RosterWatch brothers and sisters, the fantasy football season is finally here! Don’t call it a comeback for RosterWatch because we’ve been here all offseason. The first few weeks of the season can be rough. It’s tough figuring out how much fake coachspeak occurred during the preseason and how teams actually plan to employ players in their scheme (outside of your usual superstars who you know are getting targets). I keyed you in on guys like Mychal Rivera, Boom Herron, Branden Oliver and Martavis Bryant last year when they had MONSTER weeks. Let’s get cookin’ in 2015!

Tight ends are always intriguing, and because of the trade of Jimmy Graham to a less pass-heavy offense, I feel like there is a bit of a shortage when surveying reliable fantasy tight ends this year. If you didn’t start Gronk Thursday night you may want to get your head checked. If you were going against him, we’re sorry if it still hurts a little bit to sit down for extended periods.

But what if you’re hurting for a tight end?

Or maybe you’re looking for a low-salary guy on FanDuel or DraftKings. Then look no further, because Shabro and the RosterWatch crew have the guy for you. The Buccaneers were a little beyond atrocious last year. You don’t get the first overall pick as a winning football team. Lovie Smith was expected to bring consistency and winning football back to Tampa a la the days of Jon Gruden and Tony Dungy. Instead, what Tampa Bay fans got was a shit sandwich absolute trainwreck. The only bright spots on that team were the two monster wide receivers on offense, veteran Vincent Jackson and rookie sensation Mike Evans. One guy who added to Tampa Bay’s disappointment last year was Austin Seferian-Jenkins (ASJ). No one really expected ASJ to come into the league looking like Gronk, but ASJ only suited up in 9 games and saw meaningful snaps in 7.

However, few rookie tight ends fare well in their first year. Especially those with terrible quarterback play (looking at you Mike Glennon and Josh McCown. Sorry Browns fans … again), a bad defense and poor coaching. Don’t get me wrong. I’m not expecting a beastly breakout season from ASJ of some craziness like 1000 yards and 10 touchdowns. But I think you can safely expect him to be a fringe-TE1 some weeks and win you some cash in daily fantasy.

Let’s take a look at the positives and negatives for Austin Seferian-Jenkins while considering his fantasy value in Week 1 versus the Tennessee Titans.

Positives

– Size/Speed: He’s not lacking in size! Seferian-Jenkins is 6’5” with a great wingspan and some pretty decent hand size (9 ¾”). He’s a former basketball player who knows how to use that size (except in blocking). Watch this man post up on some defensive backs that are undersized compared to him.

– Hands: He’s usually got good hands and doesn’t look like a body catcher. However, he had some maddening drops in the upset win against the Pittsburgh Steelers last year. They seemed to be mental errors and he’s reportedly becoming more comfortable at the next level.

– Health: Part of the reason Seferian-Jenkins didn’t get much playing time (and was fairly ineffective when he did) was due to injuries last year. ASJ may have been a higher pick in the 2014 draft but he dealt with a number of injuries in college. Coming into 2015, he’s supposed to be fully healthy and should be more effective as a result.

– Matchup: This is a secondary that looks stout enough in run defense but their secondary has some significant questions. The cornerback group hasn’t been the same since a declining Courtland Finnegan and an ascending Alterraun Verner left. Jason McCourty and Perrish Cox will have their hands full with VJax and Mike Evans. ASJ’s biggest hang-up in the secondary might come from free safety Michael Griffin. Otherwise, he could have a day against a defense
mentored by Dick LeBeau who has gotten torn up by tight ends the last several years

– Quarterback Play: Jameis Winston, while consistently mired in controversy, is a significant upgrade over Mike Glennon and Josh McCown. Winston has a big arm and can hang in the pocket. He can also take the beating he’s likely to suffer behind that offensive line. Maybe most important for ASJ is the fact that Winston isn’t afraid to make any throw. That’s a double-edged sword for Bucs fans, but it could pay dividends for a big red-zone target like ASJ. Plus, Jameis is no stranger to relying on tight ends (see Nick O’Leary) and rangy red-zone monster (see Kelvin Benjamin).

Negatives

– Limited Opportunities: VJax and Mike Evans are likely to take the lion’s share of targets. That’s not even counting what might be coming to Charles Sims and new-and-improved Muscle Hamster out of the backfield. ASJ was rarely targeted last year. The only thing playing in his favor is the attention the two starting wide receivers will get as well as offensive coordinator Dirk Koetter’s propensity to involve tight ends.

– Blocking: Despite what he’s claimed in interviews, ASJ has a long way to go in the blocking department. For someone with his size and frame, he should be crushing guys the way a young Heath Miller did. ASJ still needs to improve functional strength. If the coaching staff doesn’t trust him enough in the run blocking department he’s going to be limited in his snaps.

– Scheme: He wasn’t involved nearly enough last year and based on the preseason it doesn’t seem like Koetter or the rest of the coaching staff has carved out a large and well-defined role for him as of Week 1. Part of this is due to the immense talent of Evans. However, it is a small cause for concern because rookie QBs typically lean on their tight end as a security blanket. Hopefully Seferian-Jenkins is more heavily involved based on matchups.

DECLASSIFIED: Austin Seferian-Jenkins’ Week 1 Fantasy Outlook

Here’s the bottom line: ASJ has got a high ceiling and a low floor. If you’re in a redraft league and looking to upgrade your backup tight end you could do a whole lot worse. What I love about him right now is he’s available in 42% of leagues still! That’s not bad considering the terrible lack of options for quality tight ends.

I love ASJ in Sunday and Sunday/Monday daily fantasy leagues. I’m going to be starting him all over the place. ASJ’s salary is only $3400 on Draft Kings and $4700 on FanDuel. Garret Graham and (hold your nose) Jeff Cumberland of all people cost more than ASJ on FanDuel right now. I see a ton of upside in ASJ this week as images of Jameis throwing to Nick O’Leary run through my head.

He’s a solid TE2 who might perform closer to a fringe-TE1 this week. All factors considered, I would expect Austin Seferian-Jenkins to grab five balls, gain around 60 yards receiving and possibly a red-zone touchdown in Week 1 versus the Tennessee Titans.