What's wrong with Mark Andrews? Should you replace him on waivers in Week 6?

I'd call Mark Andrews one of fantasy football's biggest disappointments of 2024, but I think there was a sneaking suspicion that last year's hip-drop tackle was the kiss of death for one of this year's best and most consistent fantasy tight ends generation was. Regardless, the people who drafted Andrews in the third through fifth rounds of their drafts this season are at the center of one of the earliest and riskiest roster decisions this year.

Andrews stunk – in terms of box score and explosiveness. He looked slow. He is been slow. The offense likes him as a blocker and sometimes as a decoy in the backfield. Isaiah Likely has emerged as Baltimore's best passer at the position, as many had suspected in recent years.

Now you're telling me third-string tight end Charlie Kolar caught a touchdown on Sunday – not Andrews? I can probably approve of both of them. I will grant them my patience. But the touchdown against Kolar might have been the last straw. I think it's time to be ruthless with Andrews when using him.

Before we get into that, a note: Many people will watch the game against Washington in Week 6 and expect the Ravens to get into a shootout. Of course, one would expect Andrews to have a celebration during a game like this. But Cincinnati's defense is just as vulnerable to aerial attacks, and Andrews recorded just four receptions on five targets for 55 yards against the Bengals on Sunday.

This was his most productive performance of the season. What on earth are we doing with this guy?

analysis

I won't bury the lede: I've added Andrews to my list Week 6 drop list. Given his lineage, it might sound a bit harsh. But are we really going to keep the dead tight end on our roster? Especially given all the extenuating circumstances surrounding this situation?

What I mean by that is that I wouldn't be advocating breaking up with Andrews if the snaps didn't tell a disheartening story. Let's start here: In yesterday's heavyweight barnburner with the Bengals, Andrews was on the field for 42 offensive snaps. Meanwhile, Zay Flowers – Baltimore's best pass catcher on the afternoon – was on the field for 63 snaps. Simple math: Andrews was on the field for about a third fewer snaps than Flowers. Not good.

42 offensive snaps isn't a lot for a team like the Ravens. How brutal is it that 42 is an improvement for Andrews? In Weeks 3 and 4, when he had just two total targets in consecutive weeks and set fantasy managers to zero, he recorded 20 and 25, respectively. Second-string tight end Isaiah Likely was for in Weeks 3 and 4 39 and 29 snaps on the field, respectively.

Andrews' increased involvement as a pass catcher in Week 5 resulted in a season high in receiving yards: 55. Whoop-dee-doo.

Here is his route diagram from the Bengals game:

NFL Next Gen Stats reports that Andrews only ran 16 routes yesterday; Isaiah probably ran 30; Charlie Kolar ran in seventh place. Andrews' receiving chances are mathematically closer to Likely's, but they appear to be closer to Kolar's.

And performance-wise, they feel emptier than Kolar's. And while I won't include it here to make the analysis more manageable, I will tell you that Likely's route chart looks a lot more like a receiver's than Andrews'.

The writing is placed on the wall in such a way that the writing Is the wall. It's time to move on from Mark Andrews. You might want to keep him for another week just in case he fails against the commanders. Then maybe you could swap it. But don't make the mistake of expecting consistency ever again.

Bottom line: Replace Andrews on waivers

The first place I would look is my colleague Zach Thompson Waiver Wire column for Week 6as he has some bottlenecks there that are worth considering.

Here is a list of the tight ends (and their roster lineups) that I would pick up starting from Andrews in Week 6, in no particular order:

• Tucker Kraft, Green Bay Packers (69.8%)
• Mike Gesicki, Cincinnati Bengals (28.2%)
• Brenton Strange, Jacksonville Jaguars (9.3%; I'm not convinced Engram is coming back this week either…)
• Tyler Conklin, New York Jets (37.2%)
• Cade Otton, Tampa Bay Buccaneers (16.7%)
• Zach Ertz, Washington Commanders (48.3%)

See? There are many replacements.

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I'm a Promoter at DraftKings and also an avid fan and user (my username is thegreatdansby9). Sometimes I play the games I give advice on on my personal account. Although I have expressed my personal opinions on the games and strategies above, they do not necessarily reflect the opinion(s) of DraftKings and do not constitute a representation that any particular strategy will guarantee success. All customers should use their own skills and judgment when compiling their lineups. I may also use players and strategies other than those recommended above. I am not an employee of DraftKings and do not have access to non-public information.