stats had some odd tints to them last year. Although he had the lowest YPC of his career, he also had a career-high 13 grabs of more than 20 yards and his highest catch rate. The Eagles spiked Ertz's red-zone usage, allowing him to match his career high in touchdowns. It was encouraging to see Ertz play his first full season out of four, as he battled a laundry list of injuries through the year. That's part of the gig at tight end, the position of collisions. Fantasy players have to reconcile how they feel about the clear Big 3 at the position - Ertz, Travis Kelce and George Kittle. Few will have Ertz at the top; his athleticism and team context aren't as lofty as Kelce's, while Kittle has uncommon speed for the position and the advantage of being the shiny new toy of the group. But if you want to sign off on Ertz as early as the second or third round, we'll tacitly approve. The position is especially top-heavy this year, and even if Ertz slips back to 2017 levels, you'll probably earn back the cost of the selection. Read Past Outlooks

RANKS

#25.66

ADP

Overall

Tight End

Add To Watchlist

Bye Week 10

Height 6'5"

Weight 250

DOB 11/10/1990

College Stanford

Drafted 2nd Rd 2013 #35 Overall

Excited about Jackson addition

TEPhiladelphia Eagles

May 22, 2019

Ertz believes DeSean Jackson's presence will push safeties back and create more space to operate in the middle of the field, Paul Domowitch of The Philadelphia Inquirer reports. "Often times, the post safety will eye me up pre-snap a lot of times and know where I am," Ertz said. "If they do that now, DeSean's going to be able to run right past him if their focus is on me or Dallas [Goedert] or Alshon [Jeffery]."

ANALYSIS
While a repeat of last season's career-high 156 targets is unlikely, Ertz seems to be hinting at the potential for improvement on a career-low mark of 10.0 yards per catch. In addition to his excitement about playing with Jackson, the 28-year-old tight end mentioned that this past offseason was the best he's had in the NFL. He made a quick recovery from the nagging injures he dealt with late in the 2018 campaign, allowing him to reach some new personal bests in the weight room during the Eagles' offseason workout program. Ertz doesn't have any limitations for spring practices, nor does quarterback Carson Wentz (back).

Read More News

NFL Stats

Loading NFL Stats...

Fantasy/Red Zone Stats

See red zone opportunities inside the 20, 10 and 5-yard lines along with the percentage of time they converted the opportunity into a touchdown.

Loading Fantasy/Red Zone Stats...

Advanced NFL Stats

How do Zach Ertz's 2018 advanced stats compare to other tight ends?

This section compares his advanced stats with players at the same position. The bar represents the player's percentile rank. For example, if the bar is halfway across, then the player falls into the 50th percentile for that metric and it would be considered average. The longer the bar, the better it is for the player.

Air Yards Per Game

65.8

Air Yards Per Snap

1.12

% Team Air Yards

25.6%

% Team Targets

26.4%

Avg Depth of Target

7.2 Yds

Catch Rate

74.4%

Drop Rate

3.8%

Avg Yds After Catch

3.2

Loading Advanced NFL Stats...

NFL Game Log

Calculate Stats Over Time

Just click on any two dates.

Scoring

Standard

PPR

Half PPR

FanDuel

DraftKings

Yahoo DFS

Loading NFL Game Log...

Snap Distribution / Depth Chart

Eagles 2018 TE Snap Distribution See more data like this

Z.Zach Ertz

D.Dallas Goedert

J.Joshua Perkins

R.Richard Rodgers

% of Team Snaps

1107

575

Loading Weekly Snap Counts...

#1 TE

Eagles

View Full Depth Chart

How often does Zach Ertz run a route when on the field for a pass play?

This data will let you see how Zach Ertz and the other tight ends for the Eagles are being used. Some tight ends may have a lot of snaps, but they're not that useful for fantasy purposes because they're not actually running routes. This data will help you see when this is the case.

