Jason Witten spent one year away from football, but now, the tight end is back on the gridiron, and he is ready to help the Dallas Cowboys return to prominence.
But just how much should we expect from Witten in 2019?
After all, he is 38 years old, and while taking a year off may have been helpful in terms of getting his body some rest, you also have to wonder just how rusty he will be and if he will ever really recover.
The good thing about Witten, however, is that he has never relied on his athleticism. Witten has never been Antonio Gates, instead leaning on great route running ability and outstanding savvy to carve out a Hall-of-Fame career.
So, based on that, any dip that Witten may have had in speed and overall athletic ability since retiring at the end of 2017 might end up being negligible, as he was never exactly a burner to begin with.
The question is, can Witten end up being a sleeper in Fantasy Football this season?
While you can't definitively say “yes,” the possibility is absolutely there.
The Cowboys' offense certainly has use for a guy like Witten, someone who can provide a security blanket for Dak Prescott and open up the field a bit more for Amari Cooper.
Plus, with Dallas' receiving corps somewhat questionable behind Cooper, Witten may end up getting a decent amount of targets, regardless of the fact that the Cowboys seem to want to decrease his snaps from 2017.
Dallas didn't really use its tight ends much in 2018, with Blake Jarwin leading the way with 28 receptions, but that had a lot to do with the fact that Prescott had not established a real connection with any of them yet and probably did not trust them as a result.
Witten, on the other hand, was a daily target for Prescott in 2016 and 2017, registering 69 and 63 catches, respectively, in each of Prescott's first two seasons. So, we know that the trust between Prescott and Witten is there.
Now, because Witten is not an athletic tight end, the yardage isn't impressive, as Witten averaged just 8.9 yards per catch during his most recent season. He also caught just five touchdown passes.
Still, this isn't about Witten being Travis Kelce or George Kittle; this is about him being a sleeper, and he certainly can be.
If you don't necessarily want to focus on grabbing a tight end early in your Fantasy Football draft, you can take care of your other positions first and then come back later and scoop up Witten. Or, if you have already taken a top-flight tight end and are looking for a really solid backup, Witten might still be on the board in the later rounds for you to get some really nice depth.
The 63 catches Witten recorded in 2017 was actually his lowest total since his rookie campaign, so we know Witten can catch the football. It would not be surprising to see him finish with around 55-60 receptions for 500-600 yards and five touchdowns in 2019, which is certainly impressive for a guy who was in the broadcast booth in 2018.
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