Dan

Arnold

Part of the C.J. Henderson trade for the Urban Meyer Jags, Arnold caught 66 passes between 2020 and 2021 before falling out of favor with the Doug Pederson staff. Arnold should be a reliable secondary tight end for the Eagles assuming he makes the team. Jack Stoll and Grant Calcaterra are the major depth pieces he’ll be fighting for a roster spot.

Engram’s usage in the Giants offense was laughable for years. The uber-athletic pass catcher was relegated to short targets in New York’s lifeless passing offense, destroying his fantasy appeal. Engram may have grinded Eagles box scores from Pederson’s time as Philadelphia’s head coach, when Zach Ertz recorded 357 receptions in his first four seasons under Pederson. Dallas Goedert also had success as the Eagles’ TE2 during Pederson’s tenure in Philly. Engram, entering his age-28 season, has shown flashes of play-making potential. As a rookie in 2017, he had 64 receptions for 722 yards and six touchdowns, finishing as fantasy’s fifth highest scoring tight end. Engram’s issues with drops, meanwhile, has been overblown in recent years. Last season, Engram dropped 8 percent of his targets, 13th highest among tight ends and lower than Goedert.

The Jaguars gave up on first-round CB C.J. Henderson after one season to acquire Arnold, a career backup that spent his first three years between the Cardinals, Saints, and Panthers. Arnold has never lacked for talent despite a journeyman arc and would have set career highs in Jacksonville had he stayed healthy, averaging over 40 yards per game in eight appearances (three starts) before landing on IR. Arnold’s 2021 breakout was a product of a college-style offense that will have a new playcaller next season, and there are questions whether he can hold up to a full-time role. With James O’Shaughnessy a free agent on a team that’s expected to clean house this offseason, Arnold is the favorite but not a lock to return as Jacksonville’s starter.

Arnold was joined by DT Malcom Brown, LB K’Lavon Chaisson, TE Luke Farrell, DT DaVon Hamilton, C Brandon Linder, TE Chris Manhertz, LB Lerentee McCray, LG Andrew Norwell, DL Jihad Ward, and OL Jared Hocker. The big issue that sticks out on this list is that three tight ends are now at risk of missing Jacksonville’s Week 17 game against the Patriots. Only James O’Shaughnessy and Jacob Hollister remain on the active roster. With little competition for targets, O’Shaughnessy could provide TE2 value this week. The loss of multiple defensive linemen and linebackers should also make the Jaguars an even easier team for New England to run on.

Arnold’s original timeline made a Week 16 return unlikely, but it’s now possible that he returns against the Jets. If he does, it’s unclear exactly how he will split snaps with James O’Shaughnessy. There are plenty of scenarios where both players are unusable. However, against the Jets, Arnold would be worth a dart throw in deeper leagues. The Jaguars now have a 21-day window to add Arnold to their active roster. Given the state of the Jaguars season, it can be viewed as a positive sign for his health that they’re looking to activate him at all.

Arnold could technically return in Week 16, but reportedly facing a 4-6 week recovery from an MCL sprain, it is more likely his season is over. Acquired via a trade with the Panthers early in the season, Arnold established himself as the primary pass catcher in a putrid Jaguars offense, catching 28 passes for 324 yards in eight games. Jacksonville has a lot of questions to answer in the offseason, but Arnold looks like he can at least play a role once the offense gets turned around.

The upper range for Arnold’s return would end his season. It’s a disappointing end to what amounted to a breakout campaign in an eight-game run as the Jaguars’ No. 1 pass catcher. James O’Shaughnessy subbed in for Arnold in Week 12 against Atlanta and ran a pass route on 81.9 percent of Jacksonville’s drop backs, commanding four targets. O’Shaughnessy should be picked up this week by TE-needy fantasy managers. He’ll play a Chargers defense allowing a 23.4 percent target share to tight ends, the sixth highest rate in the league.

O’Shaughnessy is back in play as a solid streaming option if Dan Arnold (knee) misses time. After missing more than two months with a severe ankle sprain, O’Shaughnessy took over as Jacksonville’s primary pass-catching tight end against Atlanta, running a pass route on 81.9 percent of Trevor Lawrence’s drop backs. O’Shaughnessy saw eight targets in his only 2021 game as the team’s starting tight end. If Arnold is out next week against the Rams, O’Shaughnessy would be intriguing for fantasy purposes in a Jacksonville offense that has funneled targets to tight end all season.

Arnold went down in the second quarter and was unable to return. He suffered the injury while being tackled during his only cath. James O’Shaughnessy ran a route on 82 percent of his team’s passing plays with Arnold off the field for most of the day. He caught three passes for 29 yards. O’Shaughnessy has some deep TE2 potential if Arnold is sidelined in Week 13 but fantasy managers can probably find better options off the wire.

Arnold suffered the knee injury at the top of the second quarter after securing his only catch of the day. With two targets through roughly a half, Chris Manhertz appears to be the next man up. Traditionally a blocker, Manhertz can be left on the waiver wire even if Arnold’s injury is a long-term issue.