Chris Raybon said Zach Ertz is being drafted far too late around TE19-20 and makes the perfect low-risk placeholder. Raybon noted that with Terry McLaurin’s status still unclear, Washington could lean on Ertz exactly the way they did last season when he quietly led the club in targets over several stretches. Because Ertz costs virtually no draft capital, managers can simply cut him if his age or health catches up, but Raybon expects a spike in Week 1 usage and sees a realistic path to replicating last year’s mid-TE1 production. He recommended waiting on tight end, selecting Ertz at the very end of drafts, starting him opening week, and then deciding whether to ride the volume or churn the roster.

Chris Raybon believes Zach Ertz is being dismissed too quickly. With Terry McLaurin’s status murky, Ertz could reprise last season’s role as Sam Howell’s preferred underneath option. Raybon recalled multiple weeks where Ertz led the Commanders in catches and emphasized that missed games don’t hurt as much in redraft formats—you simply replace him. For a player available in the late rounds who has already flashed double-digit-target upside, Ertz is an easy depth pick.

Pat Fitzmaurice said Zach Ertz still has fantasy juice despite being 34. Ertz logged 66 receptions, 654 yards and seven touchdowns in 2024, finishing TE8 in half-PPR. The turnaround came late: after only one score in his first 10 games, he found the end-zone six times over Washington’s final seven contests, then added an 11-catch, 104-yard playoff line. Fitzmaurice noted that 2024 was Ertz’s first full season since 2021 and that he immediately re-upped on a one-year deal, cementing chemistry with emerging QB Jayden Daniels. Given the Commanders’ lack of established red-zone targets and Ertz’s demonstrated connection with Daniels, Fitz pegs him as a cheap, upside pick in the double-digit rounds of 2025 drafts.

Pat Kerrane referenced a steady stream of Washington beat reports that mirror last summer's narrative: with Terry McLaurin absent, Zach Ertz is "getting every ball" in practice. Kerrane said the drumbeat reaffirms Ertz’s reputation as a volume sponge – he produced a 20-plus percent target share the last time he was healthy – and argued that reception-driven tight ends gain outsized value in premium formats. Because late-round drafters often need a dependable weekly floor after punting the position, Kerrane advocated making Ertz the third tight end on best-ball rosters. His path to fantasy utility is clear: bankable short-area volume with minimal cost and no reliance on random touchdowns.

Andy Holloway advised using a final roster spot on Zach Ertz after multiple Washington beat writers labeled him the most-targeted pass catcher in early practices. With Terry McLaurin’s status clouded by an undisclosed injury and Deebo Samuel showing his age, Ertz has become Jayden Daniels’s preferred read on horizontal breaking routes. Holloway reminded listeners that Ertz finished ninth among all NFL receivers in red-zone target share last year and still excels at finding soft spots against zone before turning and falling for easy PPR points. Until his body breaks down, Holloway expects 5-7 weekly targets and a reasonable shot at half-dozen touchdowns—production rarely available with the last pick of redraft leagues.

Kelley reiterated his NFC East bust call: Ertz’s shallow target role overlaps with Deebo Samuel, and Washington spent a 2024 second-round pick on Ben Sinnott. TE19, 146.9 ADP buys a player likely to lose snaps as the season progresses.

Freedman projected Ertz as TE11 (116.2 points) while drafters slot him TE19. The veteran quietly produced 66-654-7 on 91 targets last year and could see even more work if Terry McLaurin’s contract standoff bleeds into September. Freedman said 2018 Ertz isn’t that far in the past and the cost-benefit at pick 152 tilts heavily in favor of taking the plunge.

Joe Bartel said fantasy managers should leave Zach Ertz on the waiver wire even when the draft room is begging for a tight end. RotoWire’s value meter shows almost no chance Ertz returns a top-5 finish and projects the lowest ceiling among the late-round options. Bartel emphasized that at this stage of his career Ertz is, in his words, "too decrepit to actually play football," so burning a 13th-round pick on him only caps roster upside. Instead, Bartel prefers to keep loading up on running-back and wide-receiver depth while letting someone else take the risk.

When the mock finally forced him to consider tight ends in Round 13, Bartel flatly dismissed Zach Ertz, saying the veteran is "too decrepit to actually play football at this point." The RotoWire value meter also flagged Ertz as the lowest-scoring option among the late tight-end pool. Bartel advised passing on Ertz entirely and instead throwing darts at younger options with athletic upside because the 33-year-old offers virtually no path to a top-five finish.

Harris views Zach Ertz’s TE23, 15th-round ADP as “wildly off base.” The 34-year-old logged 66-654-7 last year, finishing TE11 while ranking second on Washington in all major receiving categories. He now returns to Jayden Daniels’ comfort blanket role even after the addition of Deebo Samuel. With proven red-zone chops and virtually no opportunity cost, Ertz is a cheap way to lock in weekly floor and occasional spikes.

Pat Fantasy Dog Pound echoed a viewer’s point that “Zach Ertz is probably a very good value in this contest.” Because weekly consistency is rewarded just as heavily in September as in the three-team Week-17 final, Pat prefers a proven target earner like Ertz at his depressed ADP. Waiting to select Ertz frees him to hammer running backs and wide receivers early while still rostering a tight end who can post startable scores right out of the gate. He also reminded drafters to monitor bye weeks so Ertz’s early production isn’t negated by overlapping rests with other tight ends.

Cody Woodman called Zach Ertz a "smash pick" in the final rounds, arguing that Jayden Daniels will lean on the veteran the same way he did late last year at Arizona. Washington added almost no target competition after Terry McLaurin and Jahan Dotson, and Ertz averaged a 24% first-read share in his three healthy games with the Cardinals. Cody noted that Daniels posted a league-high 29% usage rate on throws 0–10 yards in college, a profile that dovetails with Ertz’s aDOT. With Ben Sinnott profiling more as an H-back and Logan Thomas gone, Cody projects 80–85 targets and ranks Ertz as the TE18 while he’s being drafted outside the top-28 tight ends in BBM6.

Pat Fantasy Dog Pound called Zach Ertz “criminally under-drafted” after the veteran slipped to the very back of the tight-end-two range. Pat noted Washington added virtually nothing else at the position—only rookie Ben Sinnott profiles as real competition—and new OC Kliff Kingsbury historically targets tight ends on stick and option routes (Ertz averaged 7.8 targets per game in Kingsbury’s 2021 Arizona offense). Because Jayden Daniels routinely peppers underneath targets, Pat projects a 17–18% target share for Ertz whenever he is healthy, easily enough to turn in low-end TE1 weeks in half-point formats. He believes Ertz’s combination of route volume, shallow aDOT efficiency, and zero depth-chart threat makes him a perfect last-round safety valve for drafters who punted the position.

Tyler Knaeble highlighted Zach Ertz as a screaming late-round value, noting that in Underdog’s Marathon contest the veteran consistently goes around pick 150—roughly a 10-spot premium to his price in regular Best Ball Mania drafts. Knaeble argued the Marathon ADP is a truer reflection of Ertz’s worth once drafters shed age bias and focus on role: Kliff Kingsbury’s offenses have historically peppered tight ends (23% target share in Arizona from 2019-22), and Washington lacks a proven red-zone weapon behind Terry McLaurin. Ertz averaged 7.9 targets per game before his 2022 knee injury and showed he can still separate in limited 2023 snaps with Arizona. At a cost cheaper than rookies who may not see the field, Knaeble is comfortable locking Ertz in as TE2 on hyper-fragile builds or pairing him with a rookie like Brock Bowers to secure early-season floor.