Zach Ertz

573 routes 156 targets

← More Blocking

% Routes Run

More Receiving →

89%

Joshua Perkins

47 routes 11 targets

Dallas Goedert

235 routes 44 targets

Richard Rodgers

11 routes 1 target

Receiving Alignment Breakdown

See where Zach Ertz lined up on the field and how he performed at each spot.

Detailed

Grouped

Side

Loading Alignment Breakdown...

Loading Team Alignment Breakdown...

2018 Zach Ertz Split Stats

Loading NFL Split Stats...

Measurables Review View College Player Page

How do Zach Ertz's measurables compare to other tight ends?

This section compares his draft workout metrics with players at the same position. The bar represents the player's percentile rank. For example, if the bar is halfway across, then the player falls into the 50th percentile for that metric and it would be considered average.

Height

6' 5"

Weight

250 lbs

40-Yard Dash

4.76 sec

Shuttle Time

4.47 sec

Cone Drill

7.08 sec

Vertical Jump

30.5 in

Broad Jump

111 in

Bench Press

24 reps

Hand Length

9.75 in

Arm Length

31.75 in

Recent RotoWire Articles Featuring Zach Ertz

ADP Watch: Summer's Biggest Mysteries

15 days ago

Jerry Donabedian is surprised to see early drafters overvaluing both Zach Ertz and Dallas Goedert after the Eagles upgraded their running backs and wide receivers during the offseason.

2019 Football Draft Kit: State of the NFL

20 days ago

Jerry Donabedian analyzes how the NFL has become a league of "seven yards and a cloud of dust" and explains what that means for fantasy owners this season.

2019 Football Draft Kit: Best-Ball Strategy

26 days ago

Best-ball leagues offer instant gratification at zero commitment but require a different draft strategy than traditional leagues. Mario Puig explains how to attack them.

Dynasty Watch: Post-Draft Rankings

83 days ago

It's rare to find a rookie class where a quarterback warrants the top overall spot, but Kyler Murray offers stability in a class otherwise lacking it.

NFL Draft: Day 2 Fantasy Fallout

85 days ago

John McKechnie offers his analysis on the receivers and running backs taken on Day 2. Mecole Hardman could be one of Patrick Mahomes' top targets, his stock among rookies soaring.

Past Fantasy Outlooks

2018

2017

2016

2015

2014

2013

Ertz's catch and yardage stats have been stable and similar for three consecutive seasons, but last year was the first time the Eagles unlocked Ertz near the goal line as he was one of five tight ends with double-digit end-zone targets (10). The timing makes sense, as Carson Wentz 2.0 was a major upgrade from the rookie-year version. Wentz and Ertz also have a mind-meld that's unusual. It's obvious these two have spent a ton of time working together, developing the unspoken chemistry you see on Sunday. And if Nick Foles is required to play at all, that's not a concern for Ertz. The reliable tight end posted an 18-192-1 line in the playoffs, superb production on just 22 targets, when Foles replaced the injured Wentz. At 6-5, 250, Ertz, who turns 28 in November, is a safe place to park your money. Even on a Philadelphia team that spreads it around versus forcing the ball to its name players, expect Ertz to keep most of last year's touchdowns.

Ertz has increased his receptions three years running, but he's never been big on touchdowns. Last year's four spikes tied for a career high. The low touchdown count wasn't for a lack of trying; he saw 17 red-zone targets but only caught six and turned three into scores. He also had the lowest YPC of his career, and now there's a bit more competition for the ball, as the additions of veteran wide receivers Alshon Jeffery and Torrey Smith was offset by the August trade of Jordan Matthews to the Bills. Pass-catching back Darren Sproles is still around to fight with Ertz for short targets, but development from Carson Wentz could provide more overall production to go around. Ertz gets the check mark for durability; he's only missed three games in his four-year pro career. And he's always been seen as an intuitive and intelligent player, dating to his days at Stanford. We're comfortable projecting Ertz for another 70-plus catches and a yardage total around 800, but if he were going to become a big touchdown scorer, it probably would have happened by now. There's no shame in this being as good as it gets for Ertz -- he's the type of player you can draft with a good sense of what's likely to come, and that's a reassuring thing. Just don't start dreaming of a new level to climb.

