Fantasy Upside
Jacob Tamme finished his first season in Atlanta with 59 catches for 657 yards and a touchdown. The yards were a new career high and the catches were the most he's produced since 2010. Tamme benefited from Leonard Hankerson's release mid-season and Roddy White falling out of favor with offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan, because he became Matt Ryan's second read behind top target Julio Jones. Even though the Falcons invested a third-round pick this year in Austin Hooper, Tamme remains the starter and should see the majority of targets at tight end again this season.
Fantasy Downside
Tamme's fantasy stock tumbled when the Falcons signed receiver Mohamed Sanu to a five-year, $32.5 million contract this offseason. Sanu now projects as the second read in Shanahan's offense and Tamme could also lose targets to second-year wideout Justin Hardy (who has emerged as Atlanta's top slot receiver). With the amount of targets Jones sees in the Falcons' offense, plus the addition of Sanu, Tamme is a poor bet this season to see another 80-plus targets in Atlanta.
2016 Bottom Line
Tamme ranks as our TE25 and should be viewed only as a streaming option during the season. He's nothing more than a TE2 given the additions of Sanu and Hooper, as well as the emergence of Hardy. Avoid from Tamme on draft night.