Zach Ertz Fantasy Outlook Boosted by Trade to Cardinals

It seemed like only a matter of time before the Philadelphia Eagles traded tight end Zach Ertz. The veteran was set to become a free agent following the 2021 season and they already have Dallas Goedert to field the position. Well, a trade is exactly what went down on Friday morning.

The Eagles dealt Ertz to the Arizona Cardinals and this is a great landing spot for the three-time Pro Bowler. He gets to play with one of the best young quarterbacks in the game in Kyler Murray and act as a true starter. Ertz's fantasy outlook receives a boost as well.

Trade: Eagles are sending three-time Pro Bowl TE Zach Ertz to the Arizona Cardinals in exchange for CB Tay Gowan and a 2022 5th-round pick, sources tell ESPN. pic.twitter.com/lUlic7y0Oa
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) October 15, 2021

Zach Ertz Fantasy Outlook

Keep in mind that the Cardinals recently placed starting tight end Maxx Williams on injured reserve due to a season-ending knee injury. Ertz will be filling in for a player that saw 17 targets and played in 66% of the offensive snaps. Williams ranked as the TE18 in PPR scoring leagues through five weeks.

Overall, Cardinals tight ends have accounted for 12.7% of the target share this season. This is an upgrade for Ertz no matter how you look at it. He goes from a team that is averaging 346.0 total yards per game (No. 22 in NFL) to one that is averaging 413.2 total yards per game (No. 6 in NFL).

Ertz has bounced back from a disappointing 2020 season by racking up 189 yards and 2 touchdowns on 18 receptions through six games played in 2021. He is also averaging 10.5 yards per catch, which is his highest mark since the 2017 season.

The 30-year-old has an opportunity to become a security blanket for Murray. While he is not eligible in Week 6 because he already played on Thursday night, Ertz has a lot of upside moving forward. He should be seen as a borderline TE1 and rostered across all league formats.

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Larry Rupp is not a FanDuel employee. In addition to providing DFS gameplay advice, Larry Rupp also participates in DFS contests on FanDuel using his personal account, username phillyfan424. While the strategies and player selections recommended in his articles are his personal views, he may deploy different strategies and player selections when entering contests with his personal account. The views expressed in their articles are the author's alone and do not necessarily reflect the views of FanDuel.