After sharing the tight end job for two years with Brent Celek, the younger, more talented Ertz emerged last season as the top tight end option in the Philadelphia passing game, finishing sixth at the position in targets. He was limited early in the year by a groin injury, but as he got healthier, his output got better, and he finished with two touchdowns and two 100-yard games (narrowly missing a third) in the last five weeks. Unfortunately, those were his only scores and triple-digit games of the season. He was often targeted downfield, but his 20-plus catches (11), YPC and YPT were middling. However, Chip Kelly's up-tempo offense is gone, and in its place is new coach Doug Pederson's version of the West Coast Offense. Pederson oversaw Kansas City's offense the last three seasons, the last two of which saw tight end Travis Kelce excel. Except, in some ways, Kelce excelled in spite of a conservative Chiefs offense that limited his use downfield and in the red zone. Celek is still around, too, and will be used in two TE sets, but shouldn't take too many targets from Ertz. How it all shakes out and what it means for Ertz fantasy value remains to be seen. Kelce finished 8th in tight end fantasy scoring last season; Ertz was 10th. So, the room for growth looks small.

No question Ertz has more upside than 30-year-old Brent Celek, but Ertz still can't get on the field enough to break out. Ertz played just half of the Eagles' snaps last season (up from 40.8 percent as a rookie) while the sure-handed Celek, who is also valued for his blocking, played 69.3 percent of snaps. After splitting targets in 2013, Ertz had nearly 40 more than Celek last season, but that was only enough to barely make him a top-15 fantasy tight end, as he caught just three of 12 red-zone targets for one score. At 6-5, 250, with 4.76 speed, Ertz has the physical tools to be a playmaker, but he might not realize it until he improves as a blocker to keep Celek sidelined. A blocking tight end might be even more needed this year with the additions of workhorse running back DeMarco Murray and injury-prone quarterback Sam Bradford. And even with Jeremy Maclin's departure, targets likely won't be more plentiful. Jordan Matthews will soak up a lot of Maclin's 143 targets from last year, as will rookie Nelson Agholor and a backfield of Murray, Darren Sproles and Ryan Mathews.

A second-round draft pick last season, Ertz lived up to his billing, garnering slightly more targets than veteran Brent Celek (56-51). Ertz proved too quick for linebackers, and when teams covered him with defensive backs, the physical receiver used his 6-5, 250, frame to outwork them for the ball. A good route runner with nice hands, Ertz was limited to 428 snaps last year (Celek had 791) mostly because of his unrefined blocking. While he likely will improve that skill, he was drafted to catch passes, and this season he should have even more opportunities. Even if Celek has another 50 targets, Ertz could pad his targets with a large share of the 126 DeSean Jackson had last season. Jeremy Maclin is back after missing last season with a knee injury, and the Eagles drafted wideout Jordan Matthews in the second round, but the team hopes Ertz will become a primary receiver in the passing game. He likely will be split wide often this season after being used in tight and in the slot last year, as coach Chip Kelly looks to create mismatches in the passing game. Improved play from quarterback Nick Foles will help, too.

A second-round pick in this year's draft, Ertz finds himself behind Brent Celek and probably James Casey as well. Not known for his blocking, Ertz has enough athleticism to be a threat down the seam. As with most rookie tight ends, he's a long shot to be anything more than an occasional contributor in the offense, however.

More Fantasy News

Plays through injuries down stretch

TEPhiladelphia Eagles

Undisclosed

January 27, 2019

Ertz (undisclosed) did not play in Sunday's Pro Bowl, Daniel Gallen of PennLive.com reports.