3 teams that would boost Zach Ertz' fantasy football value

On Thursday, the Arizona Cardinals agreed to release veteran tight end Zach Ertz and give him the chance to join a contender late in his career. The former Pro Bowl tight end was traded from the Eagles to the Arizona Cardinals during the 2021 season and last year was rather productive with 47 receptions, 406 receiving yards and four touchdowns.

This season, Ertz has appeared in only seven games and has 27 receptions, 187 receiving yards and one touchdown. He recently has been on injured reserve and Trey McBride has done a good job in replacing him and this is why it makes sense for the Cardinals to grant Ertz' request for a release.

While Ertz was released, he is not able to sign with just any team and will need to go through waivers. If he is not claimed, then he can sign with the team he wants and in that scenario, these are three teams that could make him a factor down the stretch for fantasy football.

Philadelphia Eagles

The obvious team is his old team in the Philadelphia Eagles, where he played nine seasons and made the Pro Bowl three times. During his time with the Eagles, Ertz was an elite tight end and had five straight seasons with 70 or more receptions and 800 or more receiving yards.

Towards the end of his time with the Eagles, he was splitting time with Dallas Goedert and Goedert has been the primary tight end over the past few seasons since the Ertz trade. The reason the Eagles could look to bring back Ertz is that Goedert is currently on injured reserve.

Goedert suffered a broken forearm fracture in Week 9 and according to NFL Network's James Palmer he is trying to play this weekend against the 49ers. However, the game against the Cowboys looks to be pretty realistic.

If the Eagles were to add Ertz, he knows the offense and should have no problem picking up where he left off. He likely will split reps with Goedert which could limit his fantasy football outlook but joining this offense is not a bad thing.

Green Bay Packers

The Green Bay Packers may be a stretch to be considered a contender but they have won 3 out of their last four games. In the NFC, that is enough to get them back in the Wild Card discussion for this year.

The Packers have a need at tight end as they lost their top tight end, Luke Musgrave to a lacerated kidney suffered against the Los Angeles Chargers. They played him on injured reserve before their Thanksgiving game and he will miss at least four games but seems more likely to miss the remainder of the season.

In Musgrave's absence, the Packers have turned to fellow rookie Tucker Kraft and he did have a touchdown reception agaisnt the Lions. However, adding a veteran like Zach Ertz could help Jordan Love, who also has been playing much better as of late.

Baltimore Ravens

The best option for Zach Ertz to have some fantasy football value down the stretch without question is with the Baltimore Ravens. This offense has one of the best tight ends in the NFL in Mark Andrews, who unfortunately suffered a lower leg injury that will keep him out for the rest of the regular season.

Andrews wasn't as productive this season as in past years but still was one of the best fantasy football tight ends. On the season, he had 45 receptions, 544 receiving yards and six touchdowns. The Ravens now will give Isaiah Likely the chance to replace him, and he has done a really good job in spot starts last year.

However, for Ertz and his fantasy football value the Ravens couldn't be a better spot for him. The Baltimore Ravens are one of the best teams in the AFC and look poised to make a deep playoff run. They also have an offense that leans heavily on the tight end so a reliable pass catcher like Ertz makes sense.

The veteran tight end should know by the weekend where he will be playing football for the remainder of the season but if he lands on one of these three teams then fantasy football managers should take note.

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