Washington tight end Jordan Reed will be "leaned on heavily" versus the Miami Dolphins, according to beat reporter John Keim.
Fantasy football start/sit advice, Week 1: Jordan Reed
The Washington tight end has been productive when there’s been stable quarterback play. Does he deserve starting consideration for Week 1? We break down the fantasy implications.
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Washington is already thin at the tight end position having lost Niles Paul and Logan Paulsen to season-ending injuries, and only have newly acquired Derek Carrier and Anthony McCoy backing Reed up. Reed's durability has been an issue throughout his short NFL career, but he has been productive on the field.
Fantasy Spin: Versus what's sure to be several eight-man fronts daring Kirk Cousins to throw the ball, Reed will need to be a reliable safety valve for Cousins to get the ball out quickly to. There's precedent for this, albeit a small sample size, but Reed posted lines of 8/92/0 and 5/54/0 in the two games that they shared the field in 2014.
Because tight end is such an unpredictable position across the board, fantasy owners in 12-team leagues would be wise to give Reed TE1 consideration versus the Dolphins. This reigns especially true for owners who waited until the late rounds of drafts and missed out on the likes of Rob Gronkowski, Jimmy Graham, Greg Olsen and Travis Kelce.
