Playing all 17 games for the first time in three years, the Washington Commanders’ Zach Ertz was a streamer-worthy tight end for most of the season. While no longer a difference-maker, can the veteran Commander again serve as a back-end TE in fantasy football?
Zach Ertz Fantasy Outlook
From 2016 to 2019, Ertz was a top-four tight end every season. He mattered. He made a difference. Then, in 2020, Ertz, pushing 30 years old, averaged 7.1 fantasy points per game.
In 2021, Ertz’s “rebound” was merely 10.6 PPG, barely above streamer-level. The following season, he averaged 11.6 ppg before tearing his ACL midway through the season. At that point, I figured it was over for Ertz as someone who mattered in fantasy, if he ever played football again.
Ertz managed to return for the start of the 2023 season, but was clearly nowhere near the player he once was. He averaged 7.1 PPG and suffered another season-ending injury in Week 7. Entering his age-34 season in 2024, it seemed highly unlikely Ertz would find himself on the fantasy radar.
While Ertz will never be that 13+ PPG tight end again, he’s also not priced like one. There’s a big difference between a mid-round tight end averaging 10 PPG and one you can pick up for free. The latter is exactly why drafting the former is not worth it.
Ertz returned to start the 2017 season and played all 17 games. He’s just a catch-and-fall-down receiver at this point, but that can be enough at a weak, tight end position. Ertz averaged 10.4 PPG, finishing as the overall TE9.
It wasn’t consistent production, though. Ertz had eight games with under 9.0 fantasy points, including five games under 6.0 fantasy points.
Even so, there are two main reasons to care about Ertz in 2025. First, he finished the season quite strongly. In the NFL playoffs, Ertz went 5-28-1 in the Divisional Round and then 11-104 on 16 targets in the NFC Championship. He played 87 and 90% of the snaps in those two games.
7th TD of the season for Zach Ertz!!! 💪
📺: FOX pic.twitter.com/gvPUcSIPMD
— FOX Sports: NFL (@NFLonFOX) January 5, 2025
Second, the tight end position currently lacks an abundance of difference-makers. For a tight end to truly matter in fantasy, he has to average at least 12-13 PPG. Last season, six tight ends did that. Ten tight ends averaged between 8.9 and 11.1 PPG.
This is actually the norm. We have to go all the way back to 2019 to find the last time we had more than six tight ends average 12+ PPG (there were nine). In some seasons, there were only three or four. The average is around five.
All of this is to say that if you can get a tight end that averages 15+ PPG, that matters. It will give you an edge on the majority of your league. But if you can’t get that, it’s not worth spending any draft capital on a tight end that will average 12 PPG. You are better off taking one at the very end of your draft and streaming the position. That is the role Ertz plays at this point in his career.
MORE: Free Fantasy Football Mock Draft Simulator
Ertz has a TE20 average draft position (ADP). You can literally take him in the last round. I have Ertz ranked as my TE21, but he’s only that low because, in fantasy drafts, you are encouraged to draft for upside.
You can always find a guy like Ertz (or Ertz, himself) on the waiver wire. It’s very easy to stream 9-10 PPG at tight end. Draft a tight end who at least has the potential to reach 12+ PPG. You can drop him and stream the position if he doesn’t hit. But there is no compelling reason to draft Ertz in the year 2025.
Frank Ammirante’s Zach Ertz Projection
Zach Ertz turned back the clock last season, catching 66 of 91 targets for 654 yards and seven touchdowns, establishing himself as a key safety valve for Jayden Daniels. However, this is a veteran entering his age-35 season, so it’s hard to see much upside here, especially from a player who doesn’t make much happen after the catch.
MORE: Fantasy Football Trade Analyzer
Still, Ertz is worth a look as a TE3 in Best Ball builds, especially if you’re building a Commanders stack. He will still get 80-plus targets in this offense, so you’re adding floor to your lineup by taking him. It’s preferred if you take Ertz in full-PPR because he’s not going to average more than 10 yards per reception, so there will be limited big plays but lots of catches.
Don’t worry about second-year tight end Ben Sinnott, who didn’t make much of an impact in his first season. Ertz should continue to see a ton of snaps as the dependable veteran in this offense.
