Tyler Eifert Rookie Spotlight
Byron Lambert, Rosterwatch.com

Photo via Tyler Eifert Twitter

Height: 6’6″
Weight: 251 Pounds
40-Time: 4.68
Drafted: Round 1 (Cincinnati Bengals)

Scouting Report:
Tyler Eifert has NFL skills written all over him. He’s a big target with good hands, and a very fluid athlete. He was outstanding in every drill at the NFL Combine, showing a combination of agility and explosive ability.

Eifert is more Rob Gronkowski than Jason Witten. Eifert high points balls over smaller defensive backs and can be split out wide. He has to improve his blocking skills, but we believe he is a perfect fit in Cincinnati.

Fantasy Analysis:

A.J. Green is the clear-cut No. 1 target by a mile. We called his disgusting 2012 sickness around this time last year.

Andy Dalton still leaves a lot to be desired, though. We were impressed with the occasional flash we saw from rookie Mohammed Sanu as a versatile No. 2 WR candidate, but it’s still pretty early. Fantasy players keep waiting on Jermaine Gresham to explode, but it never happens.

The fact is no true WR2 exists in Cincinnati. Hence, the Bengals selection of Tyler Eifert.

The questions are- how long will it take Eifert to develop? More importantly, how much is the No. 2 receiver in an Andy Dalton offense really worth? There is some legitimate competition which could delay Eifert’s progress, but his talent is undeniable.

We think the answer to the first question, “how long will it take Eifert to develop?” is—pretty quickly. The Bengals base offense is shaping up as a two-tight end set, so Eifert is going to see plenty of snaps. Gresham is a good enough blocker that it should allow Eifert to stay on the field in some nickel situations if he has success early. With attention on his teammates, we also think Eifert will surprise some defenses as a rookie. Especially those with linebacking corps who can’t drop into inside vertical stems.

Tyler Eifert should be a serviceable late-round spot play in 2013 redraft leagues. He is certainly an intriguing experimental option and a possible future sensation. He is a must-own in Keeper and Dynasty Formats. 600 yards and 5 touchdowns is within reach this year. Meaning, he could average 5-6 fantasy points per game this season. The numbers sound meager on average, but it’s more likely that the points will come in spurts. Expect inconsistency as a rookie, but there will be some serviceable, match-up based fantasy performances out of Eifert along the way this season, barring injury.